Summary of research on smartphone free childhood  website  https://smartphonefreechildhood.co.uk/

SMARTPHONES ARE HIGHLY ADDICTIVE
Tech companies spend billions on making apps and devices intentionally addictive, affecting young brains in a way that is similar to gambling. One study found one-in-five teens looked at YouTube “almost constantly”. 

 SMARTPHONE USE CORRELATES TO MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS They’ve been directly linked to poor mental health and low self-esteem, especially in girls. And social media use in teens correlates directly to rates of anxiety and depression.

SMARTPHONES EXPOSE CHILDREN TO HARMFUL CONTENT
The internet is a gateway to pornography, bullying, grooming and all sorts of harmful content. Social has been proven to increase self-harm and suicidal tendencies amongst adolescents.

SMARTPHONES REDUCE ATTENTION-SPANS
They’re changing the way children’s brains develop, and fundamentally affecting their ability to concentrate. 

The effect of smart phones on children’s development

Dangers of the increasing digitalisation of children’s lives (comprehensive account of impact across the world)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=Uh-j0XvR6K8

Dr Rangan Chatterji

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-smartphones-are-rewiring-our-brains-why-social/id1333552422?i=1000657050717

Screens and adolescents: How phones broke children’s brains

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/smartphones-children-mental-health-st-albans-b2549260.html 

Podcast from author of ‘The Anxious Generation’, Jonathan Haidt

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-anxious-generation-a-conversation-with-jonathan-haidt/id1646616622?i=1000657281609

Impact on mental health / life

Statistics, accounts from teenagers, reports of incidents with devastating outcomes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWFzR22_5zA

Stolen childhood: How is unlimited internet and/or social media access affecting our children’s sense of well-being?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5Zhfd0jW7iY

A Gen Z-er mourns a childhood she never knew because she had a phone so young

https://www.afterbabel.com/p/a-time-we-never-knew

General impact on children (and adults)

Look up – a short video showing what we’re missing by being on our devices so much

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7dLU6fk9QY 

Look up: 10 years later

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXc1RhE0gAs [the ending of this is shocking / potentially triggering as it involves cutting young lives short due to phone use]

Addictiveness of games

https://thedopamineslotmachine.co.uk/episode/the-dopamine-slot-machine-roblox-your-childs-casino

TV documentaries / films which raise questions or highlight issues

Swipe on Channel 4 https://www.channel4.com/programmes/swiped-the-school-that-banned-smartphones

Adolescence on Netflix