The Terrible Costs of a Phone-Based Childhood

But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can give future generations a real-world childhood. We can prioritize play. We can delay entry to social media platforms until at least 16. We can encourage young people to just hang out with each other, without supervision and without smartphones. We can take elements of childhood from previous eras and re-in... See more

Schools compete with cellphones

Outdoor activities, clubs aim to help students reengage

Lackawanna police Officer Abdul Albaneh, who works with schools, demonstrates how to unlock a cellphone pouch that will prevent students from using their cellphones during the school day Aug. 19 in Lackawanna, New York. Carolyn Thompson/Ap

BY CAROLYN THOMPSON ASSOC... See more

I would start with three big, bold goals. One: ban surveillance capitalism, because people who are being hacked and deliberately hooked can’t focus. Two: introduce a four-day week, because people who are chronically exhausted can’t pay attention. Three: rebuild childhood around letting kids play freely—in their neighborhoods and at school—because c

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But the outlook of these young people can't be explained by economics and global events alone. It must also have something to do with the way they were raised. As the University of Michigan time-analysis data show, this is a group whose members have spent the bulk of their lives in structured, adult-organized activities. They are the most honed and... See more