A report by Red.es and Unicef raises the alarm: 78% of primary school children already browse social media, and one in ten young people declares themselves addicted to their mobile phone. Studies in Spain and the UK link this problematic use to increased anxiety, lower self-esteem, and suicidal thoughts, with a greater impact on girls and households with fewer resources. Constant social comparison is eroding minors' mental well-being, a reality that demands an urgent response from parents and schools.
Parental control: technology as an ally to limit access 📱
Faced with this scenario, the solution is not to ban, but to manage. Parental control tools integrated into iOS and Android allow setting daily usage limits, blocking specific apps, and filtering content by time slots. On a technical level, experts recommend configuring screen time from the device's digital well-being assistant, enabling two-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized downloads, and reviewing each app's permissions. Additionally, schools can implement school networks with filtered DNS to block social media domains during school hours, reducing exposure without the need for constant supervision.
Addicted to likes: now your phone also monitors your self-esteem 😰
If twenty years ago parents feared their children would spend hours on the console, today the enemy fits in your pocket and also scores your social life. The algorithm knows that a like lifts your spirits and that a missing comment brings you down, so it offers you an endless carousel of other people's lives to compare. The irony is that while the child believes they control their feed, the feed controls their mood. The next operating system update won't bring a patch for that; the only app that works is the one that turns off the router.