When you see an advertisement promoting 'flexible iPad holders for pushchairs', you have to wonder if 21st-century parenting has hit a new low, writes Clinton Rogers.
It is not a journalistic invention of mine; it is genuine marketing, presumably targeting parents who would rather pacify their child with a screen than engage with them.
It is a stark reminder that screen addiction isn’t just a teen problem; it’s a societal one.
Let me be clear – I understand the benefits of tablet and smartphone technology, especially for young people.
Internet research is a requirement for students these days.
Smartphones and tablets allow instant access to information and support learning and creativity.
They connect young people with friends, and it is argued that they even help with safety for children on their way to and from school.
Yet I wonder how on earth we managed to survive in the 'dark days'!
In my capacity as a deputy lieutenant, I attended a conference recently at Court Fields School in Wellington called Cradle to Career.
It featured around 80 local educators, professionals, employers, and community partners looking at ways to support children and young people from their earliest years through education and into employment.
One of the workshops was focussing on smartphones and their impact on wellbeing and learning.
When our group was asked to list the advantages and disadvantages of smartphone technology, one list was considerably longer than the other one!
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Hardly surprising when you consider there is a growing body of research painting a worrying picture about smartphone overuse among adolescents.
Studies have linked ‘problematic smartphone use’ - that’s not just time spent, but compulsive checking and loss of control - with greater risk of anxiety, depression, and insomnia in teens.
Unsurprisingly, question teenagers themselves and you get a different view.
A study of young people, carried out by the Pew Research Centre in the USA, found that many teens believe these devices make it easier to pursue hobbies, be creative, and even support their schoolwork.
I wish I knew the solution, and I’m sure I’m not alone there.
Banning phones in school? Encouraging families to take part in experiments to live without their phones for up to three weeks?
It’s being tried in various places around the world.
Court Fields School is considering it.
I guess it’s encouraging that people are at least debating the issues.
But the reality is that the hare is out and running, the genie is out of the bottle.
And the last I heard, catching runaway hares and rebottling genies was rather difficult!
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