A 2025 Common Sense summit report found 53% of parents think kids would be better off with less social media/smartphone use. Parents are doing their best to limit the negative effect that excessive cellphone use have on their children, but the latest research shows that our children are more depressed and socially disconnected than ever.
Fact is...we can try to monitor our children's online safety as much as we can, using all the available tools that we have. But once you put that cellphone in your child's hand, it's like giving them a very powerful weapon with some level oversight.
Children need more than oversight, they need the internal capability to understand its power, use it intentionally in a positive way and set healthy boundaries to protect their identities and mental health.