Just after I had written my last blog on the anxiety, stress, and emotional pressures that smartphones put on our young people today, I saw a piece on the subject of Dumb or Minimalist phone sales. These minimalist phones are making a comeback for both the younger and older generations, particularly in the USA. As the name suggests the features are minimal with no access to Wi-Fi and the web or social media.
This reminded me of a family I met in Perth, Western Australia. Mum and Dad were in very responsible medical jobs yet had opted as a family to not have smartphones, so the whole family had switched to minimalist phones. Their reasons were simple, they did not want social media to dominate their or their kids’ lives.
Research has shown that a switch to a minimalist phone cuts emotional stress by around 50%, creating a slower lifestyle.
One writer suggested that the effects of smartphones are set to become a major health problem in the years ahead. With a smartphone, the whole of the internet is in a child’s hands and there is simply nothing that is withheld. Add to this social media with all of its conformity and ‘like’ pressures, resulting in the very real potential possibility of mental breakdown. Frankly, I am amazed at how vicious people become when writing online. They say things that they would never say face to face.
Because of this, the minimalist phone becomes a good option when the time comes for a child to have a phone. The big problem for a child is the peer pressure when others have a smartphone but they do not. For this reason, there have to be good reasons which are explained and, where possible, understood. Where possible because inevitably understanding is difficult when all you can envision is your friends not understanding and potentially laughing at you.
But what price for good mental health and less emotional pressure resulting in an improved education?
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