Child Addiction to Phones and Technology

Interview
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Interview
Cate's son has been addicted to the phone to the extent that the mother is worried. John is now seven years and stays on the phone most of the time. Cate recalls how it all started. When John was one year, she had her husband Albert divorced. The mother of two was left to care for John and his elder sister Tamara, who was five years old. Life was challenging for the young mother because the divorce came at a time she least expected. Albert became abusive soon after John was born. Cate filed for a divorce. When she moved out of Albert's house with her two children, she got an online job as a customer care representative of a local company. The pay was minimal, making it challenging for Cate to hire a nanny to care for the two kids.
As a stay-at-home mother, Cate struggled to juggle caring for the kids and performing her customer care representative duties. The boy would disrupt her constantly, making it impossible to perform her duties effectively. By the time John reached three years, he was very active and high-strung. It was not long before Cate noticed John's affinity for the smartphone. Whenever John played games, Cate would have a peaceful time in the house. That is how Cate decided to purchase a second phone purposely for John. The smartphone pacified John and allowed the mother to undertake more duties. "I thought to myself that as long as I restricted what John and Tamara could access, there was no harm to them," Cate recalls. "I noticed things had gone south when John went to school, and teachers started reporting his bad behavior," Cate says with teary eyes. She continues, "The teachers kept reporting his abusive language and the apparent lack of control." Initially, Cate thought the lack of a father figure in John's life caused these problems. However, Cate discovered that John had learned how to undo the safe search protections she had put on his phone. Without such protection, John had access to any material he wanted, including violent content.
Barbra and Philip are a couple married for 20 years. They lost their firstborn three years ago when she was just 15 years. It all started when the parents would allow Jane to stay with their phone even during the night. The parents noticed that Jane loved playing online games and thought nothing was wrong with it. Despite being constant on the phone, Jane did not demonstrate any weird behavior. "We thought all was well until one day, we got the most shocking phone call that Jane had committed suicide." Recalls Barbra. "We were all shocked since our daughter was a nice girl who could not do such a thing," Philip says. The parents allowed the police to investigate the matter. "On checking her Instagram account, the authorities discovered that Jane was a victim of cyberbullying." Philip laments. Jane had posted a photo on Instagram, then a user sent her demeaning comments. "We discovered that Jane got into depression and committed suicide a week later." The parents indicate. It has been three years of sorrow for the family. They miss their daughter Jane, but unfortunately, they cannot have her back. "If social media were a safe place for children and teenagers, then our daughter would be alive." Says B...