Cell Phones, Social Media, Conspiracy Theories, and Lifestyle

[Stephen3141]

The Church Can Help End the Phone-Based Childhood - Christianity Today

Christians fought for laws to protect children during the Industrial Revolution. We can do it again in the smartphone age.

www.christianitytoday.com

Note that the British Christians started "Sunday school" in order to keep idle children busy, on Sunday. This was an innovation.

It is true that the laws against child labor, were an innovation in England. Most of the world at the time, allowed unrestricted child labor. Some countries still do.

The more difficult problem, today, is that we have had "electronic screen" generations since the millenials. And only now, the NIH and other researchers are coming out with serious studies showing the negative effects of kids who were raised by cell phones. As is the case of multiple generations of poor catechism, it is the multigenerational aspect of the problem that is a killer.

To correct the use by children of social media, requires a LIFESTYLE change by both parents and children. And frankly, I don't see many PARENTS ready to give up the babysitting cell phones, and create a different lifestyle for their kids. We will be going through the same debate with cell phones, that we went through with single mothers. Now that many Christians think that the phenomenon of single mothers is normal, why bother with all the orthodox Christian teaching about the constitution of a Christian family?

Educators are ready to ditch all cell phones in the classroom, because of the disruption to lesson plans. Educators already have an alternate culture to offer kids, in the classroom. But I don't see Christian parents as being willing to ditch all the electronic game screens, and create a much healthier lifestyle for their kids.

And, as with the problem of poor catechism, it is now multiple generations of pastors who are not willing to provide high quality teaching for their congregations. The congregation members don't want real teaching. The pastors don't want to go through the effort of producing high quality material.
---------- ----------

It may be that Christian schools will have the good sense to ban cell phones from school. Some parents may be offended. Christian schools may require students to do aggressive reading, and learn how to take notes on paper. Some parents may be offended.

But even in Christian schools, there have been multiple generations of educators who rely on videos, and cannot seem to recognize the benefits of using paper books. Language skills plummet, when books are discarded. And the ability of students to visualize while reading, is gradually lost. At some point, many students can no longer visualize what is being described in the great books. And this includes descriptions of what characters are thinking, and intend, and perceive. The dimension of the inner life of people, is lost, when books are not read. Many in the electronic screen generations, cannot even imagine what I am saying.

When Christians can no longer read, they can no longer read Scripture. They can no longer read the biographies and autobiographies of Christians in past centuries. This destroys the communion of the saints (and, an appreciation of history). The concept of our shared reality, is torn apart. Electronic reality has no required overlap with physical human shared reality.
---------- ----------

Not allowing children under the age of 13, from being on social media, and banning cell phones during school hours, would disrupt current American culture. It would also be helpful for congregations to ban conspiracy theories, and to promote legislation that would openly allow businesses to NOT hire people who were distracted by CONSPIRACY THEORIES. After all, being endlessly attracted by conspiracy theories, is a mark of an inability to research truth, and reject gossip and speculation -- this ability to discern truth, is a key part of critical thinking, and no one should be arguing that businesses should not be allowed to discriminate AGAINST hiring people with defective critical thinking skills.

With the current growing pile of evidence underlining the dangers of kids using social media, why would it be wrong for businesses to discriminate AGAINST job applicants who continue to spends hours a day, online, in gaming and social media sites???

With the current trendy offerings of "critical thinking" skills in lower education, why should educators NOT openly point out the dysfunctional reasoning methods, that accompany getting entangled in CONSPIRACY THEORIES???
---------- ----------

What we have in Christian congregations, is a lack of vision. Or, more precisely, a multi-generational LOSS OF VISION. And because the problem is multi-generational, the electronic screen generations do not realize what they have lost, or what they could regain.

What Christian schools and congregations will have the vision, to painfully regain what has been lost?

 

[Stephen3141]

California orders schools to restrict cellphone use amid student distractions, anxiety

Gov. Newsom signed the Phone-Free Schools Act into law. It requires California school districts to draft policies restricting or banning student cellphone use.

www.latimes.com

It's not just that Christian parents should face up to the DANGER of cell phone use
by their kids. Californians are passing laws that would limit or ban the use of cell
phones by students, in K12 schools.

And, California is not the only state to be passing laws along this line.

Parents are responsible for protecting their kids from disruptive
technologies. And carrying around a powerful hand-held computer all
day long, and playing games on it, and talking to people all over the world
on it for hours a day, is a disruptive technology.

Unfortunately, some Christian parents have been way behind the curve, in realizing
all the ways in which carrying a cell phone degrades the quality of life in their kids.

 

[Stephen3141]

https://www.npr.org/2024/12/03/g-s1-36017/teens-on-phones-during-school-solutions-schools

An article about a teacher, who actually quit, because of students constantly
on their cell phones.

The article discusses that teens don't have the self-control to have cell phones,
AND function properly in classrooms. Especially when social media companies
are designing their sites to be addictive.

Some of the results of cell phones being locked up during class hours, are that more
books are being checked out of libraries, there is more socialization, and clubs are
being revitalized.

 

[com7fy8]

At some point, many students can no longer visualize what is being described in the great books.

Ok . . . use it or lose it, right? However, you also say >

After all, being endlessly attracted by conspiracy theories, is a mark of an inability to research truth, and reject gossip and speculation -- this ability to discern truth, is a key part of critical thinking,

In order to believe a conspiracy theory, a person needs to have the ability to imagine whatever he or she is reading about some conspiracy. This would mean the person does have some ability to "visualize what is being described in" any writing about a conspiracy.

But how well can a student tell the difference between a rumor and something true and essential to get one's attention????

If you control children to not use cell phones, and job applicants to not indulge in conspiracy theories . . . this does not automatically solve their problem of how easy they are to be misguided. If ones have the ability to fool themselves into abusing cell phones and into falling for conspiracy theories, you might take those things away but they still can find other ways to fool their own selves.

For example > in the United States we see how something like how, for our year 2023, roughly one third of marriages turned out to be divorces. To me, this means a lot of people have had the ability to fool themselves. And some number of kids have grown up to be clueless about what is good for them. But you are not going to say we need to stop having marriage, are you?

We can learn, with God.

 

[Stephen3141]

Ok . . . use it or lose it, right? However, you also say >

In order to believe a conspiracy theory, a person needs to have the ability to imagine whatever he or she is reading about some conspiracy. This would mean the person does have some ability to "visualize what is being described in" any writing about a conspiracy.

But how well can a student tell the difference between a rumor and something true and essential to get one's attention????

If you control children to not use cell phones, and job applicants to not indulge in conspiracy theories . . . this does not automatically solve their problem of how easy they are to be misguided. If ones have the ability to fool themselves into abusing cell phones and into falling for conspiracy theories, you might take those things away but they still can find other ways to fool their own selves.

For example > in the United States we see how something like how, for our year 2023, roughly one third of marriages turned out to be divorces. To me, this means a lot of people have had the ability to fool themselves. And some number of kids have grown up to be clueless about what is good for them. But you are not going to say we need to stop having marriage, are you?

We can learn, with God.

I don't think that your appeal to "use it or lose it " is valid.
The picture of knowledge and understanding that the Bible presents, is that we
start without them, and need to search to find them. And then, we need to be
diligent to keep searching, or else we will lose all that we have found.

I think that your model of the causal relationship, between conspiracy theories
and being misguided, is wrong. It's not conspiracy theories that CAUSE being
misguided. It's the lack of careful thinking skills, that INVITES the believing of
ridiculous conspiracy theories. It is those who promote the LACK of careful
intellectual work, who are misguiding.

As for your comments on cell phones, it's not the presence of cell phones that
cause people to be misguided, but the "electronic screen" generations living
in front of these screens, FOR HOURS A DAY, that leads to (as scientific studies
have shown, a degraded knowledge of language, and a tendency to live within
fake realities that are tailored to addict the users.