Breda O’Brien: Smartphone addiction is a great danger we must resist
Technology giants wean us on their apps and glowing screens. It is time to take action
Smartphones: We blame teenagers for their addiction but parents are often just as addicted. We call it work.
The recent Ana Kriegel assault and murder case has frightened the life out of parents. The immediate response was that the government should do something to regulate what young people can access on the internet. This shows how helpless parents feel as individuals to combat the negative aspects of technology.
But they are also very reluctant to have their children seem out of step. They fear their children being isolated and having a miserable childhood and adolescence if they are denied a smartphone, but are equally stressed when screens bring bullying or other unpleasant realities into their child’s bedroom.