I will say especially if your kids are adults (including college students) that we as parents really don’t know how and where they spend their time on phones - unless you’re doing some tracking business - which that is a whole other discussion!
Again, there is nothing wrong with social media - I am a more aware and engaged person especially for things outside of my local world - because of it. No prizes for whoever spends their least amount of time on a device - but also positive to know that people of ALL ages can set some healthy limitations for themselves.
D26 doesn’t use Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Snapchat. Aside from chatting with friends on Discord or regular text messages, she’s totally not interested in social media.
D24 has an Instagram account but hardly posts on it and has sworn off “old people Instagram” (Facebook) entirely.
D bought an E-ink phone. So it seems like it’s pretty new thing, rather than an old style cell phone. She described it in the most basic terms as “like a Kindle.” I am clueless.
Remember too that there are plenty of people who don’t contribute (post) on social media but who still CONSUME it - don’t assume just because someone is not posting that they are not using.
Or they have burner accounts!
All choices and ok but it puzzles me how so many parents are certain of their offspring’s device use.
My kids use plenty of other smart phone apps though. Mostly games, email, banking. That sort of thing.
I didn’t post above about my kids in order to brag. Was just sharing for the sake of discussion.
A pet peeve that both of my kids have is when they’re eating a meal with somebody and the person has their nose in their phone the entire time. So they actively choose to do the opposite when eating with others. It’s pretty much a reaction to their dad’s behavior. He’s got his nose in his phone all the time. Ticks off my kids a lot because they feel it’s disrespectful and they feel like he doesn’t listen to them.
My older daughter has also said that she doesn’t post a lot on Instagram after her account got hacked a year ago and she had to create a new profile.
Dumb question… why not just have a smart phone (for all the conveniences) and not install Instagram, TikTok etc?
I am retired and do a lot of social media (FB, Nextdoor) and also interactions here on CC, but all from the macbook or ipad. Smartphone gets used for texting, email checks sometimes, applepay (are kids going back to cash and credit card?), and MANY apps (use as needed, minmal interrupts). But very little social media on my cellphone, except if a FB friend messages me.
I agree. It is not the phone at issue. It is one’s healthy or not healthy use of the apps (especially social media and games) which is the concern.
I do think that some people have difficulty cutting down on screen time, so just deleting the apps may not always be a solution. For those people (kids or adults) there have been some creative strategies shared on this thread.
Dots are their position on the field. When my son was a freshman in high school he had papers with each set. Now it’s an app called Ultimate Drill Book. Each player has a designation. My son is R22 for Trombone #22.
People can use tech responsibly or not. It’s definitely a TOOL. I choose not to have most apps for social media on my phone and can check what I want when I’m inclined. When I’m at a meal, I engage with the others at the meal instead of looking down at a screen. People can easily get sucked into the fascinating world of social media and if folks can’t resist it, bravo if they choose to switch to a different tool or set time limits on how much time they will engage with screens/social media. Different strokes for different folks!
My son wants a dumb phone because his iPhone is constantly getting texts, slack messages, and emails about work. He wants to have access to a phone, but the constant alerts make him feel like he is never off the clock.
Well even I (as a bored retiree) was getting annoyed with the many texts on my various text threads with different pickleball threads. Thanks goodness I learned how to silence dings on particular threads. When I was working, unfortunately I was never off the clock (only officially 24x7 on call every 4th week responding auto-alerts from the software system… but as team lead I felt obligated to pay attention other weeks too)… do NOT miss that!
My husband has his iphone set to Do Not Disturb when he is driving. (It’s a good idea for safety, but it can be a pain if he is in a parking lot waiting to pick me up.) Perhaps that could be a possible mitigation method for smartphone work distractions.
Absolutely not. Smart phones are an incredibly important part of their lives. Older DD keeps in touch with a large group from our hometown through chat groups and sending fun things from social media, talks to her cousins in another country through WhatsApp on a regular basis and get around on public transportation by just tapping her phone instead of dealing with an open wallet. Never mind calling Ubers, and mapping walking directions. Younger daughter just this week used her private social media groups she has with the large of fellow nurses to find someone lto help her great aunt who needed a visiting nurse this weekend when daughter had to work so couldn’t she regularly uses her phone to look look up information to assist patients as they are discharged (what is their nearest pharmacy address and hours, for example). Personally, I adore my smart phone and you would have to pry to from my cold, dead hands to give it up as they say. For one thing, public transportation would be incredibly difficult without it. I buy my commuter train ticket, check whether trains are running late etc…
