A poignant new ad highlighting the tragic impact of phone addiction among teenagers is leaving parents in tears – as experts say society is at a “tipping point” in the epidemic.
The ad for Siroko, a Spanish sportswear brand, highlights the sad reality for many families, where fights over phone use are now said to be the norm.
The outcry comes as Prince Harry warned at a debate this week that smartphones are “stealing young people’s childhood”.
“How much life is consumed by your phone,” the ad asks viewers — roughly 20 million of whom have been viewed on TikTok since it debuted in September. 16.
The not-so-random one-minute PSA about the horrors of smartphone addiction shows a young girl receiving a phone as a gift — and how quickly she becomes addicted to the device, Today reported.
As she does all the things teenagers do with their phones, from snapping selfies to trying viral dance moves with friends, she quickly grows more tired, transforming from a bubbly teenager to a stressed-out, exhausted version of myself.
In rapid-fire succession, we see scenes of her falling asleep in class, being shocked by internet porn, being cyberbullied and more – culminating in a full-on stage fright when her parents they try to take away the device.
The tragic ad ends on a happier note, as the girl discovers a bicycle sitting in the garage and takes it out for a spin – with encouraging results.
And while the ultimate goal may have been to sell sportswear, parents quickly embraced the message, calling the ad “awesome” — and Super Bowl-worthy.
“Omg this ad made me cry. I have a 6-year-old and I’m terrified of what the future looks like with a digital device in her life,” lamented one mother.
“Our sweet children deserve better than this,” sighed another.
“It hits deep,” one parent confessed.
“Why did this make me cry,” asked another.
New research from Finland found that teenage girls spend more than five hours a day on their phones — and are mostly addicted to social media, The Post reported.
“The implications of nearly six hours of daily smartphone use and its links to adolescent well-being are serious,” write the authors of the study.
And some with deep knowledge of the subject say things are quickly coming to a head.
“This year, 2024, is the tipping point,” predicted social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, during a conversation with Prince Harry first reported by Fortune.
“Terrible things have happened to our children. We see it now… I don’t want to blame any parent because we didn’t know this 10 years ago,” he said.
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Image Source : nypost.com