Parents and lawmakers across the country are searching for solutions to protect young Americans from the dangers of social media and smartphone use. Fox News DigitalOne common solution is for parents to wait until the end of eighth grade to give their children a smartphone.
But social media expert Melanie Hemp argues that there’s “probably never a worse time in a child’s life to be exposed to social media”.
“We are giving children the most powerful dopaminergic devices at the most vulnerable time in their development, when they are least vigilant and most vulnerable to harm.”
“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,” she said.
The “Wait Until Eight” movement is spreading across the US, with parents vowing to deny their children smartphones at an early age. Project websiteThe movement calls for parents to “unite and not let their children have smartphones until at least the end of the second year of junior high school, and to protect their elementary and junior high school years from the temptations and dangers of smartphones.”
“By coming together, we can reduce the pressure to have a mobile phone at an early age,” the statement continued. “The average age a child gets their first smartphone is 10 years old. You can make a difference!”
Hempe noted that the “wait until grade eight” movement coincides with the country’s “biggest adolescent mental health crisis.” According to the report, Hempe, who is also a licensed nurse, argued that grade eight is not a good time to introduce smartphones and social media.
She stressed that there are discrepancies in the brain development of eighth graders, which could make the introduction of social media more harmful in the long run.
“The accelerator comes on before the brake,” she says, “which means they’re taking greater risks before the frontal cortex, the reasoning center of the brain, develops. So the emotion center develops before the frontal cortex and the reasoning center.”
“In the eighth grade, they start looking for more provocative content,” she continued. “They’re looking for content about anxiety, depression, mental illness 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 they’re exposed to the worst content at a time when they’re most vulnerable and developing.”
CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Recently published research paper It states that suicide is one of the leading causes of death among high school students, and therefore suicide and suicidal behavior are considered a public health concern.
“In 2021, there were 1,952 suicides among high school students aged 14-18, making suicide the third leading cause of death in this age group (2021 rate = 9.0 per 100,000 population). Suicide accounted for approximately one-fifth (18.6%) of deaths in this age group,” the paper states.
Hempe also drew attention to the prevalence of addictive behavior among adolescents, saying, “Interest in suicide attempts peaks, addictions peak and form, and the brain is shaped by how the brain works.”
“Teenage brains are the most susceptible to addiction. We know that 90 percent of adult addictions begin during adolescence. Just because a kid is smart doesn’t mean they’re mature or intelligent enough to use 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.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censorship and sign up for our newsletter to get stories like this one directly to your inbox. Register here!
