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Children As Young As 13 Attending 'Smartphone Rehab' As Concerns Grow Over Screen Time (independent.co.uk)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Independent: Children refusing to put down their phones is a common flashpoint in many homes, with a third of British children aged 12 to 15 admitting they do not have a good balance between screen time and other activities. But in the U.S., the problem has become so severe for some families that children as young as 13 are being treated for digital technology addiction. One "smartphone rehab" center near Seattle has started offering residential "intensive recovery programs" for teenagers who have trouble controlling their use of electronic devices. The Restart Life Center says parents have been asking it to offer courses of treatment to their children for more than eight years. Hilarie Cash, the Center's founder, told Sky News smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices can be so stimulating and entertaining that they "override all those natural instincts that children actually have for movement and exploration and social interaction."
If they think it's bad at 12-15, just wait until that endless stream of messages and emails is coming from management outside of normal work hours, and they'll be looking for another job if they don't answer it.
There's some very vested interest in keeping us hooked on these things.
I had problems with BBSing and later with Warcraft II.
When I was grounded from the family 486 I would dig out the Compaq Portable that I had in my bedroom, and use the 2400 baud modem to dial out to BBSes and to the public library so that I could get on Usenet, usually after everyone else went to bed. My parents knew I had the computer but didn't know that the old four prong telephone jack in my bedroom was actually live. Took a couple of years to get caught; I'd gotten careless and started using it earlier and earlier in the evening.
It's funny really. I used that 8088-clone with 128K RAM for essentially the same function as I use modern equipment for, which is reading and posting on other computer systems. We really haven't come as far as people would like to pretend.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
My own daughter got confused over this for a short time in college. A bunch of preppies who had no choice but to invent their worries convinced her that she didn't simply enjoy hockey, she was suffering from gender dysphoria and needed to understand her body was telling her she wanted to be a man.
Thankfully march break came along before they broke her...
I wonder how much "smartphone rehab" costs?
(as opposed, to, I dunno, just smashing/shooting the phone in front of them if the first couple of talks/slaps don't work)
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