In summary, Gillespie contends that:
1. The biology of puberty makes the teen brain uniquely fragile. It makes teens susceptible to addictions that can last for life and usher in mental illness.
2. Parenting is much more permissive, and parents need to harden up to save their kids.
3. Unfettered access to screens is driving an epidemic of addiction, depression and anxiety, the likes of which we have never witnessed before.
Gillespie was highly critical of the game Fortnite, which is very popular amongst teenagers. His primary concern was not the violent nature of the game, rather its addictive nature. While the high-quality graphics and the element of luck apparently contribute to the addictive qualities of this game, Gillespie argues that Fortnite has a strong social element. Players/gamers can be in a team of up to 4 people where they cooperate to build defences and find weapons. Gillespie believes that many teenagers will deprive themselves of sleep and be distracted from their studies or other responsibilities because they do not want to let their team members down.
Gillespie shared the story of a 13-year-old boy whose father placed very strict limits on his son’s involvement with Fortnite, resulting in aggressive protests and ultimately compromises. For example, the father allowed the boy to continue watching the game after the time limits the family had set for playing it had expired. The reason the boy demanded that he continue watching Fortnite was so he could be there to intervene to prevent his team from losing. Another disturbing story was an argument between a mother and her son over Fortnite, which resulted in the mother hurling the boy’s Xbox into the family swimming pool. The boy, fully clothed, jumped in after it.
Notwithstanding my concerns about device addiction, I am very encouraged to see many of our students choosing to limit their use of devices. During the week I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the Secondary athletics carnival. Students enthusiastically participated in a range of events. Even though the school did not expressly ban the use of devices at the carnival, I was very encouraged to only see a small number of students using devices. Most students chose to enjoy each other’s company, without using a device, when they were not participating in an event.
In my next newsletter article I will address some of the practical advice that Gillespie gives to help parents manage and regulate their child‘s use of devices. I would like to close this week by promoting Family Zone, a product the school provides our families to help them regulate Internet usage at home. I have spoken to several parents who have spoken highly of the product and how it has helped them to manage their children’s Internet usage.
Mr Brett Hartley
Principal
