For All That Is Good About Humankind, Ban Smartphones
Smartphones — and the social media platforms they support — aren’t just bad for individual health; they’re corrosive to the health of the body politic, both socially and politically. We’ve long known that, as conduits for the internet, phones facilitate the spread of misinformation and disinformation, amplify outrage, and enclose users in algorithmically tailored media silos. The result is a narrowing of perspective that leaves many of us intellectually isolated, reactive, and disconnected from opposing views.
Smartphones are supposed to “connect us to the world,” but, in fact, they often render us unable to understand — let alone trust — those outside our bubble. Over time, this deepens polarization and erodes faith in shared institutions, making it harder to agree on basic facts, let alone act collectively. The consequence isn’t just confusion — it’s a slow-burning crisis of legitimacy.
I, for one, adore my phone. It’s an incredible tool (yes, tool) that does an incredible job of helping me learn about the world. So much so that I resist calling it a phone and instead call it what it is: a pocket computer.
Offline maps. Streaming music. A camera. A bird identifier. A satellite communicator. An audio recorder. A word processor. These are just a few of the most useful utilities of my pocket computer — utilities I use almost every day.
But what I don’t use my phone for is as important as what I do. And I will not use social media. No Facebook, no Twitter, no Bluesky, no Instagram. The closest I get to social media is Reddit, and even then, I won’t keep the app on my phone because I know it’ll have me scrolling for hours, distracted.
But this speaks to my earlier point: people that don’t understand how computers work will always be controlled by those that do.
People who don’t understand how algorithms are programmed to steal their attention will always have their attention stolen. People who don’t understand that Google and Facebook are just advertising companies will always be captive to their advertising.
Maybe this is a collective action problem, because while I can sit here with some confidence and say that I can resist the addictive qualities of my phone, I know I am the exception that proves the rule, and it pains me to look out into the world and see so many people using their miraculous pocket computer for distraction, fleeting pleasure, the next dopamine hit.