Does the argument that limiting smartphone use works hold water? Elizabeth Tracey reports
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Burgeoning research demonstrates that smartphone use in schools is detrimental to individual students and corrosive for the learning environment. Marty Makary, a surgeon at Johns Hopkins and public health researcher, says attempts to simply limit their use are not enough.
Makary: There's a mindset that all things are good in moderation. That's not true of cocaine, it's not true of highly addictive substances and so it's not necessarily true here either. If I told you oh cocaine in moderation is OK you'd say no. There's a risk of significant addiction that could ruin that individual's life. The same is true of some of these social media apps that are designed to steal their attention and keep it as long as possible. :27
Recent studies clearly point to the addictive nature of many social media apps, in ways reminiscent of gambling addiction for example. Makary says data also points to development of depression and anxiety, which are spiking among teenagers in the US, as related to smartphone use. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.