how young is too young for an iphone?
by Mary Psyhogeos
November 12, 2019
As a 16 year old, the vast majority of Instagram accounts that I follow are run by my teenage peers. There are some college students mixed in, as well as some adults. Only a few are owned by children less than 13 years old, yet these are the accounts that dominate my feed. Solely based off of my own experience, it seems that younger kids post far more often than their older counterparts, as they truly document every moment of their lives. Of course, teenagers and even adults are guilty of these social media plights as well. The immaturity of young children, however, makes it even more prevalent and possibly more dangerous to their development. Parents have debated endlessly over when to give their child a phone, and, according to a national survey by Pearson in 2015, 53% of 4th and 5th graders, 66% of middle schoolers, and 82% of high schoolers own one. It is too early to see the effects of young access to smartphones but, for the sake of protection against cell phone addiction and social media, I believe that most children should not be given an iPhone until the age of thirteen.
A New Kind of Addiction
In 1654, philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote that “all of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” The rapidity of society in the digital world has conditioned people to expect everything to happen now. Today’s technology is incredibly convenient, but it makes people impatient and unable to wait. We are currently in a remarkable position to observe the effects of this change because the first iPhone was released twelve years ago, in 2007. Thus, the first group of children who have truly grown up in the world of Apple smartphones are now walking the line between pre-teen and teen. Many of them were given ‘screen time’ their entire lives and have failed to learn how to entertain themselves. Constant usage of technology has led to problems among adults and these issues are only exacerbated inside the underdeveloped brains of preteens. According to Pew research, nearly 75% of Americans have unsuccessfully tried to distance themselves from Facebook, proving that even adults acknowledge the detrimental effects of social media but struggle to limit their usage. In 1997, writer Michael Goldhaber observed that the Internet limits the attention abilities of its users by drowning them in information while constantly increasing the production of said information. This problem existed two decades ago, but has now been blown out of control by the unrestrained flood of stimulus that bombards society today. Young children are especially vulnerable to this and it can impede their ability to focus as they develop. It is not uncommon for kids to develop cell phone addictions, as 24% of teens report that they are online “almost constantly." This addiction can lead to a myriad of behavioral issues and decreased attention spans. It is a terrifying fact that many of the next generation become bored when just thinking and require never-ending stimulus from the very cyberspace that damages their development.
The Danger of the Internet
Young children’s addiction to devices is not nearly as problematic as the content within these cell phones. With iPhones come social media platforms and accounts for children unbelievably young (just today, I came across the Instagram account of a 7 year old). Preteens battling the social pressures of middle school have become obsessed with quantities of followers and likes. They learn that these are the important aspects of life, a mentality strongly tied to self-esteem issues and loneliness. But social media isn’t only harmful to the mental health and perspectives of middle schoolers, it can also be physically dangerous. It was reported by The Telegraph that one in five children under twelve are groomed online and that police arrest six people everyday for grooming children via social media apps in the UK alone. Young children are ignorant to the dangers of publishing private information and online communication with strangers, which can lead to kidnappings or sexual exploitation. Middle school is a trying time on its own - to add the challenges of popularity comparisons on social media platforms or the possibility of making grave mistakes in search of attention is simply dangerous.
The Right Time
Of course, technology is not entirely bad. Hundreds of times a day, curiosity leads to instant answers to questions that expand our understanding of the world. Young children should not be barred from these answers that feed their curiosity. The innate ability to navigate and understand technology like a first language will give today’s children unprecedented advantages. But growing up with the awareness of Google and the ability to ask a parent to look up a question, access to a regulated family computer, or the usage of school-supplied technology will give kids plenty of association with the power of search engines. A personal smartphone at the age of nine is not necessary to develop these skills. The issue lies not in technology but in the possession of and unrestrained access to a smartphone at an early age. Until children have developed the maturity to understand responsible amounts of usage and social media, and have experienced a childhood in which they were forced to learn to entertain themselves without technology, they should not be given their own iPhone.
While this maturity may come at different ages, I believe that most kids are able to responsibly use an iPhone at the age of thirteen. That isn’t to say that any cell phone is out of the question - for logistical purposes, it can be safer for children to have a flip phone with which to contact parents. However, for the sake of their safety, mental health, and development, most preteens should not be given a smartphone.
November 12, 2019
As a 16 year old, the vast majority of Instagram accounts that I follow are run by my teenage peers. There are some college students mixed in, as well as some adults. Only a few are owned by children less than 13 years old, yet these are the accounts that dominate my feed. Solely based off of my own experience, it seems that younger kids post far more often than their older counterparts, as they truly document every moment of their lives. Of course, teenagers and even adults are guilty of these social media plights as well. The immaturity of young children, however, makes it even more prevalent and possibly more dangerous to their development. Parents have debated endlessly over when to give their child a phone, and, according to a national survey by Pearson in 2015, 53% of 4th and 5th graders, 66% of middle schoolers, and 82% of high schoolers own one. It is too early to see the effects of young access to smartphones but, for the sake of protection against cell phone addiction and social media, I believe that most children should not be given an iPhone until the age of thirteen.
A New Kind of Addiction
In 1654, philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote that “all of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” The rapidity of society in the digital world has conditioned people to expect everything to happen now. Today’s technology is incredibly convenient, but it makes people impatient and unable to wait. We are currently in a remarkable position to observe the effects of this change because the first iPhone was released twelve years ago, in 2007. Thus, the first group of children who have truly grown up in the world of Apple smartphones are now walking the line between pre-teen and teen. Many of them were given ‘screen time’ their entire lives and have failed to learn how to entertain themselves. Constant usage of technology has led to problems among adults and these issues are only exacerbated inside the underdeveloped brains of preteens. According to Pew research, nearly 75% of Americans have unsuccessfully tried to distance themselves from Facebook, proving that even adults acknowledge the detrimental effects of social media but struggle to limit their usage. In 1997, writer Michael Goldhaber observed that the Internet limits the attention abilities of its users by drowning them in information while constantly increasing the production of said information. This problem existed two decades ago, but has now been blown out of control by the unrestrained flood of stimulus that bombards society today. Young children are especially vulnerable to this and it can impede their ability to focus as they develop. It is not uncommon for kids to develop cell phone addictions, as 24% of teens report that they are online “almost constantly." This addiction can lead to a myriad of behavioral issues and decreased attention spans. It is a terrifying fact that many of the next generation become bored when just thinking and require never-ending stimulus from the very cyberspace that damages their development.
The Danger of the Internet
Young children’s addiction to devices is not nearly as problematic as the content within these cell phones. With iPhones come social media platforms and accounts for children unbelievably young (just today, I came across the Instagram account of a 7 year old). Preteens battling the social pressures of middle school have become obsessed with quantities of followers and likes. They learn that these are the important aspects of life, a mentality strongly tied to self-esteem issues and loneliness. But social media isn’t only harmful to the mental health and perspectives of middle schoolers, it can also be physically dangerous. It was reported by The Telegraph that one in five children under twelve are groomed online and that police arrest six people everyday for grooming children via social media apps in the UK alone. Young children are ignorant to the dangers of publishing private information and online communication with strangers, which can lead to kidnappings or sexual exploitation. Middle school is a trying time on its own - to add the challenges of popularity comparisons on social media platforms or the possibility of making grave mistakes in search of attention is simply dangerous.
The Right Time
Of course, technology is not entirely bad. Hundreds of times a day, curiosity leads to instant answers to questions that expand our understanding of the world. Young children should not be barred from these answers that feed their curiosity. The innate ability to navigate and understand technology like a first language will give today’s children unprecedented advantages. But growing up with the awareness of Google and the ability to ask a parent to look up a question, access to a regulated family computer, or the usage of school-supplied technology will give kids plenty of association with the power of search engines. A personal smartphone at the age of nine is not necessary to develop these skills. The issue lies not in technology but in the possession of and unrestrained access to a smartphone at an early age. Until children have developed the maturity to understand responsible amounts of usage and social media, and have experienced a childhood in which they were forced to learn to entertain themselves without technology, they should not be given their own iPhone.
While this maturity may come at different ages, I believe that most kids are able to responsibly use an iPhone at the age of thirteen. That isn’t to say that any cell phone is out of the question - for logistical purposes, it can be safer for children to have a flip phone with which to contact parents. However, for the sake of their safety, mental health, and development, most preteens should not be given a smartphone.