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Pop Culture

What's up with the new ‘invisible’ smartphone that’s everywhere on TikTok?

Did a time traveler just get caught?

via Methaphone

A woman using her methaphone.

Popular tech influencer CatGpt uploaded a head-scratching video on TikTok May 14 that sparked a wave of curiosity. It featured a woman in line at a boba shop in San Francisco, seemingly engrossed in a smartphone that looked like it was made of clear glass. “Completely clear phone spotted in San Francisco on May 14…?!?” she captioned the video, which garnered nearly 55 million views.

This video received many confused responses, with some claiming the woman was a time traveler who had been caught in the act. Others thought it was a new smartphone that could be more trouble than it's worth. “Losing that would be a NIGHTMARE to find,” one commenter wrote. “I can’t even find my phone now. I’ll never find it when it’s translucent,” another added.

@askcatgpt

Completely clear phone spotted in San Francisco on May 14…?!? Wtf?????? 🤭🤫 Link in bio for more deets. (NOT SPONSORED)

Some people thought it was the long-rumored Nokia Clear Phone that, sadly, isn’t a real thing. Jay got a little closer to what was really happening in the video: “This looks like a social commentary or a walking art exhibit I’m too uncultured to understand,” he wrote, before NIMM nailed it on the head: “Maybe it's like a stimulation thing. Like I need to scroll because I'm addicted but I'm trying to cut down on my scrolling?”

What is a methaphone?

In a follow-up video, AskCatGPT, explained that her video was a promotion for the methaphone, a clear acrylic block that feels just like a smartphone, but has zero functionality. It was developed by Eric Antonow, a friend of the influencer, who aimed to spark a conversation about smartphone addiction. The big question was: "If we're all so addicted to our phones, then could you potentially curb someone's addiction by replacing the feeling of having a phone in your pocket with something that feels exactly the same?"

@askcatgpt

I’m sending out a batch of methaphones to people who have ideas for (safe) social experiments they’d like to run with them— break it out on the subway? Show it to a 5 year old? Replace your phone for a week? The only catch is that you have to write or document your experience in a post online (e.g. blog post, medium, substack, YouTube, tikTok, Ig, etc) The goal is to keep the conversation going. If you’re interested, fill out the super short survey at the link in my bio! Let’s keep the conversation going! #tech #methaphone

CatGpt clearly knows why the video of the woman with an invisible phone struck a chord with so many people. “This little piece of acrylic feels like a physical artifact that directly responds to this collective tension we all feel about how our devices, which are meant to make us more connected, are actually having the exact opposite effect,” she explained.

She went on to say that after carrying the methaphone with her for a few weeks, it hasn’t curbed her smartphone use, but, much like her video, it has brought up an important conversation about smartphone addiction and the role that our phones play in our lives.

young people, smartphones, teens phones, smartphone addiction, smartphone useA group of young people staring at their phones.via Canva/Photos

Are Americans worried about their smartphone use?

It makes sense that the majority of Americans are concerned about their smartphone use. A 2022 Gallup poll found that 58% of adults said they used their smartphone “too much,” a big jump from the 39% who said the same thing in 2015. This isn’t just a problem for younger people. Seventy-four percent of people ages 30 to 49 say they use their phone “too much,” just 7% less than those in the 18 to 29 age bracket.

Antonow was smart to give CatGpt a methaphone to share in her videos because his IndieGogo manufacturing campaign has earned him all the cash it needs to produce 80 of them. But given the popularity of the TikTok video, he should probably make a few more than he initially thought.

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Education

Norway banned smart phones in schools and it has been very good for young girls

Should they be banned in schools everywhere?

via Yan Krukau/Pexels

A group of students staring at their phones.

The Norwegian government is spearheading a significant initiative to prohibit students from having smartphones in schools. This move comes in the wake of compelling studies demonstrating the positive impact of removing these devices from students’ hands and allowing them to focus more on their learning.

The effects have been particularly beneficial for girls.

Over the past few years, smartphone bans have cropped up in several school districts throughout Norway, allowing researchers to study how the bans affected students. Sara Abrahamsson, a postdoctoral fellow at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, analyzed students at 400 middle schools and found that the bans had psychological and academic benefits.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health published the results.

1 Girls made fewer appointments for psychological help

The study found that there was a significant decrease in the number of visits that girls made to see a psychological specialist for mental health issues. “Relative to pretreatment this is a significant decline by almost 60% in the number of visits,” Abrahamsson wrote in the study.

2. Steep drop in bullying

The study shows that girls experienced a 46% reduction in bullying after smartphone bans were enacted and boys had a 43% reduction.

smartphone, smartphone ban, norway

Boys looking at memes on a smartphone.

via Max Fischer/Pexels

3. Improved grades for girls

The study revealed that introducing a smartphone ban at the beginning of middle school improved girls' GPAs and increased their chances of enrolling in an academic-oriented high school track versus a vocational study. On the other hand, the ban appeared to have no notable effect on boys’ GPA, teacher-assigned grades, or likelihood of pursuing an academic high school track.

4. The ban had a more significant effect on economically disadvantaged girls

The study found that the ban resulted in greater benefits for economically disadvantaged girls regarding academic performance, appointments for psychological symptoms and the probability of attending an academically focused high school.

The positive impact that the bans have on girls is significant, given the fact that studies show they’ve been the most deeply affected by the rise in mental health issues amongst young people that have coincided with smartphone adaptation.

One of the most disturbing trends is the dramatic rise in suicide rates among girls in developed nations.

smartphones in schools, norway, smartphone ban

Students taking a selfie in school.

via RDNE Stock Project

Jonathan Haidt, author of “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness” and advocate for banning smartphones in schools, explained why smartphone use is more damaging for girls than boys.

“There is a special relationship between social media and girls,” Haidt told “The Reason Interview with Nick Gillespie” podcast. “When boys get together … they're likely to organize themselves into groups to compete [on multiplayer video games].”

“Girls are much more interested in talking about relationships. Who is on the outs with whom? Who's dating who? They have a more developmental map of the social space,” Haidt continued.

When there is conflict within peer groups, social media poses a much greater threat to girls.

“Boys' aggression is ultimately backed up by the threat of physical domination and punching or pain, " Haidt continued. “Girls' aggression is equal in magnitude, but it's aimed at relationships and reputation. It's called relational aggression. Video games, if anything, prevent boys from getting in fights. … The platform settles everything. But girls' relational aggression is amplified. The worst year of bullying is seventh grade. I'm really focused on middle school.”


This article originally appeared on 4.25.24


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Education

Away for a Day is making schools smartphone-free to improve grades and mental health

We should value academics and mental health more than technology.

via RDNE Stock Project/Pexels

A classroom of kids staring at their phones.

We have reached a tipping point where people are beginning to realize that the great social experiment of giving smartphones to children and teens has been disastrous for their mental health. Since young people started using smartphones about 15 years ago, there have been tremendous spikes in anxiety, depression and self-harm.

Big tech companies, such as Meta, have claimed there is no causal evidence that smartphones and social media are responsible for the mental health crisis. But we know that the rise in mental health problems began when young people started using smartphones and studies show that when kids take a break from social media for over a week, their mental health improves.

“There's enough data out there to show that it's not just correlational anymore. Clearly, some of this is causal and we're at this breaking point,” Lisa Tabb from Away for the Day told Upworthy.

The Away for a Day (AFTD) movement is working to reverse that trend by giving parents and schools resources to remove smartphones from the classroom. Tabb is also a former TV news producer and the co-producer of “Screenagers,” the first feature documentary to explore the impact of screen technology on kids and offer parents and families proven solutions that work.

Smartphones in schools are a tremendous distraction, even if they are just in a student’s pocket or backpack. “If you give them a warm chocolate chip cookie in their pocket and say, don't eat it. It's just not fair. It's just not fair,” Tabb told Upworthy. “And science shows that kids are distracted not only by their own device but everybody else's devices, too.”

Studies show that test scores increase when smartphones are taken out of the classroom.

Smartphones expose students to dangerous, inappropriate content online and are associated with depression and anxiety. “We're worried about the very, the very big, scary stuff that can happen online, but we're more concerned about all the tiny microaggressions that happen throughout the day when kids are seeing their friends online that went to a party that they weren't invited to,” Tabb said.

away for the day, screenagers, smartphonesSmartphones are bad for focus.via Away for the Day

That’s why AFTD is pushing for smartphones to be taken out of schools or, at least, out of students’ pockets and backpacks. “Phones don’t necessarily have to be left at home. It just has to be phones off their person,” Tabb told Upworthy.

“We believe having phones and smartwatches put away in lockers so the devices are physically away from the students is the best practice,” ATDE writes on its website. “If your students do not have lockers, we suggest that phones are put in places like hanging pocket holders, baskets, locked safes, or Yondr pouches. For those schools where this is not logistically possible, having students put their phones in their backpacks is the next best choice.”

Most schools confiscate students' phones if they are out at an inappropriate time and either the student or their parent must pick them up from the office after school. At Corte Madera High School in Portola Valley, California, students who violate the rule multiple times will have to check their phones in the office before the school day begins and pick them up after the final bell.



Creating a phone-free school day is a lot of work for students, teachers and administrators, but the benefits of having schools where mental health and academics are prioritized over technology are priceless.

“I have a great story about a middle school principal told me a few years ago,” Tabb told Upworthy. “The school had an electronic hall pass system and one year, 1800 students used the pass to visit the school counselor. This was when students were allowed to have their phones with them all school day. The following year, she instituted an away-all-day policy and the use of the hall pass to see the counselor literally went down to 10.”

Parents, students, teachers, and school administrators who want to implement phone-free policies in their schools can learn more and get free toolkits to get started Away for the Day’s website.

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Family

Drew Barrymore gets honest about the 'hard choice' she made with her kids and smartphones

Every parent faces this challenge.

via The Drew Barrymore Show

Drew barrymore talks to her audience about smartphones.

It’s understandable for parents to put off giving their kid a smartphone ‘til the last moment possible. Because it can be the moment they change from a happy, carefree tween to a teenager whose face is constantly stuck in their phone.

A smartphone exposes them to all the dangers of social media and is connects them 24-7 to a device that manipulates them on a biochemical level. Further, recent research has shown there is a “fairly robust” consensus among academics that smartphones are linked to the rise in teen depression, loneliness and self-harm.

No wonder many parents are thinking twice about getting their kids a smartphone.

In a video recently shared by The Drew Barrymore Show, the daytime TV host revealed the struggle she’s having with her daughters, Olive, 11, and Frankie, 10, who are asking for smartphones.

“A lot of parents are giving their kids phones at very young ages, and it’s just access to everything,” Barrymore told her audience. “It’s really tough. I’m like very overwhelmed.”

Drew Barrymore on the challenge of parenting kids who want cellphones 

@thedrewbarrymoreshow

@Drew Barrymore on the challenge of parenting kids who want cellphones 🤳 #parents #parentsoftiktok #parenting

But even though she’s under extreme pressure from her kids, Barrymore is standing her ground. “I’m not going to give up. I’m not going to give in. I haven’t let my kids have phones yet,” she told the audience as it broke into applause.

Barrymore’s struggle with telling her children “no” is one that every parent faces.

“It’s amazing to have wanted so badly for my kids to love me and to love their environment and feel safe...None of us want our children to resent us,” she continued. “And we don’t want to be their enemy. It’s such a hard choice to say, ‘I don’t care if you hate me for this. I don’t care if you’re mad at me for this. I know that I am doing the right thing by you and I accept your anger.’”

“Nobody wants their kids to be angry with them. It’s not a great feeling,” she continued. Barrymore also understands that, as a parent, it’s easy to have a weak moment and give in because toeing the line can be tiresome. “I have to find the courage every day not to give in,” she said.

But in the end, Barrymore understands that every parent and child is different and that those who have bought their kids smartphones shouldn’t feel bad about the decision. “And by the way, if you’ve given your kids phones and you’re doing the hands up, you’re not wrong. There is no right and wrong. It’s just a hard thing to navigate,” she said.

The post went viral, attracting over 860,000 views and nearly 1300 comments. Many sent messages of support for Barrymore and those who share the same dilemma. "If your child is never mad at you, you aren't doing your job," Cheriek wrote. "Thanks for adding the last statement. I have told so many people that. There is no right or wrong on how you are raising your children." Julia Belgraves added.

How old are kids when they get their first smartphones these days? According to Common Sense Media, 42% of kids have a phone by age 10, 71% by 12 and 91% by 14. Unfortunately, there is no consensus on the right age to give a child a smartphone. Jerry Bubrick, PhD, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute says it depends on the child's maturity. “I tell parents that it’s not so much about a particular age as it is about a kid’s social awareness and understanding of what the technology means,” Dr. Bubrick told Child Mind.

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