The Case Against Digital Restrictions

It is increasingly common for young people to spend a lot of time on their smartphones or other digital devices. This has caused many parents to worry that their kids are becoming addicted to social media and losing important life skills. The news that many Silicon Valley execs don’t let their kids have social media just reinforces this idea. To cope with this challenge, parents often put time limits and other restrictions on their kids’ devices. This is a bad idea.

It’s important that young people spend only a reasonable amount of time online. But how do we meet this goal? Putting digital restrictions on kids’ phones and tablets only creates an atmosphere of mistrust, surveillance, and top-down authoritarianism. There are digital restrictions in North Korea, Iran, and China, as well. Is this the model our parents wish to follow? A better way would be to approach the issue democratically. There can be mutually agreed-upon limits and reasonable penalties for non-compliance. This teaches kids how to make laws, live with them, and face the consequences of not following them. It means more work for parents, but putting in place digital restrictions teaches kids nothing and prepares them only for life in a totalitarian regime.