I do somewhat like the idea that kids should be able to have access to a phone or iPad with games to play on, but there should be many restrictions placed. It would be cool if Apple were to come out with a device exclusively for children the ages of five to ten, where there are time limits on each game, it has to be connected to wifi to use and other restrictive measures. Overall, these restrictions would just allow the child to not become addicted to their device, and be able to enjoy their childhood like how kids used to.

Another major problem I have noticed in younger generations is that kids my age and younger spend so much time inside and on their phones that they aren’t developing social awareness or communication skills and this has led them to become lazier as a generation and society. Even though there are a lot of teenagers who do not fall under this category, electronic devices have still taken a toll on the youth. An obvious thing to blame is COVID-19, which made this problem worse. This is because all of the kids were all stuck inside talking to each other over the internet during the most important development stage in childhood and this made them feel like talking to each other only on the internet was normal. However, all it did in the long run was damage most of their social skills.

But in my eyes, this problem has only gotten worse with kids born within the last ten years. Almost everywhere I go in public, there are toddlers who just sit on their iPads and have no awareness of what is going on around them except for what is happening on their screen. Again, this is obviously not the child’s fault, because it is all they really know, but this is the result of bad parenting. With half of children owning their own device under eight years old, this problem is going to expand even more as time goes by. When I try to imagine life as a teenager before any devices, I imagine it as stress free. It seems like nobody was anxious or socially awkward, and cell phones and devices have changed this whole narrative entirely.

A main problem that I see which stems from overuse of devices is the aggression that comes from kids not having their device, or having it taken away. There are many times in public when I see a very young family and the little kids are throwing a temper tantrum. This most of the time is probably coming from their parents taking away their device, and the kids are so bored without it, they go crazy. This might also be because the only way they find a way to pass time when there is nothing else to do is spend time on their iPad or tablet. This argument does not only apply for young children though. A lot of the time I find myself in a boring scene, like school or the airport, and the only thing I find joy in doing is being on my phone, even when there isn’t anything to do on it. This problem kind of makes me think that phones have developed young generations into not knowing how to be bored, and the only thing to do is spend time on it.

In conclusion, I think if new parents were able to understand and learn that high amounts of screen usage at a young age for their children will have bad long-term effects, it will help the future and current generations be able to develop their social skills. Instead of letting their children stay on their devices for four to five hours per day, they can limit the time down to one or two, and have their children focus on other things that will develop their brain. Things like reading, playing with toys and spending time outside at the park or on a walk would do wonders for a kid who locks himself inside all day. Setting restrictions on your own phone will also help you stay more focused in important places, and help improve your attention span without having to rely on your device to keep you busy.