Re:The TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting 'attra...
by AlexandrB on Sunday October 13, 2024 @11:01PM
(#41833835)
I don't get how we got to the point where phones were allowed at school in the first place. Cell phones (though not smart phones) were around when I was a teenager and were universally banned in class and even in the hallways, except for emergencies. Even a non-smart phone is a huge distraction because of texting. Why were they unbanned?
Re:The TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting 'attra...
by asdf000333 on Sunday October 13, 2024 @11:57PM
(#41834045)
Yeah and same with portable video game consoles, which of course smart phones are too.
Re:The TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting 'attra...
by xyst on Monday October 14, 2024 @10:18AM
(#41837774)
Because helicopter parents that install surveillance apps on their child’s phone probably threw fits.
Re:The TikTok documents: Stripping teens and boosting 'attra...
by scruple on Monday October 14, 2024 @10:29AM
(#41837876)
No probably about it. The schools are (were? I'm seeing a lot of school districts near me banning phones) trying to reduce friction with (troublesome) parents who demanded 24/7 direct communication and surveillance.
Outside the classroom there are still plenty of in-person activities from informal gatherings, to sports teams, to clubs and civic events, and in those situations, the few people who are sitting on their phones are the ones more separated from the rest.
I think a lot of us who were early involved in building some of the web that led beyond Web 2.0 into algorithmically-driven media consumption see the massive dangers, and have probably sometimes even overreacted in terms of kids' access to it, but it's certainly better than the alternative.