Smart Phone Ban

[Gyakuto]

I watch a documentary about the damage mobile phones, or rather the access they give to questionable content, are doing to children. It included taking phones away from a group of school children and assessing any changes in their psychological state. Predictably, they found it very tough, some more than others. Before the phones were taken from them, they suffered from free-floating anxiety and even panic attacks. Over the three week digital detox, the children’s behaviour improved, they engage, increasingly in social activities with their families and friends, became physically more active, read books, enjoyed problem solving activities and generally happier. The problem identified certain platforms for providing damaging content and not having suitable age-verification to join them.

Now that I am exposed to the hoi polloi via my gym, I’m amazed an how often gym goers look and scroll on their phones. As soon as a set is finished, the phone is reached for and the doom scrolling begins. During cardio the participant is reading their phone. It looks like an addiction.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

 

[HighKick]

I watch a documentary about the damage mobile phones, or rather the access they give to questionable content, are doing to children. It included taking phones away from a group of school children and assessing any changes in their psychological state. Predictably, they found it very tough, some more than others. Before the phones were taken from them, they suffered from free-floating anxiety and even panic attacks. Over the three week digital detox, the children’s behaviour improved, they engage, increasingly in social activities with their families and friends, became physically more active, read books, enjoyed problem solving activities and generally happier. The problem identified certain platforms for providing damaging content and not having suitable age-verification to join them.

Now that I am exposed to the hoi polloi via my gym, I’m amazed an how often gym goers look and scroll on their phones. As soon as a set is finished, the phone is reached for and the doom scrolling begins. During cardio the participant is reading their phone. It looks like an addiction.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

I believe the study to be accurate. An excessive dependency on anything is going to affect a person's mental state and physiology.
As for the gym, I have no knowledge of it.

 

[Gyakuto]

I believe the study to be accurate. An excessive dependency on anything is going to affect a person's mental state and physiology.

It seems the algorithms the platforms use to keep them watching are very effective and if these could be ameliorated, they wouldn’t be so damaging.

As for the gym, I have no knowledge of it.

I have a gym friend, a retired, clearly wealthy, Australian solicitor who insisted that everyone in the gym was referring to ‘training apps’ on their phones. I was less sure so, so took to peering over gym goer’s shoulders as they looked at them. They were messaging and viewing social media. I took great pleasure in telling my chum and she was horrified! She also thought everyone in the gym was covered in tattoos because they watched Game of Thrones

 

[Xue Sheng]

I watch a documentary about the damage mobile phones, or rather the access they give to questionable content, are doing to children. It included taking phones away from a group of school children and assessing any changes in their psychological state. Predictably, they found it very tough, some more than others. Before the phones were taken from them, they suffered from free-floating anxiety and even panic attacks. Over the three week digital detox, the children’s behaviour improved, they engage, increasingly in social activities with their families and friends, became physically more active, read books, enjoyed problem solving activities and generally happier. The problem identified certain platforms for providing damaging content and not having suitable age-verification to join them.

Now that I am exposed to the hoi polloi via my gym, I’m amazed an how often gym goers look and scroll on their phones. As soon as a set is finished, the phone is reached for and the doom scrolling begins. During cardio the participant is reading their phone. It looks like an addiction.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

agree, and I was once iPhone support for my department, and it effects adults too. I watch folks walk down the street, go on hikes, watching their children in a mall, even sitting in meetings, looking at their iPhone. I have seen, more than once, people staring at their iPhone walk into traffic without looking.

I even noticed myself at one point taking my iPhone out while sitting at home, or at my desk. Made me implement, while at home, an hour at lunch time, turning everything off, except a radio station that plays an hour od Bourque classical music, and just sitting, listening, and eating lunch. Unfortunately I am currently required to carry 2 iPhones, work and personal, and I can't wait until I can turn in the work one, but I have been working to get myself to look at it, only when I have to.

As for kids, schools in my area are banning them during th school day, and the few I have heard about claim that many of their problems they haver been having in schools, go away. A lot less disciplinary issuers

 

[windwalker099]

Now that I am exposed to the hoi polloi via my gym, I’m amazed an how often gym goers look and scroll on their phones. As soon as a set is finished, the phone is reached for and the doom scrolling begins. During cardio the participant is reading their phone. It looks like an addiction.

Do you have any thoughts on this?

A natural evolutionary process through technology allowing humans "social animals" to be social.
In the beginning controlled, through access to the medium itself, regulated by those in control of it.

Smoke Signals and Fire
Drums and Horns
Electric Telegraph
Telephone
Computers and the Internet
Smartphones

Later, uncontrolled through availability based on ability to own it.

Now regulated, by those who control the medium the devices use,
by those who profit or benefit from it's use.

In China, this recognized by the government, acting to protect it's citizens
it has established guidelines..

" Beijing is now going even bigger: last week, the government escalated its current regime into a comprehensive set of restrictions and regulations on how children use all apps, with the goal of limiting them to age-appropriate content on their phones, smart watches, speakers, and more."


The rules are incredibly specific:

kids under eight, for instance, can only use smart devices for 40 minutes every day and only consume content about “elementary education, hobbies and interests, and liberal arts education”;
when they turn eight, they graduate to 60 minutes of screen time and “entertainment content with positive guidance.”


What this does hopefully is to train the kids to understand and be in control of the device's the use,
aware of content they consume.

A different focus in governance,
for the people, instead of to the people.

 

[Wing Woo Gar]

It seems the algorithms the platforms use to keep them watching are very effective and if these could be ameliorated, they wouldn’t be so damaging.

I have a gym friend, a retired, clearly wealthy, Australian solicitor who insisted that everyone in the gym was referring to ‘training apps’ on their phones. I was less sure so, so took to peering over gym goer’s shoulders as they looked at them. They were messaging and viewing social media. I took great pleasure in telling my chum and she was horrified! She also thought everyone in the gym was covered in tattoos because they watched Game of Thrones

What is the connection between tattoos and G.O.T.?

 

[windwalker099]

" While some companies, like Tencent and NetEase, have started to use facial recognition to verify the actual player, most game developers don’t have the capability to do that yet."

Quite interesting, perhaps a harbinger of things to come in other places.

 

[Gyakuto]

What is the connection between tattoos and G.O.T.?

That’s exactly what I asked. She’d never seen it and I assured her I didn’t think I’d seen a tattoo in the whole show!

 

[Gyakuto]

The rules are incredibly specific:

kids under eight, for instance, can only use smart devices for 40 minutes every day and only consume content about “elementary education, hobbies and interests, and liberal arts education”;
when they turn eight, they graduate to 60 minutes of screen time and “entertainment content with positive guidance.”

They’re thinking that 14yrs should be the minimum age for smartphone in the U.K. but 16 seems a better age since they’re approaching adulthood and is the legal age for many things over here. Before then, they can only have dumb phones so their parents can keep in touch etc.

 

[Gyakuto]

I do wonder if smartphones are the bogeyman of our age as too much television was in my youth. I see some parallels but smartphones allow such complete access to violent and violent pornographic content and the likes of Andrew Tate and Logan Paul who are definitely not good for young minds.

 

[HighKick]

It seems the algorithms the platforms use to keep them watching are very effective and if these could be ameliorated, they wouldn’t be so damaging.

I have a gym friend, a retired, clearly wealthy, Australian solicitor who insisted that everyone in the gym was referring to ‘training apps’ on their phones. I was less sure so, so took to peering over gym goer’s shoulders as they looked at them. They were messaging and viewing social media. I took great pleasure in telling my chum and she was horrified! She also thought everyone in the gym was covered in tattoos because they watched Game of Thrones

If you look at a cell phone as a tool, it has great purpose. If you use it in your job and it makes You money, it has great purpose. Beyond that, it is a slippery slope.

 

[Sammy Naur]

I’m amazed an how often gym goers look and scroll on their phones. As soon as a set is finished, the phone is reached for and the doom scrolling begins.

I completely agree. This is a real problem.

I'm guilty of it, and my solution was to stick to music and not reading the news or my email. Music on your phone while working out is awesome anything else is best put down.

 

[Gyakuto]

If you look at a cell phone as a tool, it has great purpose. If you use it in your job and it makes You money, it has great purpose. Beyond that, it is a slippery slope.

I think you’re absolutely right, it is an amazing tool, but children don’t have the ability to see and use it in that way and once they’re hooked on TikTok etc, they will become adults continually ‘looking down’ when we know, looking up is so beneficial for one’s health…

 

[Prince_Alarming]

I don't use the word 'addiction' lightly, but having been addicted to virtually every substance you can actually get addicted to, I tend to agree. Addiction is characterised generally by abuse, dependency and withdrawal and a lot of smartphone users experience all three. In addition, it can effect your mental health negatively. Statistically speaking, you'd be better off doing virtually anything else with your free time. It's like those vape things- the people I know who have them use them absolutely all the time.

 

[SirKicksAlot]

Do you have any thoughts on this?

Smart phones make us Dumb.

 

[Gyakuto]

Smart phones make us Dumb.

I’d say can make us dumb.

 

[SirKicksAlot]

can

Ah yes, sorry for the sweeping generalization, lol.

 

[Gyakuto]

Ah yes, sorry for the sweeping generalization, lol.

No you’re right, they do make us all dumber

 

[windwalker099]

but children don’t have the ability to see and use it in that way and once they’re hooked on TikTok etc

It's more insidious than that; even adults and young people can be hooked if they don't understand or are not cognizant of the mechanisms developers use to attract viewers.

The Chinese government is trying to protect its society through educational methods and teaching people how to understand these mechanisms. While the government also uses similar methods on its own citizens, the population is at least made aware of these tactics and has some ability to exercise self-control over their own lives.

I must admit, the cell phone for me, a connection to many of the activities I'm interested in.
Like coming here to read, meet others, share parts of life.

One that wouldn't be possible without it..

 

[Gyakuto]

It's more insidious than that; even adults and young people can be hooked if they don't understand or are not cognizant of the mechanisms developers use to attract viewers.

The Chinese government is trying to protect its society through educational methods and teaching people how to understand these mechanisms. While the government also uses similar methods on its own citizens, the population is at least made aware of these tactics and has some ability to exercise self-control over their own lives.

I must admit, the cell phone for me, a connection to many of the activities I'm interested in.
Like coming here to read, meet others, share parts of life.

One that wouldn't be possible without it..

Isn’t one of the worst offending platforms (TokTik) a Chinese company?