23 Years of Scrolling

When author, columnist and futurist Chloe Combi addresses the LWC community, get ready for some revelations that will leave you thinking for days.

 

As part of a Parental Engagement Programme session on our Teenagers’ Online World, she’ll deliver some pretty hard-hitting information which will probably lead you to question ever setting eyes on your own smartphone, let alone buying your children one.

 

“The average age that a child gets a phone in the UK is now 11,” Chloe explains. “So they get it just as they’re moving into secondary school in some cases. If that child is affluent and healthy, they’ll live until they’re in their mid-80s. If they then maintain the average screen time for their age throughout their lives, by the time they reach the end of their life, they’ll have been on that phone for 23 years.”

 

Let’s just let that sink in for a moment.

 

23 years.

 

Fortunately, against a backdrop of debates around bans, online safety and the emergence of AI, Chloe advocates keeping a cool head and explaining to young people just what’s going on.

 

“When you explain the science of social media and really break down the loss of time, the way in which they’re being commodified, the way that algorithms essentially depend on negative emotions and the fact that influencers don’t care about their wellbeing, but instead whether they can sell them stuff – it’s really effective,” she reveals.

 

“Rather than telling young people what they’ve heard a million times about endless scrolling being bad for them, if you explain how it works, what it’s taking from them and what it’s doing to them, you’re more likely to get somewhere.”

 

Chloe’s approach is a refreshing one. As a former teacher, she’s carved out a career as an expert on both Gen A (those born between 2010 and 2024) and those dubbed the first true ‘digital natives’ in Gen Z (1997-2012). Her time in the classroom coincided with what she describes as the ‘tech revolution – when all kids started getting smartphones’. She began writing about the impact and she hasn’t stopped since.

 

“We need to talk to our young people about the 23 years they’re spending on their phones. We need to say ‘Just imagine if you took that time and put it into learning languages, travelling the world or doing anything other than making a small number of people incredibly rich with your time and your eyeballs, which directly robs you of experience, wellbeing and happiness’. 

— Chloe Combi

 

But if you think that Chloe’s session at LWC will advocate following Australia’s lead and calling for a complete social media ban for under-16s, then think again.

 

“I agree that it’s highly problematic and that social media needs to be regulated,” she admits. “But the debate is more complex than ban it or don’t ban it.”

 

She goes on to describe a few ways in which social media has been a force for good:

 

“It’s reframed the old rules around friendship and popularity, providing millions (not only children) with alternative communities online. Popularity is no longer based upon being good-looking, wealthy, well-dressed and all of the other things that used to see you thrive in friendships at school. Social media has allowed those who didn’t fit into this bracket to find their own groups. It’s changed what defines popularity.”

 

Not only that, but for those who struggle to access meaningful education, Chloe believes that social media has offered an effective learning substitute. Stand by for another of those revelations…

 

“I met a girl who got herself to Durham University by teaching herself the GCSE curriculum by using YouTube, TED Talks and reading material online,” she points out. “This will be the reality for lots of young people who will be topping up their learning on social media.”

 

But aside from providing a haven for previously ignored and underserved communities, or a safety net for those struggling through an impaired learning experience, Chloe admits there needs to be change when it comes to social media.

 

“We need to talk to our young people about the 23 years they’re spending on their phones. We need to say ‘Just imagine if you took that time and put it into learning languages, travelling the world or doing anything other than making a small number of people incredibly rich with your time and your eyeballs, which directly robs you of experience, wellbeing and happiness’. This is a much more effective message than just telling them to stop using TikTok. What you’re asking them to do is make a healthy and informed choice.”

 

So, could we see the tide turning away from social media, in the way that we’ve witnessed generational change in relation to cigarettes and alcohol?

 

“No 14-year-old now thinks that smoking is cool,” Chloe states. “That’s a function of education and getting kids to make those decisions themselves through knowledge and good messaging. Punishment and bans give things an outlaw image, which then ironically makes them more attractive. What’s much better is good education in a clear-headed, non-judgmental way. Do they really want to lose a quarter of their lives to scrolling on a box? There are kids in the seven-to-twelve age bracket who are already starting to say that they don’t want a smartphone.”

 

Photo credit: Chloe Combi

 

But this approach requires a radical rethink about the world around our young people and aligns Chloe’s thinking with that of educational professionals such as LWC’s Deputy Head (Pastoral), Alexandra Cocksworth. Mrs Cocksworth recently appeared in The Guardian, calling for tighter social media regulation in the context of better real-world provision for young people in areas such as sport, music and with the rejuvenation of the youth club. The co-curricular and pastoral opportunities on offer at independent schools such as LWC, clearly not commonplace everywhere.

 

“In this country, shared spaces and social opportunities for young people have been decimated,” agrees Chloe. “Youth clubs and discos have gone. Gigs, theatre, swimming and bowling are all incredibly expensive. For a lot of young people, their phones and laptops are the only freedom they have.”

 

And if part of the solution to the social media spiral is to empower our young people with knowledge that we, as parents, need to equip ourselves with first – what else does Chloe think we need to know?

 

“One thing that I’m deeply worried about is the growth of synthetic friends,” she explains. By this, she refers to AI-generated companions, such as chatbots and avatars, designed to provide human-like support.

 

“I don’t think people have got a handle on just how widespread the use of kids using chatbots and AI as friendship substitutes is.

 

“A few kids will use them to game with or to help with homework, but they are evolving into more. AI is designed to please you and it learns who you are. In developing relationships with AI, this generation’s perception of what a good friend or partner looks like is being changed, which in turn impacts on their real-life friendships. This does need to be banned.”

 

Chloe Combi’s Teenagers’ Online World session takes place at Lord Wandsworth College on Saturday, 7^th February.

 

You can read more about LWC’s Parental Engagement Programme here.