Should Kids Have Phones?

The big question - should kids have phones or not?

One side would say, "Yes. It's the world we live in now. If they don't have a phone, it could cause them fall behind in the digital world we find ourselves in."

The other side would respond by saying, "No. Phones are not good for kids to have and can have a negative impact on them.  Let them be kids before they enter the world of technology later in life."

Look around and you will find kids who sit motionless for hours at a time.  Lost in the world of Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, TikTok and more.

Many parents have decided to not give their child a cell phone until high school and no social media until the age of 16.

Many educators believe that we have rewired childhood and changed human development on an almost unimaginable scale.  In many cases this has caused children to move from social to solitary.

Cell phones have become more amazing each year. Take the iPhone for example.  The original iPhone was a tool, map, music machine, a mailbox and more.  But for many people, their cell phone moved form being their servant to being their master.  It's always there.  Constantly demanding your attention and waiting for you to say "hey, Siri." 

The next generation (and current generation if we are honest) has become addicted to their phones and the data, movies, TV shows, video games, fun videos, and more that they can access through their phone. Watch next time you are in public. You will see young people glued to their phone. They might sit it down for a few minutes, but you can be guaranteed they will pick it back up and start interacting with it.

Phones can also cause children to be less social. When we were kids and we went to spend the night at someone's house, we watched movies together, played games,  had fun outside, etc. Today's kids have been rewired. When they do go to a friend's house, you will find them on their individual phones watching Netflix, playing games, checking their social media, etc 

Because of our phones, we are forever elsewhere. We are never fully present. -Sherry Turkle

It seems like an impossible task to get a young person to disconnect from technology for any amount of time. They get nervous and anxious without it. 

When asked, "why don't you get off the internet?" Kids will say, "I can't, because everyone else is on."

Studies are also finding that phones can literally rewire our brains. We hand kids an iPhone or an iPad and say "here...we're going to let you be guided into adulthood by a bunch of random people." 

Today's kids get up to 500 notifications each day.  Many of the notifications expose them to teaching and  thoughts and activities that do not line up with God's Word. 

Should kids get phones?  You, and trusted friends and family, have to decide this for your kids.

Your turn.  What are your thoughts and ideas about this?  Share with us in the comment section below.