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Comment on Parents turn to smartwatches for their children amid global phone screen-time pushback

EncryptKeeper@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

I’m pretty sure the goal behind the no phone rule is not that utilizing a phone is inherently bad, but that you’re trying to avoid building the habits and behavior that comes with having a smart phone on you, like doom scrolling, constant social media access, constant distraction etc. And in that case, the kid having some limited access to other kids phones (If they even do. Who among any of us just lets someone else use our phone unrestricted) isn’t going to undermine that effort.

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insaneinthemembrane@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
Yes there are a multitude of reasons, not least that filtering only does so much and constant surveillance is unrealistic.

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- sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
  As well as unhealthy. Why give your kid a device if you don’t trust them with it?
  
  That’s my standard. Either I trust them with the device, or I don’t, and no amount of filters will help me feel comfortable with giving them something early. I was a kid, and I know kids can figure out how to evade filters. I’ve done it myself.
  
  So no, either no phone or complete trust, and they need to earn my trust first.
  
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  - insaneinthemembrane@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
    Yes, it’s part of set them up to succeed not fail. And another part of it is I want them to have a clean break from the outside world, from friendship drama or clinginess, from school stuff, etc. Digital switch off isn’t something people are good at doing by themselves as adults!
    
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    sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
    I think the healthier way to handle that is to explain why it’s a good thing and help them set appropriate boundaries. I like what my boss does, every week or two they have a “no tech” day where they put their phones in a safe, including the parents. They then have fun together, either by playing board games, having a picnic, etc.
    
    Give them advance notice so they can plan appropriately, and make sure it’s fun. If they like it, they’ll likely want to do it again.
    
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Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
The raise your child to use a device appropriately. Waiting until they are a teenager is far too late to form the appropriate habits around self limiting screen time.

I get that no one wants to blame the device but this is clearly a parenting issue and I say this as someone who has on average raised far more children than anyone in my generation.

But go ahead and lean into the articles that blame on the evil algorithms and the evil corporations. Personal and parental responsibility is hard anx blaming outside influences is easy.

Raise your children or someone else will do it for you.

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- EncryptKeeper@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
  
  Waiting until they are a teenager is far too late to form the appropriate habits around self limiting screen time.
  
  Given that smartphones didn’t even exist until I was a teenager, going to go ahead and call bullshit on that.
  
  this is clearly a parenting issue
  
  Sure is. Too many parents handing their developing children smartphones long before they should. Luckily OP hasn’t made that mistake.
  
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  - sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
    Exactly. I see kids walking to elementary school staring at a smartphone. Why? What could they possibly need a smartphone for?
    
    I’m not sure when we’ll give our kids phones, but certainly not in elementary school. I might start them on a flip phone in middle school/junior high (like 12-13yo) so they can text, and probably give them a PC as well around that time for intro to SM so they can keep up w/friends. But a smartphone isn’t happening for a while. Until then, if they need a phone, I’ll have one they can borrow.
    
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- AtariDump@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
  But they are raising their children.
  
  Without a phone.
  
  Or the algorithms that have been proven to be addictive. Do you really think Facebook is your friend? You are the product, not the consumer.
  
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- queermunist@lemmy.ml ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
  Raise your child to smoke meth appropriately.
  
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- biggerbogboy@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago
  I am a living breathing example of a kid who got a phone at 17, I had a bit of a honeymoon period with it, had lots of fun and distraction, but eventually got used to it and actually use it for organising my schoolwork to do list, check the weather and my daily schedule.
  
  I do tend to use social media on it, but only on the bus, since that’s usually when I don’t have anything else to do. I self limit my screen time pretty well, usually only 30 mins to an hour total per day, and I’ve always had all my devices without parental control systems, since my parents never knew how to set them up.
  
  Also, you saying it’s never about algorithms designed to siphon your attention is inherently incorrect of a statement. They literally have hundreds of data metrics to effectively lock you into staring at the screen mindlessly, although parenting also has a part to play, since you also should teach your child on how to control their attention and harness it to actually do something fulfilling, though many parents don’t know how to.
  
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