In a recent  letter to the American Psychological Association  (APA), a group of distinguished psychologists accused the tech industry of using “persuasive design” to manipulate children into overusing their smartphones, social media and video games. Persuasive design, also called persuasive technology or behavior design, is a technique that can be used in the creation and design of digital devices and apps. Its purpose is to encourage children (and for that matter, adults) to stay on their devices for extended periods of time. The increased screen-time profits social media companies and app developers because it allows them to show more ads. Not surprisingly, few children or parents realize the children are being manipulated.

Persuasive design leads to the overuse of digital devices because that’s what it’s designed to do. While it can be used in a positive way, it also creates health risks and can lead to addiction. Existing research supports a connection between the use of this addictive technique and mental health problems (e.g., depression and suicide ) and poor academic performance in children. Persuasive design also preys on children who have developmental disorders and addictive tendencies.

An article in Medium describes the experience of a family whose daughter, Kelly, became addicted to her smartphone. Here’s how Kelly’s parents described the addiction to her psychologist, who wrote the article:

Kelly’s parents spoke first. They said that their daughter’s hospitalization was the culmination of a yearlong downward spiral spurred by her phone obsession. Kelly had been refusing to spend time with her family or focus on school. Instead, she favored living her life on social media. A previously happy girl and strong student, Kelly had grown angry, sullen, and was now bringing home report cards with sinking grades. Kelly’s parents had tried many times in prior months to
set limits on their daughter’s phone use, but she had become increasingly defiant and deceitful, even sneaking on her phone at all hours of the night.

When the psychologist asked Kelly to explain what happened, she didn’t say anything at first. She just glared at her parents. But then Kelly suddenly blurted out: “They took my f***ing phone!” When the psychologist asked Kelly why she liked her phone and social media so much, she said, “They make me happy.”

The letter to the APA accuses psychologists employed by the tech industry of using persuasive design to increase children’s “screen-time” and calls the practice “unethical”. It points out that the the APA has an obligation to protect children and their families from practices that cause harmful psychological effects. The letter asks the organization to make a statement on the issue.

For tech companies, more screen-time means more ads and more profit. But addiction to social media and digital devices is a real-life problem for children and their parents. And there’s also the angers stemming from collecting data on children who are too young to understand how it could harm then in the future.

If you have a child who is addicted to their phone, social media or video games, consider taking a stand and doing something about it. I would welcome the chance to discuss the situation with you.

You can find more information about protecting children from addictive and manipulative technology on the website for the Campaign For a Commercial-Free Childhood , which is based in Boston.

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