The biggest problem with smartphones with young kids, as opposed to other devices, is that they’re much harder to to monitor. If your kid is only allowed to use the device around you, you can keep an eye out, clamp down on content you don’t want them to be looking at, but more importantly you can explain why it’s problematic. The real danger isn’t in the possibility of seeing problematic content, it’s the explanation and context coming from someone with ill intent. That’s the problem with sheltering kids, if you don’t explain it to them then someone else will. And it’s much easier for that to happen with a smartphone.

Now as far as general behavioral impact from the devices, yeah I do see the bottled up energy/withdrawal issues once the device goes away. Everything in moderation, including moderation. But I do think parents, teachers, adults generally can fall too easily into a knee jerk mentality of “modes of my youth were good, modes of current youth are destructive.” I remember my boomer mom back when fretting about the negative mental effects of the Internet We Grew Up On. Even today, I hear the refrain of “oh get them reading they’re not going to learn from watching videos.” But, while my kid reads plenty, he’s also learned a ton of stuff from videos. And I’m not talking about dumb pop culture shit, we’re talking about history stuff on a level way above his grade. There’s also an inescapable element in that a lot school work is tied to apps, my kid has to use them in order to get his work done.

And, well, there’s also a heavy duty amount of “those in glass houses.” We can’t expect the kids to get off the devices while we’re constantly glued to our socials and content media.