Are smartphones really making our children sad?

US psychologist Jean Twenge, who has claimed that social media is having a malign affect on the young, answers critics who accuse her of crying wolfLast week, the children ’s commissioner, Anne Longfield,launched a campaign to help parents regulate internet and smartphone use at home. She suggested that the overconsumption of social media was a problem akin to that of junk-food diets. “None of us, as parents, would want our children to eat junk food all the time – double cheeseburger, chips, every day, every meal,” she said. “For those same reasons, we shouldn’t want our children to do the same with their online time.”Related:Irresistible: Why We Can ’t Stop Checking, Scrolling, Clicking and Watching – reviewContinue reading...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - August 13, 2017 Category: Science Authors: Interview by Ian Tucker Tags: Smartphones Social media Technology Mobile phones Internet Psychology Science Children Society Children's tech Mental health Source Type: news