Digital Discourse Database

Number of Posts: 8
Posts 1 - 8

Ban mobile phones in schools to protect pupils' mental health

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Newspaper | The Guardian
Date | 26.9.2016
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | (mental) health, childhood, school, smartphone, threat
Summary | According to Shannon Turner, schools should ban smartphones to protect their pupils. Screens and social media can have a negative impact on children's health, which is why some schools have already put in place new rules (e.g. give children 6 hours of digital-free time).
Image Description | Photograph of two pupils in a classroom; one of them is showing her friend a smartphone and the other is giggling.
Image Tags | female(s), school, smartphone

Are smartphones really making our children sad?

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Newspaper | The Guardian
Date | 13.8.2017
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, childhood, smartphone, threat, youth
Summary | Children's relationship with screens has become a contested topic; not everyone agrees with what should or shouldn't be done. Last week, the Atlantic published an excerpt of Jean Twenge's book (the Atlantic article was titled "Have smartphones destroyed a generation?"), which initiated very diverse reactions. Jean Twenge, who is an American pychologist, said that social media have a negative effect on young people. Twenger then answered some of her critics in this Guardian article.
Image Description | Photograph of a group of teenagers all staring at their phone or tablet.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone, tablet

Screens and teens: survival tips for parents on the technology battlefield

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Newspaper | Telegraph
Date | 23.9.2017
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, smartphone, social media, threat, youth
Summary | A mom talks about her battle over digital screens with her children. Children are spending more time online, and research keeps showing the negative effects that screens can have (e.g. isolation, bullying, porn, suicide etc.). Since the phenomenon is so new, it is difficult for parents -they have no guide to follow. Technology is not necessarily bad, but parents should make sure their children are okay and happy. The article provides a list with some advice concerning young people and screens; from screen time limit to online groups and social media.
Image Description | Photograph of a young girl using her laptop, a mom and her daughter with a laptop and tablet, three children behind books, and a mom and her two kids with a laptop, tablet, and smartphone.
Image Tags | computer/laptop, female(s), male(s), smartphone, tablet

Is it wrong to let my child play on my smartphone?

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Newspaper | The Guardian
Date | 10.8.2017
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, childhood, smartphone, technology-free
Summary | The author of the article sometimes feels guilty when she lets her 2-year old son play on a smartphone. When young children are glued to a screen, they are so captivated by what they're watching. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children younger than 2 should have no exposure to screens; it can hinder their language and social development/skills. The author of the article also claims that her kids already show characteristics of "addicted" behavior. For instance, they scream and are irascible if someone takes their screen away. She also says that what is dangerous is not so much when kids are on screens, but rather when parents are.
Image Description | Photograph of a kid using a smartphone next to an adult.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone

Five of the best brain-training apps

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Newspaper | The Guardian
Date | 23.3.2016
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | (mental) health, smartphone
Summary | Brain-training apps are very popular. Here is a list of the best apps: Peak, Elevate, Luminosity, Fit brains trainer, and Cognito.
Image Description | Digital image of a brain, and five screeshots of the five apps.
Image Tags | smartphone

Meet the 'mega monk' changing our attitude to happiness, one tweet at a time

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Newspaper | Telegraph
Date | 20.3.2017
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | (mental) health, Facebook, smartphone, social media, Twitter, youth
Summary | A monk from Korea has gained a large following on Facebook and Twitter with short posts with life wisdoms. Many people respond to his preaching of mindfulness: the position that people should slow down and take the time to reflect on themselves and their emotional state without becoming obsessed. The monk thinks these little moments of mindfulness are nowadays more important than ever, when we tend not to interact with each other directly but only through smartphones.
Image Description | A bunch of portraits of the Twitter-famous monk in various surroundings and a few of his tweets.
Image Tags | male(s), Twitter

Why every mum should take away their teens' phones

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Newspaper | Daily Mail (UK)
Date | 13.10.2016
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, research/study, smartphone, technology-free, youth
Summary | The author of the article decided to take away her two daughters' phones after 9 p.m on weekdays. because she tought it would be better for them and for the family. They were becoming too addicted to their phones. The mom noticed her two teens were also becoming more anxious and cranky. As a result of the new rule, the girls were really angry. A study shows that many young girls are depressed and anxious on a daily basis, which worries the mom. Several studies show that it can be beneficial for teens to have their online time limited.
Image Description | N/A

"I worried people would forget me": can teenagers survive without social media?

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Newspaper | The Guardian
Date | 18.6.2016
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | (mental) health, addiction, smartphone, social media, technology-free, youth
Summary | Interview with several teenagers or "digital natives" that had to talk about their experience of living without social media for a few days. Were they able to do it? Teenagers spend a lot of time online everyday and are almost addicted to their digital devices; they often sleep with their smartphone. The experience was well received; the participants said that it was a positive experience (they felt happier, more productive, and slept better). Some were able to live without their phone for a couple days and some for a couple weeks. However, they wouldn't be able to do it longer. They like being available all the time, and without a phone they felt that they were missing out on a lot of things, especially with their friends.
Image Description | Series of seven photographs portraying the young interviewees doing some sort of non-digital activities (sports, cooking, music etc.)
Image Tags | female(s), male(s)

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