Smartphones Are Like Crack Cocaine for Kids: They Should Be Banned in Schools! (What Do You Think?) by Mike Prochaska

Opinion
6 years ago

Smartphones Are Like Crack Cocaine for Kids: They Should Be Banned in Schools! (What Do You Think?)

It makes me sad when everywhere we go there are kids on smartphones and tablets. We went to a party last weekend and all the other kids, except mine, were playing on phones and tablets instead of with each other. Mine were coloring and writing in their journals, as they call them (notebooks), and trying to get the other kids to put down their phones and tablets and play with them.

Did you know that smartphones are as addicting as crack cocaine for kids and teenagers? Did you know that giving children a smartphone is like giving them cocaine, and for that reason I believe schools should ban them. We wouldn’t let kids do crack at school, so I think phones should be banned, too!

When kids play on iPads or phones, the dopamine levels in their brains increase. This affects the frontal cortex of a child's brain pretty much the same way cocaine does. This portion of the brain controls memory, reasoning, problem-solving and impulse control. Children are not born with these skills, but develop them as they grow older, which is why they are more susceptible to digital addiction. (Kids Stop Press

Rehab clinic expert Mandy Saligari is one of the top addiction experts and warns that, “When you’re giving your kid a tablet or a phone, you’re really giving them a bottle of wine or a gram of coke.” Children as young as 13 are be treated for digital technology – with a third of British children aged 12-15 admitting they do not have a good balance between screen time and other activities. 

I think cellphones should be banned at schools. Schools should bring back pay phones. We don’t let kids do drugs at school and we shouldn’t allow them to have smartphones either. What do you think?

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Stephanie Cannoe
My pediatrician has recommended screen time, including TV watching and everything else to a 2 hour a day limit. We try to stick to that and use time as a reward for good behavior and a motivator. Hey, a little sugar is ok too!
Lemi-Ola Erinkitola
how old are your kiddos?
Heather Holter
I actually have a blog post similar to this about screen addiction.
Lemi-Ola Erinkitola
I have witnessed some schools collecting and holding cellphones/ smart devices until the end of the day. Children are allow access only in emergency cases. Parents are informed of the school policy Stephanie Cannoe One-third of all K-12 students in U.S. schools use school-issued devices in the classroom. More and more kids are using them for homework, projects, study collaboration efforts etc, making that 2-hour a day limit less achievable.
Mike Prochaska
This awesome! My kids keep asking for a phone because there friends have one i keep saying no till they 18
Mindy Hudon, M.S., CCC-SLP
My kids did not have a “flip” phone until high school when they needed to contact me after school and a smart phone until college. They had iPods at home to free text and for their music. I gave them access but I controlled it as their parent.
Mindy Hudon, M.S., CCC-SLP
Although I somewhat agree with you Mike Prochaska I also disagree. I specialize in working with kids on executive function, those areas you just listed. I agree time on devices should be limited and controlled and they are not great for the brain all the time, but our children are not us! They were born into a generation where technology is and will be in their lives. Although we may not agree because that is not how we were raised, this is their life and unfortunately kids are motivated by it. So instead of banning its use teach them how to use it as part of their education. As a tool not always a toy! Also the more you say no the more they want it, so taking it away is not the answer. Parents and teachers need to work together.
Elisa Schmitz
Great points, Mindy Hudon, M.S., CCC-SLP ! I appreciate your perspective as an educator and parent.

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