Deputy Principal

We must keep talking about this.

I know it seems that I may talk about this a lot, however, the conversations around our children and their use of devices are an important one that we must continue to revisit. Last week’s Four Corners episode was titled ‘Disconnected’ which I have linked here. The episode was on how teens are constantly connected to their devices and are addicted to their reels on apps such as TikTok and Instagram. 

Do we as parents know what those reels contain? How much monitoring do we do as parents? Once they are of age, do we let them just make decisions for themselves? In most cases, I think parents do, they have no real idea what their children are watching. It is completely different to watching TV in a common space. Their phones and computers are often in their rooms and our children are scrolling continuously. The Four Corners episode spoke about a young bright, vivacious American eighteen-year-old, who it seemed had the world at her feet. She seemed happy; however, she spent hours scrolling through her phone and the algorithms sent her to a very dark place. Someone who had depression now was looking for answers on her device. This dark place contributed to her taking her own life. 

I also read recently of a young American teenager who also took his own life; the article is linked here. This young man, before he died, had become more isolated form the real world. He found friendship with an AI chatbot. He discussed with the chatbot the fact that he was thinking of taking his own life. Just before he died, it is alleged he told the chatbot that he was coming home and the bot responded along the lines of ‘please do’.

The Four Corners episode centered on ‘do these app providers like Tik Tok and Instagram have any liability?’. There is a movement in the USA to take these providers to court. They are allowed to bombard their users with unfiltered material which can be fatal for those who may be susceptible to mental health issues. The family of the young man who took his own life are suing the creators of the chatbot to hold them responsible.

While these issues are hard to write about and talk about, it is imperative that we have open and frank discussions about them. Our children are our most prized possessions, and it is our job as parents to keep them safe. The vast majority of issues surrounding what your children are doing on their devices are happening at home. When was the last time you checked your children’s phone? When was the last time you looked through their reels? It is important that you do it to keep your children safe.

If this issue raises any concerns for you, please reach out to:

Adrian Byrne

Deputy Principal