Parents and lawmakers are exploring how to best protect young Americans from the dangers of smartphones and social media. While the well-known pledge to wait until the eighth grade to give kids a smartphone is one thing, social media experts warn that there may never be a worse time in a child’s life to expose them to social media.
“The science and medical evidence shows that giving eighth-graders cell phones is not a good idea. The risks do not outweigh the benefits,” ScreenStrong founder Melanie Hempe told Fox News Digital.
“We can’t keep getting this wrong. This is not cute. This is not something to take lightly. This is a serious issue and we shouldn’t rely on rhymes to raise our children.”
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“Wait Until 8th” is a growing movement among parents and communities across the United States in which participants pledge to “delay giving their children a smartphone until at least the end of eighth grade.”
With the US facing its “largest adolescent mental health crisis”, Hemp, who is also a licensed nurse, stressed that eighth grade is not the ideal year to introduce smartphones and social media.
“The emperor has no clothes and eighth graders are not smart enough to use smartphones.” – Melanie Hemp, Founder of ScreenStrong
First, there is a “disparity” in the brain development of students of eighth grade age.
“The accelerator goes before the brake,” Hemp says, “which means they’re taking bigger risks before the frontal cortex, the decision-making center of the brain, develops. So the emotion center develops before the frontal cortex and the reasoning center.”
Another reason for Hempe’s concern is changing search habits and engagement with content.
“In the eighth grade, they’re looking for more provocative content,” she says. “They’re looking for anxiety, depression, mental health diagnoses, because all their friends have them, so they’re trying to figure out what their diagnosis is. And then the algorithms kick in and expose them to the worst content at a time when they’re most vulnerable and impressionable in their development.”
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Hemp also observed that young people between the ages of 14 and 18 are at the peak of sexual interest and are more susceptible to addictive behavior.
Perhaps most concerning is the alarming increase in suicides and suicide attempts, which according to CDC data is the third leading cause of death among high school students.
CDC Data It has also been shown that 9th and 10th graders are more likely to consider suicide than 12th graders.
“Interest in suicide attempts is at its peak, addictions are at their peak and forming, and the brain is working the way it should, so teenage brains are the most susceptible to addiction, and we know that 90 percent of adult addictions start in adolescence,” Hemp said. “Just because kids are smart doesn’t mean they’re mature or smart enough to handle a smartphone.”
“We are giving children one of the most powerful dopaminergic devices at the most vulnerable time in their development, when they are least vigilant and most vulnerable to harm.”
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In light of the research, Hempe rejected the “wait until eighth grade” pledge, emphasizing that eighth grade is the gateway to when children are most at risk.
Wait Until 8th responded to criticism by arguing that the pledge was meant to encourage communities to delay giving their children smartphones, and that families can choose to wait longer.
“Most families allow smartphones in the fourth or fifth grade, and by sixth grade, the majority of children are using social media. By signing the pledge and encouraging your community to do the same, you will be protecting your child from the distractions and dangers that come with smartphones for another four years.” Wait until the eighth founder Brooke Shannon said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“If families are willing to wait even longer, that’s great. The pledge is truly the goal post to bring the community together. There is strength in numbers!”
Hemp argued that the solution to the mental health crisis among America’s youth is to delay the introduction of smartphones until high school.
“We have to hit the pause button. We have to add a 1 to the 8 to make it 18. We have to understand that 48 months in high school is a very short time to give kids a huge advantage mentally, physically, emotionally and socially. We have to save them from trauma and hurt and maybe even save their lives.”
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Hempe encouraged parents and young people to seek education through various resources. Through ScreenStrong “Children’s Brains and Screens” courses, etc. She also urged parents to look at their “blind spots” and find a community of like-minded people to give their kids a “healthy teenage experience”.
“The emperor has no clothes and eighth graders are too wise to use smartphones. If we are to win the screen wars in this country, we need to stand up for teenagers,” Hempe said.
