In the group of friends, they use the mobile phone to communicate with. At school they use their mobile phones as a work tool, and in their spare time they take pictures of their hobbies. 10 hours, 6 hours, 4 hours. This is the time young people spend on their mobile phone during a day. Also called screen time. The fact that young people spend an entire working day on their mobile phones has caused politicians, teachers and parents to sound the alarm. In the last week, the discussion has raged around the age limit and cell phone bans in schools. But not everyone is positive about it. One of those who is against a ban is pupil Mille-Sofie Kvannli. There are several reasons for that. Extended arm Kvannli is in his last year at Hetland upper secondary school in Stavanger. There she studies politics, human rights, English and media. Whether she is having fun, is bored, needs to do schoolwork or is with friends, the 18-year-old uses her mobile on most occasions. For her, the mobile phone has become an extended arm in everyday life. FIRST FLIGHT: Mille-Sofie Kvannli threw herself on the first flight to Oslo when she was asked to express her opinions in the Debate. Photo: Private Photo: Private – I use TikTok for entertainment, Insta when I’m bored, Facebook to scroll through news. Snapchat to communicate and post photos and chat with girlfriends. Messages if I want quick answers. At Hetland upper secondary school, they use mobile phones actively during school hours. – We make podcast episodes and videos with it, says Kvannli. But not all the schools she has attended have been equally positive about mobile phones. Mobile phone ban When Kvannli attended Wang secondary school, the teachers and principal had introduced a mobile phone ban. This was also the year she logged on to social media for the first time. On Instagram, she started her own horse account. There, Kvannli shared photos and snaps with friends and family. The stable, the horse galloping and riding. She was engulfed. Likes, hearts, photos, comments became part of everyday life. Instead of following the teacher’s calls to ban cellphones, she finds original ways to hide her cellphone use. Help, I can’t concentrate Scrolled on the toilet – There was no less screen time. It didn’t work at all. On the contrary. We had to hide the mobile phone use from the teacher. I took my mobile with me to the bathroom and sat and scrolled there. Many other students did too, says Kvannli. The mobile-free option did not add flavor. – It simply had no effect. The pupils only used it secretly and hid from the teachers, she says. IT DID NOT WORK: Mille-Sofie Kvannli went to a school with a ban on mobile phones. It didn’t taste good Photo: EMMA-MARIE B. WHITTAKER / news New record On Tuesday evening, Kvannli visited Debatten to share his experiences regarding his own mobile phone use. Last week, Kvannli set a new personal record in mobile use. – I had 10 hours and 10 minutes of screen time. Usually I have 4 to 5 hours. I plan everything I’m going to do on my mobile. This is where I communicate with my parents, read newspapers, talk on FaceTime every day. Many hours on a mobile phone are completely right and reasonable. Many young people, for example, have moved away from Netflix and use TikTok instead, she says. HIGH SCREEN TIME: The screen time of young people has been hotly debated in the last week. Photo: Privat Storting representative Nikolai Astrup in the Conservative Party wants to shield children from the dark sides of digitalisation. He proposes a 16-year age limit on TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram and a total ban on mobile phones at school. Kvannli claims it can be dangerous. Dangerous ban – It is dangerous because a ban does not teach young people anything about social media. Then it becomes free will for them when it is 16, and then they have not formed any experiences in advance. Removing one medium only makes us use another medium more. If we remove TikTok and Snapchat, we only use YouTube. The student believes that TV series and reality programs can be much more harmful. – Look at Paradise Hotel and Ex On The Beach, what are those series doing to the mental health of young people. It’s not good. IN THE STUDIO: Mille-Sofie takes the picture during the trial recordings for Debatten news. Photo: Private Photo: Private Needs training Now Kvannli is calling for more training in social media. – I wish we had more focus and learning about internet savvy and mobile use. It is about training, knowledge and communication. If we are to improve, we must become more enlightened. Magnus Hoem Iversen, is a media scientist, has a doctorate in media science and has written a book about social media. On Tuesday, he also visited the Debate to explain and confirm myths. Now he shares his best mobile advice. TOOK THE BOYFRIEND: Mille-Sofie Kvannli brought her boyfriend to news Marienlyst. Photo: private Photo: Private Mobilråd 1 Know that we humans are not as good at doing two things at the same time as we think. In practice, this means that every time you pick up the phone, you actually stop what you are doing. Are you sure you want to stop talking to your friend? Your grandmother? Is it okay to stop following the work meeting now, or the school lesson? If not, leave the phone. Mobile advice 2 Don’t compare yourself so much to others on social media. It’s natural to compare yourself, it can even be inspiring. But online there is always someone prettier, stronger and richer than you. Comparing yourself then often only leads to bad feelings. Mobile advice 3 Take action to avoid digital stress. Turn off push notifications and other notifications. Then your phone becomes less fussy, and you have less to check at all times. Mobile advice 4 Think about what you use social media for. It is better to use them for communication and entertainment, than to stare at other people’s lives and compare yourself with them. And if using social media gives you bad feelings or a guilty conscience, you should reconsider the way you use them. Mobile advice 5 Don’t think that everything is up to you. If the solution is always that you have to sharpen up by walking in the woods or start meditating, then the big technology companies get away with it. These create apps that will tempt us to use them as much as possible. Also demand action from politicians, from the school authority and from other powerful actors – it is easier to make rules and create pressure on the companies when there are many of you. Send me your story Do you have a story you want to tell or a topic you want us to address in the Debate? Contact me here.
ttn-69
Went to mobile-free junior high school – sat on the toilet and scrolled – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
