The issue
Surgeons general, neuroscientists and frontline teachers now agree: unrestricted smartphones and social media are linked to anxiety, sleep-loss, loneliness and disengagement.
Rates of self-harm, eating disorders and chronic anxiety surged after 2012—the year smartphones plus social media reached the majority of young teens. That timing isn’t a coincidence; push notifications and infinite feeds hijack dopamine systems still under construction.
Teachers report students arriving exhausted from midnight Snapchat threads, struggling to read more than a few paragraphs, and obsessing over viral drama instead of friendships right in front of them.
Families are told the issue is simply screen time discipline, yet they’re battling platforms engineered for addiction. Without collective action, every household fights the battle alone.