Social media is just a portion of the problem though. As parents, we hear from our kids and other parents about how children all over the country are desperate

Social media is just a portion of the problem though. As parents, we hear from our kids and other parents about how children all over the country are desperate to get their hands on a smartphone, and we have conversations about the right time to get them a phone, what functionality that phone should have, how much parents should monitor it, etc. When you ask the kids why they want a smartphone, typically the main two reasons are to be able to communicate with friends and to be present on social media. A child's experience is that socializing is done through texting, video calls, and social media now, rather than being in-person at a park, store, or cafe. When you ask parents why they gave their kids a smartphone, typically parents will cite the socialization reason above, as well as safety and "not wanting their kids to fall behind". Many parents believe it's in their and their child's best interest to have the ability to monitor where their child is and what their child is doing and are willing to go along with the socialization thing to achieve that. Social media is a part of the problem, but the underlying problem for children is that many aren't able or willing to socialize outside of devices, and the underlying problem for parents is that they aren't able or willing to let their children be out of communication for long periods of time. It isn't just that social media is a problem, it's that we have cultivated a world where children, parents, and cities/governments see personal devices and social media as the best available solution for the intersecting problems of community, socialization, and safety.