The Smartphone Empire Strikes Back
Parents, don't be duped by the latest unholy alliance between AT&T and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Hello Bar-Setters,
A few years ago, the NSCA and ACSM (premiere fitness certification organizations) teamed up with Coca-Cola in an effort to eliminate competition from other personal trainer certification businesses. Do you see what Coke was doing here?
As my friend, Pete Hitzeman, wrote at the time:
It’s atrocious and duplicitous for a company whose primary product lines do nothing to promote health, and arguably contribute to widespread, chronic disease, to cast themselves as advocates for health and fitness. It’s as if Philip Morris was funding the American Cancer Society.
Philip Morris funding the American Cancer Society… not as farfetched as it might seem.
The Latest Unholy Alliance
Unholy alliances are an, unfortunately, normal part of the American landscape.
Schools are in the pocket of Coca-Cola and General Mills.
Big Pharma funds the FDA.
And now AT&T has teamed up with The American Academy of Pediatrics to launch a free PhoneReady Questionairre so that parents can figure out if their kids are ready for a smartphone.
Spoiler alert!: AT&T thinks your kids are ready for a smartphone right now!
As with any opinion that has been bought, the conclusions of the AAP are completely worthless, as journalist Bethany Mandel shows in her recent piece for The Spectator:
I took the survey with my six-year-old son in mind; they don’t know he’s six years old, because they never ask the age of the child being surveyed. I answered every question regarding how responsible he is with his backpack or impulses with the response “sometimes,” except one question asking, “How often does your child follow rules about other media in the home such as limits on TV, tablets or video games?” On that question, I replied “every once in a while.” And what do you know? AT&T believes my child is “PhoneReady.”
Despite the fact that many of the problems with smartphones have more to do with developmental age than maturity, the survey never asks for the age of the child being surveyed! It’s like giving your kids a survey to see if they are ready to have sex. Maturity matters. But, among other things, so does age!
What’s AT&T’s Angle?
Parents and communities all over have started to wake up to the reality of what smartphones are doing to our kids.
More and more organizations are calling for parents to delay giving their kids a smartphone. Many psychologists are calling for changes in legislation that would keep kids off of social media until they are 18. And many school districts have finally banned phones and they are bringing people like me in to talk to parents about why parents need to wait to give their kids a smartphone (side note: I recommend that parents opt for a flip phone or the Light Phone until at least high school.)
Given this threat to their bottom line, it seems inevitable that AT&T would try to make inroads with the AAP.
Is Anyone Above the Fray?
But AT&T shouldn’t have been able to buy influence in the AAP. Perhaps I’m old-fashioned, but it seems reasonable for parents to expect that they can trust the opinions of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
But, apparently, they can’t. As Mandel shows, the AAP has shown that their opinions are for sale on previous occasions, as well:
… what is AAP’s incentive to partner with AT&T like this? The answer is, obviously, money. This isn’t the first time the AAP has made a financial sponsorship agreement; they also work with Google, formula parent company Abbott, Amazon, Buy Buy Baby and the toy company Melissa & Doug, to name a few. This appears to be the most blatantly ill-advised partnership the association has ever formed.
What This Means For You
There is no parenting issue that more defines our times. The smartphone has had disastrous effects on a generation of kids. As we head into an AI revolution, parents, more than ever, need to be able to trust the guidance of a trusted authority.
Unfortunately, these authorities are not as obvious as they should be. For those who want honest help, I recommend:
Tristan Harris and The Center for Humane Technology
Parent Data and all things Emily Oster
And looking at how tech designers raise their kids
Thank you for reading and sharing with anyone who you think would find this valuable.
Carry the fire!
Shane