THE CONSTANT COMPANION
After reading through the research provided from the various outlets this week, I settled on taking a deeper dive into Common Sense Media's report entitled Constant Companion: A Week in the Life of a Young Person's Smartphone Use. As a high school teacher, I am keenly aware of the complicated relationship that students have with these devices. As a parent of a 3rd grader and 6th graded, neither of whom have smartphones yet, I struggle with how to handle the many benefits and issues that arise from these devices. So to say that this topic hits close to home is a bit of an understatement; it's something that I think and worry about quite often.
A RITE OF PASSAGE
For the majority of young people getting a smartphone has become a rite of passage in the United States. "According to Common Sense Research, 43% of tweens (ages 8 to 12) and 88% to 95% of teens (age 13 to 18) have their own smartphone." (Rideout et al., 2022; Pew 2022) In fact, nearly half of U.S. children get their first smartphone by age 11. (Rideout et al., 2022) I find these statistics fascininating for a number of reasons. First, I was born in 1982 which technically makes me a Millenial, but I was the fifth of six kids, so I was raised in Gen X house; so I have often thought of myself as what David White would refer to as a visitor when it comes to technology. I did not have a cell phone until I was 20 years old and didn't get a smartphone until I was in my late 20's. Second, my kids are 8 and 12 and neither have smartphone yet. My 12 year old has a Verizon Gizmo, which allows him to make calls to 10 preset contacts and send preprogrammed texts. My wife and I are discussing when is the right time to get him a smartphone. Which leads to the third reason, teaching children appropriate use and proper management of these devices is more important than ever.
DAILY USAGE
Smartphones are an important part of young people's lives. They use them to connect with friends, give their brains a rest, and help them laugh and calm down. The average teenager uses their smartphone for almost four and a half hours per day, but there is a wide range of usage, with some teens using their phones for only a few minutes per day and others using them for over sixteen hours per day. Teens also use their smartphones in a variety of ways. Some teens use them to actively consume content, like watching videos or playing games; while others use them to provide background "buzz" by playing movies, videos, or music while they do other activities. Most teens pick up their phones frequently throughout the day, with a median of 51 times per day. Younger teens tend to pick up their phones less frequently than older teens. This is likely due to the fact that younger teens have more rules or restrictions placed on their smartphone use and are less likely to have peers with smartphones.
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| Image Source: 2023 Constant Companion: A Week in the Life of a Young Person's Smartphone Usage |
NOTIFICATIONS
Teens receive an average of 237 notifications per day, but some receive over 4500. About quarter of notifications arrive during school hours and 5% during school night hours. Teens use different strategies to manage notifications, such as filtering or blovking them, particularly from spam content and favoring notifications of direct messages. Snapchat and Discord send the most notifications, but teens are becoming more aware of the ways in which some apps use algorithms to pull them in with frivolous notifications. Teens are bombarded with notifications theoughout the day, even during school hours and at night. They have to learn how to manage these notifications in order to stay focused and avoid distractions and we as educators and parents have a responsibilty to facilitate this learning.
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| Image Source: 2023 Constant Companion: A Week in the Life of a Young Person's Smartphone Usage |
MANAGING TECHNOLOGY USE
Over two-thirds of 11 to 17 year olds find it difficult to stop using techonoly, use technology to escape from sorrow, and lose out on sleep due to being on their phone of the internet late at night. We as adults need to recognize that this generation of young people haven't been given other technological options to carry out the developmentally appropriate task of connecting with their peers, exploring their identities, or learning about the world in which they live. They have done all of these things with a smartphone in their hand. Therefore, caregivers and parents must strive to support and educate young people about their smartphone use, rather than judging them, through open and honest communication.
It is funny to me as a kid of the 80s to think that a phone is right of passage but it is so true for teens today. It is something worries me because it is an expensive item between the actual phone and adding it on your plan. I wonder if that is something a teenager really needs or is that something we have decided a teenager needs? How much social isolation will a teen feel if they don't have a phone?
ReplyDeleteYou make some excellent points about cell phones and social media. Teens really do live through their phones - they connect with friends, school, and much of their social world through their phones. Parents and teachers can help teens navigate the online world through advice and through modeling responsible behavior.
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon, Pete! I appreciate that you emphasized teaching teens how to use smartphones, rather than oversimplifying the issue to "kids these days are glued to their phones! Stop using your phone so much!" (I hear this sentiment quite often from parents of teens). I find it interesting that the data shows that many teens do use their phones frequently, but for a variety of uses, along with a variety of timespans. I had no idea teens received that many notifications per day - no wonder they're constantly checking their phone in class! Even as someone who mostly gets email notifications, it's tempting to check my phone during work hours so I don't get swamped by notifications after work. I wonder if teens may be of a similar mindset, except with direct message/social media overload rather than email overload.
ReplyDeleteAs a fellow millennial who also didn't get a smartphone till my twenties, I relate to your experience of being a technology visitor. By now, I'm more of a resident with my smartphone, but since I used to be a visitor, I think it's easier for me to separate myself from my phone and turn it off. I know from lived experience that I can survive without my phone. However, since teens grow up with smartphones (if families can afford them), I wonder if that makes it more difficult to separate yourself from your phone. Do you find that having a smartphone later in life influences the way that you manage your smartphone use?
All in all, well said that open conversation, rather than judgement, is so important. Thanks for starting a conversation with your insightful post!
I don't envy you having to make the decision about when to get smartphones for your own kids. My twins were 12 but probably closer to 14 when they got iPhones.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post, Peter! Smartphones are the grand prize. My nieces and nephews all have smartphones that they are on constantly. This has become a major issue for their parents and a large source of conflict. Receiving over 200+ notifications a day, counts as "distracting" - what are we missing? Although I appreciate the connections through communication pathways, are we losing our humanity or just evolving?
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