Smart phone addiction may be at a crisis point

A new study claims as many as one in four kids are addicted to smart phones. Some call it a public health disaster.

Clinical counselor Lori Vann says she's seen a lot of negatives associated with cell phone addiction.

"Child abductions, we see an increase in things like self-injurious behavior, suicides; parents have to do their homework to understand what they're about to give their kids."

Vann says parents have to make rules.

"The parents are gonna have to be parents and say, 'you know what, little Johnny or Suzy, right now we have some concerns about your maturity.'"

Vann says many kids aren't ready for a smart phone. She says a flip phone with no internet access can be the answer until they've shown enough maturity to handle a smart phone.

"Maybe it's a flip phone, maybe it's one that doesn't have access to the Internet, but they at least have some kind of phone. They don't have the Internet component because the child's not mature enough to handle the Internet."

A new study claims as many as 25% of kids and young adults are addicted to smart phones, leading to increased suicides and substance abuse -- especially for girls ages 17 to 19.


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content