Why Are Cell Phones Bad For Children

Children and Cell Phones
In a recent discussion of Louis CK’s segment about why cell phones are bad, a controversial issue has been if cell phones are bad for children. Louis CK provides examples of children not learning empathy and people being distracted from their own feelings. On the one hand, some argue that cell phones are making children not develop empathy and that children are spending too much time looking at screens distracting them from their feelings. On the other hand, others such as, Daniel Engber from Slate argues that cell phones are just the most recent distraction from feelings. From this perspective, cell phones are the new books or crossword puzzles that distract people from themselves. In the words of Louis CK, “cell phones are bad things”, and “They [children] don’t look at people when they talk to them. They don’t build the empathy.” In sum, the issue …show more content…
Though I concede that cell phones can be a great tool for learning and communicating quickly over long distances. They can also give peace of mind to parents when their children need to walk from place to place. I still maintain that many kids do not use cell phones as a tool for learning and many do not know how to use their devices in moderation. For example, children with cell phones could miss social interactions because texting was more convenient or just easier. Another issue with children having cell phones is the ease of access to social media. Social media can be beneficial but it is also used as a tool to cyber bully which can harm self-confidence. Furthermore, it is easy to be distracted with a phone that can have countless apps on it that are fun but it might not be as fulfilling as taking in the surroundings could be. Overtime this can create issues of a short attention span which could affect schooling and even job