#98. Smartphone Ownership Correlates with Wellbeing in 11- to 13-Year-Olds.
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Correlation does not imply causation
10 min read
The article's central argument hinges on interpreting correlational data from the Florida study - understanding this statistical concept is essential for readers to critically evaluate the claims about smartphones and wellbeing
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Autodidacticism
14 min read
The author explicitly identifies as an advocate for self-directed education and frames smartphones as educational tools - this pedagogical philosophy provides important context for understanding the author's perspective
Note to readers: Be sure to read the addendum at the bottom.
Dear friends,
I’m an outdoors person. I spend hours every week taking long bicycle rides, walking or skiing (when we have snow, which, sadly, is rarer every year) on wooded trails near my home, or kayaking on local rivers. I usually do this alone, or (on walks) just with my little dog Cookie. I always take my smartphone with me when I go.
The most obvious reason for taking my phone is safety. If something happens such that I need help, I can call. This happened in February of 2024. I was riding my bike offroad into a wooded area, my front wheel hit a tree root as I was making a turn, and I fell hard on my side on a rock. After about 15 minutes of trying, I realized I could not get up from that fall. I was in considerable pain and could not move my left leg. So, I called my wife. She came, realized that even with her help I could not get up and into the car, and, right there, with her smartphone, called an ambulance. It turned out that I had a fractured pelvis (see my story about it here). Without the phone I might have been there for hours, maybe even overnight, before someone found me. I was far enough from anyone that shouting would have been useless.
So, safety is the main reason for taking my phone when I adventure out, especially when I go alone, but it is far from the only reason. The phone enriches my outdoor experience. On my bike I often like to explore areas I have never been to before. Google Maps, in bicycle mode, allows me to find bike-friendly back roads to get where I’d like to go. It also allows me to explore farther from home than I otherwise would because, no matter where I am, it shows me how to get home and how long it will take, at my usual speed, so I can be sure to be home in time for an online meeting or whatever other event I have scheduled. What a remarkable navigational tool!
And there is more. As you may know, I’m a longtime advocate of self-directed education. I’m also a practitioner of it. The smartphone is, without question, the most powerful educational tool
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