Tech & Kids: In the Digital Age Are Parents' Rights Enough? 30Seconds Tribe, Let's Talk! by Teacher Karen

I shared an article on Facebook recently about an investor group pressuring Apple to do more to protect children from the addictive nature of smartphones. I asked if these phones, and in a broader sense, electronic devices, were the modern-day equivalent of cigarettes requiring governmental regulations to protect consumers and minors? Smartphones give a child, in effect, constant access to social media, affecting their mental and physical health and wellness. This unfettered, potentially unfiltered access to digital technology leads to, among other things: 

• sleep deprivation 
• decreased ability to focus

Both of these things contribute negatively to school performance. And, tragically, there’s a correlation between smartphone use and higher risks of suicide as well as depression.

I wondered what our 30Seconds moms and dads would think: Have makers of smartphones, and all things digital or virtual, done such a remarkable job creating (and marketing) products that engage consumers so thoroughly that these same consumers don’t have the capability to make rational decisions for themselves or their children? Is it personal responsibility, or a combination? 

Let’s talk 30Seconds tribe!