By Kayla DeKraker
Smartphones are a part of our and our children’s daily lives, but is it to our detriment? One grandfather thinks so.
“For Generation Z and Gen Alpha, the smartphone isn’t just a tool — it’s a lifestyle,” Thom S. Rainer of the Christian Post explained. “And that lifestyle is quietly rewiring their brains, stealing their sleep, shrinking their confidence, and fueling a mental health crisis that cannot be ignored.”
“Let me be blunt,” he continued. “Smartphones are hurting our kids.”
“From 2010 to 2020, major depression among boys rose by 161%,” he explained, citing statistics from Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation. “Among girls, it increased by 145%. Even more sobering, suicide attempts among girls surged 188%.”
Most teens realize their addiction to screens is a problem.
A study from Pew Research of 1,453 13- to 17-year-olds and their parents found that “72% of U.S. teens say they often or sometimes feel peaceful when they don’t have their smartphone; 44% say it makes them feel anxious.”
However, while they recognize the anxiety that comes from their smartphones, most teens don’t think the harms outweigh the benefits.
Related: Erin Napier Reveals Why Her Daughters Won’t Have Smart Phones, Social Media
Pew Research revealed, “Most teens think the benefits of smartphones outweigh the harms for people their age. Seven-in-10 teens say smartphones provide more benefits than harms for people their age, while a smaller share (30%) take the opposing view, saying there are more harms than benefits.”
That mindset could come from the screen time habits adults in their lives model.
An article from desiringGod states that Christian families should model a limited screen-time lifestyle. “Modeling is key. This is not a teenager problem. Grandma’s on Facebook too much. Mom’s on Instagram too much,” it reads.
In a study that examined 6,000 8- to 13-year-olds, 32% said they feel “unimportant” to their parents when they’re parents use phones around them. Over 50% said they thought their parents spent too much time on their phones.
So, what is the solution? Rainer believes the church must get involved. “We must educate parents, pastors, and church leaders to understand what’s really happening. This isn’t about being anti-technology. It’s about being pro-child,” he said.
He added that we need to “help churches become part of the solution.” He posed, “What if the local church became the one place in a teenager’s life that wasn’t tethered to a screen? What if it became a refuge of real conversation, real connection, and real hope?”
Screens are not going away, but recognizing their dangers arms us with the tools necessary to make sure they don’t take over our lives. Parents need to place boundaries around harmful screen time habits for both their children and themselves.
Read Next: Granger Smith Says Smartphones are Damaging Our Faith
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