We’re losing our young people — to smartphone apps

Parents, wake up! Your children are being taken from you without your realizing what’s happening. Think for a minute about the last family dinner you ate with your son or daughter. What were they doing while at the table? Were they present and engaged in the conversation, enjoying the meal with you? Or were they absorbed by their smartphone, giggling every now and then? My guess is the latter scenario.

Many of today’s youths seem to be addicted to their phones and apps such as TikTok and Instagram. The Wall Street Journal recently did an investigation of TikTok’s algorithm, trying to determine the effect it has on some children. What they found was staggering: After setting up hundreds of accounts posing as 13-year-olds, they were able to view videos of sexual behavior, drugs, eating disorders and other clips that impressionable children should not be watching. What’s worse, many youths watch videos like these for hours each day.

Last weekend, I had the occasion to sit in the $5,000 club seats at the U.S. Open women’s final, surrounded by entrepreneurs and celebrities, after having traveled by first class to New York and sampling free food. I thought, “Wow, this is the life!” But then, something strange happened: I looked around and saw mostly young people, who looked to be under the age of 21. They, too, were “living the life.” Except that they were all sitting there, occupied by their phones. I wondered, “Who is paying for this, and what are those kids thinking?”

I once believed that the stimulus package and extended unemployment benefits during the pandemic were encouraging people not to work. I was partly wrong; it is also our phones. Many young people seem to want a ticket to freedom — unlimited time and money so they can sit around doing nothing. Their ideal life is not running a successful company or having a great job. It is traveling on weekends, having drinking parties, maybe sleeping until noon every day. This is no way to live.

I know many parents who tell me their children appear to be addicted to video games. All they want to do is play games such as Fortnite, Call of Duty, and others that promote violence. They sit behind their screens for hours each night, playing these games. China recently introduced a law that I agree with. Kids in China are banned from playing video games during weekdays and are limited to three hours on weekends. It may be a draconian rule, but evidently, they’re trying to save their youth. While it would be difficult for the U.S. government to mandate something like this, companies such as Microsoft and Sony could implement time limits into their consoles to ensure that kids are not living their lives in video games.

What is the future of this country? What kind of lives will our children have in 15 or 25 years? I am not optimistic. Truthfully, it makes me sad to think that many children do not have the capacity to make decisions such as limiting their use of technology. That is the job of parents — and many parents are failing. Do you feel that you have control over what your kids are doing? Many kids today feel so entitled because they have everything at their fingertips — credit cards, smartphones, almost anything they want. Children are too naïve to realize these indulgences aren’t always good for them, so we must help them to understand. 

It can be difficult to find many avid readers among America’s youths. Without knowledge, our children will lack power. Reading books should be the core of learning, not consulting Wikipedia or other websites. Information is right there on our phones, yet it is passing us by. We must instill the idea that reading is a good thing, and a better way to learn than playing video games or scrolling through social media sites. Children also should play sports, hang out with their friends, and enjoy the real world around them. Otherwise, they might wake up as 30-year-olds and realize they’ve nothing to show for their lives. They’ll be sad and depressed. And what will happen when they run out of money? With no learned skills or book knowledge, they may be left behind, and other countries that prioritize their kids’ livelihoods will leap ahead of the U.S.

America seems to be at another crossroads, and we are at risk of failing our kids. We have lost control of how many of our children spend their time, and we all may suffer for it. We are focused on nuances instead of our flagging youth. President Biden and his team have a responsibility to set the stage for the coming years. I pray for their success, and the success of our youth.

Armstrong Williams (@ARightSide) is the owner and manager of Howard Stirk Holdings I & II Broadcast Television Stations and the 2016 Multicultural Media Broadcast Owner of the Year. He is the author of “Reawakening Virtues.