REXBURG—For his senior project, BYU-Idaho student Elijah Newell wrote an online publication about the impacts that smart devices can have on young children. He chose to make his publication, “A Future Brighter Than Screens: Why Parents Should Consider Tech-Free Child Rearing,” because it is a topic he cares deeply about.
“This wasn't solely a ‘check a box off the off the list’ kind of thing,” Newell said. “The reason why I chose this project was because I've just seen way too much to want to give my children smart devices when they're too young for them.”
While in ROTC cadet summer training, Newell saw the effects of cellphone and smart device addiction in his peers. With this large of an impact on people his own age, Newell expects the implications of children raised on smart devices to be clear as they grow older.
“I am concerned for this next generation that's being raised with iPads,” Newell said. “I think every good parent should, and any parent in general, should be concerned. Because they're not developing the patience and everything they need to be respectful towards each other.”
Newell hopes that with the diverse demographic and the number of young parents attending BYU-Idaho that his publication can be shared with a broad audience and will inspire people to make a difference.
“I chose to do it here targeting BYU-Idaho students, because I wanted BYU-I students to eventually take what I share with them in my publication and share it with their home communities, just to create a snowball effect across the United States,” Newell said.
You can find and read, A Future Brighter Than Screens: Why Parents Should Consider Tech-Free Child Rearing here.