4 ms·

What's wrong with doing all of these studies? Aren't you glad we know about the harmful effects of tobacco smoke, UV light, radiation, too much sugar etc.?

CamperBob2 9y ago
Yeah, because those are all equivalent. "People who smoke are getting lung cancer. We'd better investigate the carcinogenic properties of tobacco." "People who get too much sun are exhibiting symptoms from melanoma to premature aging. Could this be related to UV exposure?" "People who work with radioactive material are dropping like flies. What the heck's up with that?" "People who consume excessive sugar are experiencing symptoms from obesity to insulin resistance to heart disease. Could there be a connection?" "Kids who spend a lot of time on iPhones are ... well, fine, I guess, but there's got to be some grant money in there somewhere."
- emodendroket 9y ago
  Yes, of course, everything seems obvious in hindsight.
  - CamperBob2 9y ago
    And resources for scientific snipe hunts are basically unlimited.
    - anigbrowl 9y ago
      Given Apple's vast cash pile I don't think this is going to delay your next technological fix by more than an hour or two.
    - emodendroket 9y ago
      The idea that phones are changing our attention span and giving rise to harmful addictive behaviors, especially applied to children, does not strike me as outlandish or unworthy of investigation.
      - deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
- decebalus1 9y ago
  > Kids who spend a lot of time on iPhones are showing signs of decreasing attention spans and cognitive abilities [1]. This may be misdiagnosed as ADHD and then medicated. Yeah, they're fine, you guess. I'll cite you the next time someone brings it up to assure them the kids are fine. [1]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5403814/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5403814/
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
thomastjeffery 9y ago
If using a computer is addictive, what is the response? I am concerned with any action that takes a child's privacy or liberty from them. I haven't heard a proposed solution that does neither, and most do both. Someone with the absolute best intentions it's likely to take seriously harmful actions when privacy and liberty are disrespected.
- jeffdavis 9y ago
  Are you worried about parents, or governments?
  - thomastjeffery 9y ago
    Both, but mostly the latter. I know a lot of parents who are over-concerned with their child's "safety". That extends to reading through teenager's texts, severely limiting their exposure to computers, etc. Naturally, every child is different, and most won't have similar interests to what I had as a child, but speaking from experience: I would not have flourished in such an environment. I would never have had the liberty to mod video games, install Linux, etc. in a situation like that. I wouldn't have even encountered an interest in such things. A concern with what a child does on his or her own can easily evolve into overbearing control and censorship. I want every parent to understand that.
- b1daly 9y ago
  Huh, Children’s privacy and liberty are already extremely limited, by definition. The phone addiction thing is severe for young people, and it’s not comparable to playing games on the computer back in the day. My stepson responded to the suggestion of placing modest limits on his phone use with genuine anguish. The problem is compounded by network effects, because vital social connections are now actively mediated through the phones.
- snowwrestler 9y ago
  My god, what if someone forced a child to eat their vegetables? Or read a book? Or clean their room?? What if someone said a kid can't go to their friend's late night unchaperoned party?? Real answer: If using a computer is addictive, then parents and schools will manage kids' use of computers (most already do), and arm kids with that knowledge and help them learn to manage it themselves as they get older. Sending a kid out into the world purposefully ignorant of risks they might face is a terrible idea. This is also why sex ed is important, BTW.

CamperBob2 9y ago

Yeah, because those are all equivalent. "People who smoke are getting lung cancer. We'd better investigate the carcinogenic properties of tobacco." "People who get too much sun are exhibiting symptoms from melanoma to premature aging. Could this be related to UV exposure?" "People who work with radioactive material are dropping like flies. What the heck's up with that?" "People who consume excessive sugar are experiencing symptoms from obesity to insulin resistance to heart disease. Could there be a connection?" "Kids who spend a lot of time on iPhones are ... well, fine, I guess, but there's got to be some grant money in there somewhere."

emodendroket 9y ago
Yes, of course, everything seems obvious in hindsight.
- CamperBob2 9y ago
  And resources for scientific snipe hunts are basically unlimited.
  - anigbrowl 9y ago
    Given Apple's vast cash pile I don't think this is going to delay your next technological fix by more than an hour or two.
  - emodendroket 9y ago
    The idea that phones are changing our attention span and giving rise to harmful addictive behaviors, especially applied to children, does not strike me as outlandish or unworthy of investigation.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
decebalus1 9y ago
> Kids who spend a lot of time on iPhones are showing signs of decreasing attention spans and cognitive abilities [1]. This may be misdiagnosed as ADHD and then medicated. Yeah, they're fine, you guess. I'll cite you the next time someone brings it up to assure them the kids are fine. [1]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5403814/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5403814/
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]

thomastjeffery 9y ago

If using a computer is addictive, what is the response? I am concerned with any action that takes a child's privacy or liberty from them. I haven't heard a proposed solution that does neither, and most do both. Someone with the absolute best intentions it's likely to take seriously harmful actions when privacy and liberty are disrespected.

jeffdavis 9y ago
Are you worried about parents, or governments?
- thomastjeffery 9y ago
  Both, but mostly the latter. I know a lot of parents who are over-concerned with their child's "safety". That extends to reading through teenager's texts, severely limiting their exposure to computers, etc. Naturally, every child is different, and most won't have similar interests to what I had as a child, but speaking from experience: I would not have flourished in such an environment. I would never have had the liberty to mod video games, install Linux, etc. in a situation like that. I wouldn't have even encountered an interest in such things. A concern with what a child does on his or her own can easily evolve into overbearing control and censorship. I want every parent to understand that.
b1daly 9y ago
Huh, Children’s privacy and liberty are already extremely limited, by definition. The phone addiction thing is severe for young people, and it’s not comparable to playing games on the computer back in the day. My stepson responded to the suggestion of placing modest limits on his phone use with genuine anguish. The problem is compounded by network effects, because vital social connections are now actively mediated through the phones.
snowwrestler 9y ago
My god, what if someone forced a child to eat their vegetables? Or read a book? Or clean their room?? What if someone said a kid can't go to their friend's late night unchaperoned party?? Real answer: If using a computer is addictive, then parents and schools will manage kids' use of computers (most already do), and arm kids with that knowledge and help them learn to manage it themselves as they get older. Sending a kid out into the world purposefully ignorant of risks they might face is a terrible idea. This is also why sex ed is important, BTW.