WHY KIDS CAN'T PUT DOWN THEIR PHONES
These days, there is tremendous pressure on parents to buy their kids a smartphone. The children claim that "everyone has one" – and they are not totally wrong. In the USA, for example, by the age of 12, over 70% of youngsters have a smartphone, and that rises to almost 90% in the teenage years. Kids spend as much as six hours a day using social media, playing videogames, and watching movies on their phones. Concerned about the damaging effects of such prolonged use, parents try to restrict the amount of time kids spend on their phones. However, their attempts are largely unsuccessful.(lines 1–6)
Parents readily blame themselves, and their kids, for the failure to control phone use. However, neither are really responsible. The fact is that video games and other apps* have been designed following years of research by psychologists. They identified ways to keep kids glued to smartphone screens: the apps should provide nonstop excitement and give frequent rewards, such as bonus points or a shower of stars on the screen. "These methods can have a powerful effect on app users," says Prof. John Derry of Montforth College. "That's why they're called 'persuasive design.' And software companies employ psychologists to ensure that their apps are in fact irresistible."(lines 7–13)
Extensive research has helped explain the success of persuasive design. Studies have shown that by providing excitement and rewards, smartphone apps lead to a sudden increase in the brain's production of dopamine – a chemical that causes feelings of happiness. Software companies design many of their apps to produce such feelings. In some health apps, for example, users are awarded points for eating more vegetables in a day. But persuasive design is used mainly in apps targeting children because these apps are the companies' biggest source of profit.(lines 14–19)
For many psychologists, persuasive design raises serious ethical issues. "Scientific knowledge should not be used by software companies to control the minds of youngsters," says Derry. "Especially since the effects can be so harmful. Kids are being deprived of normal social interactions with friends. Some develop mental health issues, such as addiction to video games or to social media – and, in fact, there are now special clinics to help them. This means some psychologists are creating problems that kids must then go to other psychologists to solve!"(lines 20–25)
While Derry would like to see companies stop using persuasive design, he knows that this is unlikely to happen. It is therefore up to parents, he says, to try to influence their kids' behavior. "Get more involved," he suggests. "Join your kids when they're playing a video game or watching a movie, so that you'll be able to determine how long the activity lasts. Also, don't spend too much time on your own phones, and show your kids there are other things to do: socializing with friends and family, playing a sport, or reading a book. With patience and persistence, I believe a lot can be achieved."(lines 26–31)