The Case for Early Access
For: Isabella Jorgenson and Reese O’Mary
The primary argument for giving children phones is safety. In an age of busy schedules and varied after-school activities, a phone acts as an essential lifeline, allowing parents to instantly track their child’s location via GPS or coordinate pick-ups. This instant connectivity brings peace of mind and fosters independence, enabling children to navigate their world while remaining within arm’s reach of help.
Furthermore, smartphones serve as powerful educational tools. With access to apps focusing on reading, coding, or math, children can turn downtime into a learning opportunity. It also offers early, controlled exposure to digital skills that are necessary for future academic and professional success.
The Downsides to Consider
However, the drawbacks are significant. The most prominent is the risk of addiction. Without strict, managed boundaries, excessive screen time can lead to a sedentary lifestyle, contributing to issues like obesity. Additionally, too much time on a device can impair in-person communication skills, reduce the time spent playing outside, and impact the quality of sleep.
Another critical risk is exposure to inappropriate content or cyberbullying. Young children might not have the emotional maturity to navigate social media or handle online harassment. Furthermore, studies suggest that early smartphone ownership can be linked to higher rates of anxiety and depression.
Conclusion
Ultimately, a phone for a young child should be seen as a tool for safety and monitored education rather than an entertainment hub. By implementing strict, age-appropriate limits, the benefits of connectivity can outweigh the risks of early exposure.
The Phone Effect: How Phones are Harming our Youth
Against: Leila Gietzen
Many young children have phones worldwide. Having a phone is a big responsibility, so when a parent provides their child with a phone, the child should already understand the risks of owning a phone.
One reason why very young kids shouldn’t be using a phone is because being attached to a phone can cause depression. An Youth Today article published during June in 2025 shows that a no phone school policy caused 36.1% of students to have mild to moderate symptoms of depression.
17.1% had severe depression symptoms from the no phone policy. 34.4% of students who allowed access to their phone at specific times had mild to moderate depression. Only 9.5% of the students that follow this policy have severe depression.
There are a few reasons why phone use can cause depression. One reason is viewing social media and sulking over the “perfect life” that influencers have. The biggest reason for phones causing depression is cyberbullying. Some examples of cyberbullying are making fun of a person online, criticizing the content they post, sharing private information, etc. These forms of cyberbullying can lead to depression and low self-esteem.
Unfortunately, a kid named Carla had to experience cyberbullying. She shared that someone at her school had made a fake account of her. The account contained photos of other girls at school with gross captions. Every time Carla tried to report the fake account on Instagram, another one will pop up.
The fake accounts spread to other social media apps. One of her friends told her about eSafety, an app where you can report cyberbullying. After Carla contacted eSafety, eSafety took action and connected all of the social media apps with the fake accounts. Carla was relieved that all of the accounts were taken down. This real world example shows that cyberbullying can even ruin a person’s reputation.
Although phones can help children connect with other people around the world, it can also greatly impact their social life away from the screen. A kid can become too attached with their phone which causes them to interact with their family and friends less often.
This also teaches the kid to always depend on their phone for social interactions. An article published by the American Psychological Association states that children have been spending more and more time on screens. Micheal Noetel, a professor at the School of Psychology Queensland University, commented that kids can develop emotional behavior problems due to increased screen time.
Phones don’t only affect kids’ mental health, but it can affect their academic performance. An article posted by the Coxsackie-Athens Central School District found that 72% of U.S. high school teachers found phones distracting. Using phones can greatly affect a students’ academic performance by negatively affecting their grades.
Panther Press serves as the voice of the journalism students at Glen Edwards Middle School. The views on this site do not reflect the views of WPUSD or the admin at GEMS. Our goal is to promote student expression and provide a platform for diverse voices and viewpoints within our campus community.
