Smartphones & Mental Health
For a long time, science suggested a strong link between our age and happiness. It tended to look like a “U” with happiness higher in our youth and then again in our later years. Our low period usually appears in midlife. But the latest data suggests a shift in this pattern as our youth struggle with poor mental health.
An increase in anxiety, depression, and suicide rates exists against a backdrop of increased access and use of smartphones. To help address at least one part of this issue, I’ve worked to change Idaho law to use existing technology already preloaded on these devices to block kids from accessing adult content. It requires no changes to existing phone designs. While the bill passed out of the Senate during the 2024 session, it didn’t get through the House. I plan to revisit this policy again next session.
We also need to look closely at other ways smartphones and social media can work against the wellbeing of our kids. For example, we’ve seen other states pursue new minimum ages for access to social media. Some policies include a requirement that parents must provide consent for kids to create an account.
Beyond access to content, states like Ohio, Indiana, Oklahoma, and Florida have all adopted some form of restrictions on phone use in school. In Idaho, the law doesn’t prevent school districts from implementing a phone-use policy. But it may be time for state officials to work with local administrators and review the best approach for adopting a device policy that makes sense for students, parents, and educators.
I don’t know if there’s a perfect answer when it comes to balancing the benefits of technology alongside the potential risk to our kids’ mental health. I do know that we can’t avoid the discussion indefinitely. Our kids rely on us to help them navigate an increasingly complex world. One critical area of change involves how and when we use technology.
We went from marveling that we could make a phone call from almost anywhere with a cell signal to people spending hours at a time on devices that seem permanently attached to our hands. It appears that we missed anything looking like a middle ground and made certain assumptions that all new technology represented a positive force for good.
I should know. I’ve spent decades working in the IT sector, and I’ve seen firsthand the positive change that comes from innovation. But that experience also reinforces that we’re better off thinking proactively about how these changes impact our kids. It also goes beyond the technology itself.
We owe it to Idaho kids to equip them with the skills to understand how to respond to their digital environment. We also need to ensure that they have access to healthcare professionals that can help them work on their mental health. Our kids deserve a full toolkit that equips them to handle what this world will throw at them in the coming years.
I’m committed to continuing my work on these issues, and I look forward to hearing from you. How do you think we can best help kids when it comes to technology? What do you think will help improve kids’ mental health? We have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our kids. Let’s get to work!
Sen. Kevin Cook represents District 32 (Bonneville County) in the Idaho Senate. He also serves as chairman of the Commerce and Human Resources Committee.
