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Assignment Prompt & Instructions

Respond to Shayla and Amanda while being respectful of and sensitive to their viewpoints. Consider advancing the discussion in the following ways:

– Post an article, video, or visual to reinforce a peer's idea or challenge them to see their point from a different perspective
– Engage in conversation with your peers around attention and smartphone use in minors. Consider asking a question or sharing your personal experience.

Shayla post

In my opinion, minors should have access to smartphones, but parents should carefully consider the child's level of responsibility, especially for children 12 and under. Smartphones can provide benefits such as safety and communication, but they can also create distractions that could affect attention and behavior if they are not managed properly. Research in cognitive psychology shows that smartphones can negatively affect a child's ability to pay attention, whey they are allowed to become a source of distraction (Goldstein, 2019).

When my daughter was 9 years old, I decided to give her a phone mainly for safety reasons. It allowed me to track her location and made it possible for her to contact me in an emergency without needing to rely on an adult's phone. However, it was not unlimited access. I set strict rules such as locking apps during homework time, chore time, and family dinner. We also had a rule that there were no phones at the dinner table. I used parental controls to make sure she was not accidentally accessing content that was not appropriate for her age.

I also made a different decision with my son, who is one year older than my daughter. Based on how he handled other electronics and belongings, I felt he was not ready for that responsibility at the same age. Because of this, he did not receive a phone until years later.

This topic connects to emotional intelligence. Children are still developing the ability to regulate their attention and impulses. Learning when to put the phone down to focus on their responsibilities, and to respect boundaries is part of developing emotional intelligence and self-regulation.

Amanda post

The topic of whether minors should have access to smartphones or not is a widely spread debate. This is because technology has become much more integrated into daily life. I do believe that smartphones have educational pros to them and allow young people to stay connected to friends and family. I also believe that there are concerns that can impact mental health, social development and safety.  Excessive screen time can lead to issues such as sleep problems and a decreased attention span. Social media can also expose young people to cyberbullying, as well as unrealistic comparisons. Because of their benefits and risks to smartphone use for minors I believe that the use should be heavily monitored. Parents and caregivers should frequently check online activity, along with establishing rules about screen time, and schools should also implement policies that limit phone use during the school day to limit distractions. Caregivers and teachers should also be on the same page about young people using screen time in moderation for the development of healthy habits. Overall access to smartphones for minors should depend on guidance from adults.  Giving this guidance early on will help benefit young people in the long term for their future.