Our Embrace of Smartphones Isn't So Smart

The more we use "social media", the less social and less happy we are.

Compared with kids decades ago, kids these days spend 1,000 to 2,000 fewer hours per year in face-to-face interactions, all because of electronics and especially smartphones. Glued to smartphones, kids forfeit important skills learned during in-person encounters, including the art of conversation, self-expression, sensing body language and tone of voice, and other social cues. It’s taking a toll: skyrocketing rates of youth mental illness, among other things.