{"id":850878,"date":"2025-06-02T05:00:51","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T10:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/?p=850878"},"modified":"2025-05-30T12:41:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T17:41:00","slug":"what-have-smartphones-done-to-our-young-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/churchanswers.com\/blog\/what-have-smartphones-done-to-our-young-people\/","title":{"rendered":"What Have Smartphones Done to Our Young People?"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Note: I am sharing four articles this month based on my upcoming book, <\/span><\/i>The Anxious Generation Goes to Church<\/span><\/i><\/a>. These articles focus specifically on the harm smartphones do to our young people. All data and statistics in these articles are supported in the book. In this first article, I provide an overview of the issue. My subsequent three articles will look at specific issues in greater detail. My book will be released from Tyndale on August 19, 2025.)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

I love my grandchildren. I worry about them too.<\/span><\/p>\n

They\u2019re growing up in homes filled with love, stability, and the gospel. They have two parents who are committed to each other and to raising their children with purpose. They have grandparents who dote on them, cheer for them, and pray over them. In short, they are blessed.<\/span><\/p>\n

But even with these blessings, my grandkids are not immune to the challenges facing their generation. Like nearly every other young person today, they carry something in their pocket that may be harming them more than they realize.<\/span><\/p>\n

The smartphone.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Appendage<\/b><\/p>\n

This ubiquitous device has become a cultural appendage. For Generation Z and Gen Alpha, the smartphone isn\u2019t just a tool\u2014it\u2019s a lifestyle. And that lifestyle is quietly rewiring their brains, stealing their sleep, shrinking their confidence, and fueling a mental health crisis that cannot be ignored.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let me be blunt. Smartphones are hurting our kids.<\/span><\/p>\n

We first noticed the shift around 2010. Apple had released the first iPhone a few years prior, but it wasn\u2019t until the iPhone 4\u2014with its front-facing camera and social media compatibility\u2014that things began to change rapidly. By 2013, most American households had a smartphone, and the rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm among teenagers began to skyrocket.<\/span><\/p>\n

Coincidence? Hardly.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Turning Point<\/b><\/p>\n

In his powerful book <\/span>The Anxious Generation<\/span><\/i><\/a>, Jonathan Haidt lays out the disturbing trends with clarity and compassion. He points to the smartphone era as a major turning point in the mental health of our youth. And the data backs him up.<\/span><\/p>\n

From 2010 to 2020, major depression among boys rose by 161%. Among girls, it increased by 145%. Even more sobering, suicide attempts among girls surged 188%. These aren\u2019t just numbers. These are lives\u2014precious, valuable lives\u2014caught in a digital trap they don\u2019t know how to escape.<\/span><\/p>\n

One reason the smartphone is so damaging is its ability to keep young people constantly connected\u2014and constantly comparing. Social media platforms, turbocharged by smartphone access, have created a culture where worth is measured in likes, followers, and filtered images. For many teens, especially girls, their phone becomes a mirror that always whispers, \u201cYou\u2019re not enough.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The pressure to curate a perfect online persona leads to exhaustion, low self-esteem, and a fear of missing out. When their worth is tethered to digital affirmation, every missed like can feel like a rejection. Every scroll becomes a silent judgment.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the damage isn\u2019t just emotional. It\u2019s physical too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Smartphones are robbing our young people of sleep. The blue light from screens disrupts melatonin production, the hormone that regulates sleep. And since teens are already prone to irregular sleep patterns, the effect is amplified. Chronic sleep deprivation impairs memory, concentration, and decision-making. It also fuels mood disorders and increases the risk of depression.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cyberbullying<\/b><\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s cyberbullying.<\/span><\/p>\n

The smartphone has made bullying a 24\/7 reality. Home is no longer a safe refuge. The mean words and cruel taunts follow kids into their bedrooms and through the night. Unlike schoolyard bullying, which ends with the final bell, cyberbullying is relentless\u2014and often anonymous.<\/span><\/p>\n

We now know that victims of cyberbullying are at significantly higher risk for anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. And yet, many parents remain unaware of just how deeply their child\u2019s smartphone use is affecting their well-being.<\/span><\/p>\n

Addiction and Privacy Lost<\/b><\/p>\n

We haven\u2019t even mentioned the addictive nature of smartphones. The never-ending stream of notifications, the dopamine hit from a new message or like, the endless scroll of content\u2014these features aren\u2019t accidental. They\u2019re engineered for addiction.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a result, physical activity among young people has declined. Screen time has replaced outdoor play. Face-to-face conversations have been traded for emojis and memes. Relationships are thinner. Attention spans are shorter. And bodies are paying the price.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, there\u2019s the issue of privacy. Our young people are growing up in a world where everything is shared\u2014and nothing is truly forgotten. What they post today could resurface years later, shaping job opportunities, relationships, and reputations. They\u2019re building a digital footprint they don\u2019t yet understand, but one they will live with for the rest of their lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

First Steps<\/b><\/p>\n

So what do we do?<\/span><\/p>\n

We must start by acknowledging the problem. Denial only delays healing. Then, we must educate parents, pastors, and church leaders to understand what\u2019s really happening. This isn\u2019t about being anti-technology. It\u2019s about being pro-child.<\/span><\/p>\n

We also need to help churches become part of the solution. What if the local church became the one place in a teenager\u2019s life that wasn\u2019t tethered to a screen? What if it became a refuge of real conversation, real connection, and real hope?<\/span><\/p>\n

I still believe in the next generation. And I still believe in the local church. But both need help. And it starts by asking the hard question:<\/span><\/p>\n

What have smartphones done to our young people?<\/span><\/p>\n

The answer may be painful. But the response must be pastoral\u2014and it must begin now.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(Note: I am sharing four articles this month based on my upcoming book, The Anxious Generation Goes to Church. These articles focus specifically on the harm smartphones do to our young people. All data and statistics in these articles are supported in the book. 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