‘The Digital Dilemma: A Thrilling Future for Kids at a Hidden Cost’

In the past decade, awareness has grown about the challenges that technology poses for children and youth. Previously, I addressed the potential harms of excessive technology use among the younger generation: from exposure to inappropriate content to social detachment, which weakens interpersonal connections, and even rising rates of depression, anxiety, and suicides. Fascinating data from Google Global and the Israeli telecommunications company Bezeq provides updated information that reinforces these concerns and adds new layers of complexity.

This data aligns with ongoing reports about teenagers injured during dangerous TikTok challenges, the Australian parliament’s groundbreaking decision to pass a law prohibiting children and teenagers under the age of 16 from using social networks starting next year, and the Albanian government’s decision to restrict access to TikTok nationwide for a year beginning in 2025 following a youth altercation on TikTok that escalated into a physical fight, resulting in the death of a 14-year-old.

The Data Behind the Numbers: Loneliness, Disconnection, and Increased Dependency

Bezeq’s report, published earlier this year, reveals troubling findings: about 25% of teenagers in Israel report feeling anxious about voice calls, highlighting a cultural shift where verbal communication becomes unusual, while text messaging and social media interactions become the default. Additionally, 57% of teenagers and 50% of children stated that they feel their parents are not attentive to conversations with them because they are engrossed in their mobile devices. This is a painful reminder that screens not only harm the children themselves but also family relationships.

Moreover, the declining average age for receiving a smartphone – a trend also reported in a recent survey by Google – raises concerns about the effects of early exposure to technology. Previous studies link early technology use to attention and focus problems, damage to social skills, and even long-term psychological effects like anxiety and depression.

Temptations and Content – Balancing Innovation and Harm

Infrastructure improvements like fiber-optic technology, which provides incredible internet speeds, aim to enable high-quality online experiences. However, high speeds also enhance digital platform’s ability to pull children into more and more content – not always age-appropriate.

Google’s survey also reveals that excessive engagement with technology leads to a sense of overload among users, with 71% of Israelis reporting that notifications and alerts from social networks distract them from their intended activities. For children and teenagers, this distraction may hinder their educational, social, and personal development.

Not Just Concerns, but Solutions

While the data points to harm, it also offers an opportunity to create effective new tools for parents and educators. High-speed internet and advanced technological infrastructure provide a basis for solutions such as content filtering, screen time management, and systems that enhance family communication.

However, broader and more fundamental changes are needed. Alongside technological innovation, telecommunications, and technology companies, especially social media corporations, must take responsibility for creating a safer and more conscious digital environment. To ensure this, parliament and lawmakers should anchor these standards in legislation, collaborating with educators, parents, and professionals.

In an era when children and teenagers are constantly exposed to relentless stimuli on social media, which divert their attention and blur the boundaries of reality, it is particularly important to return to the basic values of the “ancient village” – values that emphasize the need for personal and familial anchors, a connection to the physical and spiritual environment, and a sense of community belonging.

Connecting to the values of the ancient village enables emotional and educational balance, fosters internal resilience, and develops a sense of social responsibility. In a world of rapid and impulsive messaging, these values will provide a stable and profound foundation to help teenagers shape a meaningful personal identity and face the challenges of the digital age in an empowering and beneficial way.

Safeguarding the Younger Generation

In an era where technology is an integral part of our lives, the challenge is not only to adopt it – but to use it responsibly. The new findings highlight the necessity of combining broad access to digital tools with legislation, strict regulation, a return to the basic values of education, and a culture of awareness regarding harm. Only in this way can we ensure that our children enjoy the advantages technology offers without paying too high a price. As parents, educators, and society, we are responsible for ensuring that progress does not overshadow our values but supports them.