Point: Smartphones should wait

"A teenager is 71% more likely to develop depression, contemplate or attempt suicide if they spend five or more hours a day on their smartphone, in comparison to spending less than an hour."

Posted April 1, 2022

By Daryna Bosyuk

Staff Editor

Teenagers and children shouldn’t have access to smartphones due to social media.

The negative side effects heavily outweigh the benefits. Phones provide a connection to family and friends and have the ability to make life easier, but they also bring many dangers. It was found in multiple studies that smartphone use exponentially increased suicide rates in young adults. A teenager is 71% more likely to develop depression, contemplate or attempt suicide if they spend five or more hours a day on their smartphone, in comparison to spending less than an hour. This is a scary statistic. Teen brains are still developing and they are not equipped for the psychological warfare of social media. The low self-esteem teens go through because of the picture-perfect life on social media are not beneficial for their mental health. It is imperative that parents understand this and limit their children’s device use.