Smart Phones an Occasion of Mortal Sin for Teenage Boys

[Counter Revolutionary]

http://www.theimaginativeconservative.org/2017/04/fearing-rod-dreher-benedict-option-thomas-ascik.html#comment-388811

In what is probably his most controversial position, Mr. Dreher says that smartphones should be taken away from kids. There are two reasons. The overwhelming majority of adolescents – more than 90 percent of boys – have seen pornography online...

Mr. Rod Dreher is fighting a good fight in this regard. The topic is unpleasant, but it is very important that parents take seriously what he is saying. I have heard several traditional Catholic priests mention in sermons that parents who allow their teenagers to own smart phones commit a mortal sin.

[Chestertonian]

I don't think teenage boys are a special class of people who can be led into sin by smartphones.  They also offer contactability without a phone your teenager is uncontactable.  But it's dreherso I think his ideal would be living in a place where there's no reception and your teenager rides w mule to everywhere

[Jacob]

Smart phones are evil.  If you watched 60 Minutes last Sunday, you would have seen the segment where app developers talked about their efforts to make people feel anxious when they are not constantly checking their phones.  They are rewiring people's brains.

[Greg]

The mobile networks in the UK block pornsites.  You have to contact them to unblock the pornsites.

The schools track EVERYTHING that happens on the school network.

Besides how exciting is porn ever going to be on a 4 inch screen?

Simple trick, take their phones away 9pm to 8am.  That's what we do in this house. All mobile phones are in our bedroom charging between those hours.  The kids don't have them between those hours.

[Chestertonian]

The mobile networks in the UK block pornsites.  You have to contact them to unblock the pornsites.

The schools track EVERYTHING that happens on the school network.

Besides how exciting is porn ever going to be on a 4 inch screen?

Simple trick, take their phones away 9pm to 8am.  That's what we do in this house. All mobile phones are in our bedroom charging between those hours.  The kids don't have them between those hours.

They block porn? Wow.  I didn't realize the UK did that good for them

My t mobile blocks explicit websites if you request it.  I had set it to block indecent sites.  Unfortunately it blocks "hate sites" as well which means I couldn't access certain traddy sites

[Carleendiane]

I don't think teenage boys are a special class of people who can be led into sin by smartphones.  They also offer contactability without a phone your teenager is uncontactable.  But it's dreherso I think his ideal would be living in a place where there's no reception and your teenager rides w mule to everywhere

Ches, contactability is solved with a plain, non-Internet acsessable flip phone. Pics can be sent by text, but no internet. Or...don't they make them anymore?

[Chestertonian]

I don't think teenage boys are a special class of people who can be led into sin by smartphones.  They also offer contactability without a phone your teenager is uncontactable.  But it's dreherso I think his ideal would be living in a place where there's no reception and your teenager rides w mule to everywhere

Ches, contactability is solved with a plain, non-Internet acsessable flip phone. Pics can be sent by text, but no internet. Or...don't they make them anymore?

if they do they won't for long. 

[The Curt Jester]

If you must get a phone for your child, get a TRACFONE with a flip cover and give them ten units a month.   That's enough to send/receive 30 texts per month.   It's plenty for "ready to be picked up" or anything like that.   Any attempt to access the internet will eat away those units almost instantly since the phone's internet access is painfully slow.

[Greg]

My daughter needs access to the internet.  Otherwise how would she operate the satnav on her phone while I am driving and give me directions?

If I do it, I'll get 6 points and a 200 quid fine.

[clau clau]

Make sure you are especially diligent about Pixar movies.    Subliminal messages ...

[Prayerful]

http://www.theimaginativeconservative.org/2017/04/fearing-rod-dreher-benedict-option-thomas-ascik.html#comment-388811

In what is probably his most controversial position, Mr. Dreher says that smartphones should be taken away from kids. There are two reasons. The overwhelming majority of adolescents – more than 90 percent of boys – have seen pornography online...

Mr. Rod Dreher is fighting a good fight in this regard. The topic is unpleasant, but it is very important that parents take seriously what he is saying. I have heard several traditional Catholic priests mention in sermons that parents who allow their teenagers to own smart phones commit a mortal sin.

I think children can be guided to use a smartphone responsibly (taking them away can just increase the attraction), and the network can block explicit sites on request, or by default (it depends on where or who). The older style of mobile phone is now positively rare. Also as mentioned, a child with a smartphone can guide someone to somewhere or be guided. Getting to the end of banishing porn takes some thought. Reading the link. I'd caution about any sort of stat in online articles. 90% of them are made up to some degree.

[Carleendiane]

Prayerful, they can be trained, but their more base instincts are still there. You can bend over backwards to give them every opportunity to use it safely and properly, but even with all sites blocked a nasty friend can text pictures to son and he's been exposed. The only resolution I see to this is NO smart phone, no computer, no acsess. Is this preferable to having some kind of computer use? I don't know. Just bring back the stinking flip phones.

[Chestertonian]

Prayerful, they can be trained, but their more base instincts are still there. You can bend over backwards to give them every opportunity to use it safely and properly, but even with all sites blocked a nasty friend can text pictures to son and he's been exposed. The only resolution I see to this is NO smart phone, no computer, no acsess. Is this preferable to having some kind of computer use? I don't know. Just bring back the stinking flip phones.

flip phones are terrible and no one likes them except people my moms age and older.  The only reason why they still exist is for Boomers and seniors

I hope when my son is older he'll be able to monitor blood glucose and control an insulin pump from his phone.  I didn't need a smartphone in high school because we actually had pay phones and my employers didn't expect immediate contact  Back in high school I used to walk down the street asking if people want me to shovel their stoop and sidewalk.  Now my mom hires kids to do it on Facebook and Craigslist.  In high school my wife advertised her babysitting services on comminity bulletin board now today's teenage babysitters are on Craigslist and care.com and if you dont reply immediately you won't get business.  Best thing for teenagers is to stay busy then there's no time for porn and sexting

[Bernadette]

Make sure you are especially diligent about Pixar movies.    Subliminal messages ...

Seriously?  The subliminal messages that I got from Finding Nemo were good ones.  I wonder if it's like those drugs, where some people have good experiences when their minds are opened by the drugs, and some people have terrible haunting experiences?

[Jacafamala]

The smartphone is only a tool. It is not in itself evil. If I hand the keys to my car to one of my kids and he took it the address bar and got smashed, would it be a mortal since on my part? What if I had lent the car for the purpose of getting to and from a sports event?  Is that a single one my part?