Tarrant County's public health director calls for smartphone ban in classrooms
FORT WORTH – Dr. W. Brian Byrd admits a lot has changed since his kids had cellphones in school. Theories that the devices may be less fruitful than fun, he said, are now backed by research.
"As the public health director, I have a very keen interest in how our kids' mental health is doing," Byrd said.
Byrd, Tarrant County's top health official, penned a letter to parents, teachers and community members stating that "the rise of social media exposure has caused an increase in anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and suicide among our children."
The health official said he supports Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy's recommendation in a New York Times op-ed to put a warning on social media. Moreover, Byrd recommends taking smartphones out of students' hands.
"What I'm encouraging administrators and elected officials to do is to say: we're not going to have smartphones in classrooms," he said.
Byrd said that since the popularity of smartphones started skyrocketing in 2013, there is enough data to demonstrate the mental health challenges for teenagers connected to social media on smartphones.
"We're seeing rates of depression and anxiety go up 140% or more. Worse in girls and worse in people of low economic status," Byrd said.
The potential physical harm from sexual predators exists, too, especially for young girls. He said these are not alarmist assumptions from a 54-year-old man.
"It's a little bit like the boy who cried wolf, right? Oh, is this just an alarmist crying wolf again, right?" Byrd said. "Well, the thing to remember about the wolf story is the wolf finally came in the end, and I think that's where we are."
According to Addictionhelp.com, data from Common Sense says teenagers are on mobile devices for 7 hours and 22 minutes daily. They also said children as young as eight rack up nearly five hours of screen time.
The Tarrant County health official said giving children basic phones for calls and texts is sufficient for most ages.
"I think knowing what we know now, waiting until the child is at least 12 years old before they get any kind of smartphone is a good idea," he said. "Waiting until they're 16 to use any social media, that's a good idea."
Byrd said he did not have local data to show the impact in Tarrant County, but the suicide rate for youngsters is convincing. It is a documented outcome of social media behaviors connected to the fear of being left out, validation online and cyberbullying.