> Nobody is saying kids shouldn't have phones
I'll say it. Kids shouldn't have phones until the age of 16.
I'll say it. Kids shouldn't have phones until the age of 16.
Yes I needed a smartphone to test on
People come up with all sorts of random scenarios, that aren't even related to "prove" something...
A bus-tracking app on my phone completely changed how I interact with public transit, and made it significantly better. I remember waiting for the bus when I was 14, and I would not wish this to anyone.
A maps app is great when you are going to less-familiar places - either into the big city, or into large parks (although not every kid is ready to be hiking in the parks before 16)
I spent all of my childhood with a (large and ugly) digital camera on my belt. Phone is much smaller, and for the kind of pictures I was taking, the lower quality does not matter that much.
Hadn't got the bus straight from school to my grandma's house, needed to go home first (walkable) and pick up something.
Missed the bus then that was due, and waited over an hour for the next one.
So I was now best part of 2 hours late, and I didn't have a phone yet....
F2P games with dopamine drip loot boxes and things of that nature seem super unhealthy for kids, I can’t even imagine what it’s doing to their impulse control. I am unable to tolerate games like that myself, probably because I grew up with regular video games that didn’t use psychological tricks and pay to win ecosystems to induce people to spend money. If I had grown up playing them I probably wouldn’t know any different, like the fish asking “what the hell is water” when asked “how is the water this morning?” By an older fish.