Predators, pornography, and propaganda. Those three elements are some of the top reasons a growing movement of parents are raising their children smartphone and social media-free. The dangers of social media are well documented, with the U.S. Surgeon General even calling for warning labels on the platforms due to their severe impact on mental health. Not only that, but as congressional hearings continue to investigate the global powers behind propaganda on social media platforms like TikTok that are deeply impacting the younger generation, parents are growing all the more wary of allowing their young children to access those sites without supervision.
Unfettered access to the internet brings a new level of danger, specifically with pornography, which is not only addictive but destructive to young minds. Along with social media, it also exposes kids to sexual predators and online bullying.
“In my view, I think parents, and especially Christian parents, need to be aware of how smartphones represent an existential crisis for their children. Giving young children unfiltered, unregulated access to the internet is perhaps the most unwise decision a parent can make. In fact, if you want your children to be brainwashed by the secular forces in our culture, hand them a smartphone,” Family Research Council’s biblical worldview expert David Closson stated. “Social media has become a breeding ground for dangerous ideologies.” (emphasis added)
The U.K. organization Smartphone Free Childhood (SFC) has witnessed an incredible response to their movement, which is centered on helping connect “parents who are refraining from giving their kids [smartphones].” In the few weeks following the organization’s founding, over 60,000 parents across England had joined. “It soon became apparent that thousands — probably millions — of parents were desperate for something to change,” SFC said. Dr. Jonathan Haidt, psychologist and author, noted that this is “the beginning of the global tipping point in the fight back against a phone-based childhood.”
“If a child is going to have a ‘smartphone,’ there are a growing number of options where parents can have total control over their kid’s phone, such as a Gabb phone or Pinwheel. In this day and age, I can understand the need to have a way to communicate with your school-age child, but they certainly don’t need a device that gives them access to social media, the ability to text strangers, or to keep secrets,” one mother explained.
You can learn more about safe alternatives to traditional smartphones here.
Schools around the nation have implemented smartphone-free classroom policies, and Maple Grove Middle School in Minnesota reported a “night and day” difference in their students. They reported that kids are happier, engage with each other more frequently, have better attention spans, and participate more in class discussions.
“Screen time is highly addictive and is impacting and destroying the most important part of us: our relationships. Today’s generations are the most digitally connected of all time, yet the most relationally disconnected of all time,” President of American Association of Christian Counselors Dr. Tim Clinton shared. “Something has to change and soon. If we managed the amount of time on our phones and social media, our overall mental health would be better. We desperately need guardrails and boundaries to help develop healthy screen time patterns and to get back to meaningful face to face relationships. Parents and school administrators must help lead the way here.”
Let kids be kids. They don’t need smartphones to be happy, healthy, or connected to their friends. Childhood should be filled with play dates, time outdoors, outings with family, and meaningful conversations – not screen time. We encourage you to join this growing global movement of smartphone-free kids, and see what a difference it can make in your family.
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