There was a period of time from about 2011-2013 where it felt like many parents would complain about everyone being on their phone. Then they started using them too and stopped complaining.
Some parents allow screen time with moderation and caution because they know what excessive use leads to.
The other group sees nothing wrong and screens are everywhere all the time.
My friend circles are exclusively in the first group, from daycare to schools to friends. So much so that at first I thought everyone was like this.
Then I stepped outside of my bubble and watched some parents hand their kids phones and tablets like they were automatic babysitters. They saw it as normal. One person explained to me that it was a “tool” to help build his relationship with his child by making them “not upset” because they were happier with the phone. It blew my mind that he didn’t realize that he was cultivating an addiction.
Drugs are tools.
Both can be used or abused.
But I also think total abstinence doesn't always work for everyone. There can be some exceptions. A child with cancer should have access to medicinal cannabis if it's appropriate for their condition for example. Some children may benefit from LSD/MDMA/mushroom assisted therapy. But active kids shouldn't be labeled as ADHD and medicated. And the occasional sip of wine at dinner with parents might help kids learn to respect alcohol and not go overboard when they go to college.
Some people seek out their social media experiances to harmlessly fill a void of boredom, or to be a social tool, or for entertainment after a hard days work. Some of those people who innocently tried to use a tool to alter their brain chemistry for the better eventually abused social media to their detriment.
But you can also go to the Apple Store and a trained professional will sell you an iPhone if you want to get on TikTok to make new friends because you are lonely.
Darkpatterns, for example, are specifically designed to exploit holes in our psychological armor.
I'm about 40 and am constantly having to remind my own parents to put the phone away and be more present with their grandkids when they come to visit.
In the crowd, the 50+ year olds were the ones getting their phones out to dick around during the ceremony.
Youth would get the phone out to take pictures, post quickly on socials, then put the phone away.
Older folks would take a picture, post on socials, scroll through socials, check the news or whatever, then take another picture and repeat.
This is not a good thing.