Society-Wide Effort Needed for Kids’ Social Media Addiction, Not Just Class Bans: Study

According to Paul Bennett, director of the Schoolhouse Institute and author of the study published on July 11, school-based restrictions aimed at combating mobile device attachment and social media addiction have limited effectiveness.

Mr. Bennett stated, “Banning cellphones in classrooms is proving to be a short-term solution. Social media addiction and the obsession with mobile devices have become deeply ingrained in modern life and are challenging to eradicate through school-based bans.”

The study highlighted the emergence of a new “smartphone generation” following the introduction of the iPhone in 2007. As of January 2024, nearly one in five Canadians belong to this demographic.

Related Stories

During the COVID-19 pandemic, children’s screen time in Canada, the United States, and globally experienced significant increases. Screen time for children aged 6 to 12 reached a peak of 13 hours per day in the early stages of the pandemic, and although usage has slightly decreased since then, it remains higher than pre-pandemic levels, as indicated by the study.

Policy Recommendations

Public sentiment in Canada has strengthened regarding smartphone usage in schools, with a recent Leger survey revealing that over 90 percent of Canadians are in favor of classroom restrictions.

Mr. Bennett advocates for these concerns to be incorporated into a national strategy for child and youth mental health, with a comprehensive public health study commissioned to investigate social media addiction among Canadian school-age children.

He urges Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer and Health Canada to collaborate with provincial public health authorities to recognize social media addiction as a pressing mental health issue and to contemplate implementing “warning labels” on social media platforms. The strategy also proposes a nationwide initiative to pursue legal action against social media conglomerates for the harm inflicted on children and teenagers.

The study also offers age-specific recommendations for smartphone usage, suggesting that children should engage in unsupervised play indoors and outdoors. It recommends maintaining phone-free schools until Grade 6, teaching online safety, and developing evidence-based curricula to promote positive online behavior. Parents are advised to limit social media use during leisure time, utilize safer communication devices, and employ tools to block harmful online content.

For adolescents aged 13 to 17, the study proposes phone-free classrooms and strict limits on cellphone use on school premises. Additional measures for this age group include implementing a system-wide phone lock-up policy, enhancing physical education, integrating mental health programs, expanding counseling services, and introducing programs to address excessive mobile device usage and social media addiction.

For individuals aged 18 to 24, the study recommends establishing responsible usage guidelines for mobile devices in educational settings, conducting research on the effects of excessive social media use on post-secondary students, promoting new social norms for mobile phone etiquette, and providing support programs for social media addiction.