Child Mental Health: How Big Sister Can Help
It's no secret that children today face a multitude of pressures that can impact their mental health. From academic expectations to social media anxieties and the digital world, the challenges are significant. Digital devices have become ever-present in children's lives, and their impact on mental well-being has become impossible to ignore.
Did you know that 50% of teens say they are “addicted” to social media, and 67% of 16–18-year-olds believe smartphones are harmful? This leads to a shocking conclusion about the negative impacts phone usage can have on children and teens.
The Big Sister app is designed to address these challenges by providing early warnings and support, helping families navigate the complex relationship between children, phones, and mental health.
The Link Between Phones and Child Mental Health
Smartphones have transformed childhood and adolescence, bringing both opportunities and significant risks. Research shows that the surge in smartphone use since the early 2010s corresponds with a dramatic increase in depression, anxiety, self-harm, and even suicide among young people. Several key factors drive this link:
Sleep Disruption: Using phones late at night interferes with sleep patterns, leading to shorter sleep duration and more frequent awakenings. Poor sleep is closely tied to increased anxiety, depression, and difficulty concentrating. Source
Social Deprivation: Time spent on devices often replaces face-to-face interaction, which is crucial for healthy social and emotional development. Teens who spend more time in person with friends tend to have better mental health than those who primarily interact online. Source
Cyberbullying and Online Harms: Smartphones expose children to cyberbullying, harmful content, and even online exploitation. These experiences can lead to psychological distress, self-harm, and long-term mental health issues. Source.
Addiction and Distraction: Many apps are intentionally designed to be addictive, fragmenting attention and making it harder for children to focus on schoolwork or real-world relationships. Excessive notifications and constant connectivity can fuel anxiety and diminish academic performance. Source.
Comparison and Self-Esteem: Social media platforms often present idealised images of others, leading to negative self-comparisons and lower self-esteem, particularly among young people. Source.
How Big Sister Helps: A Heads Up
While phones can be a source of harm, they can also become a tool for support when used thoughtfully. The Big Sister app leverages the very technology that poses risks to provide proactive mental health support:
Early Warning System: Big Sister monitors behavioural and emotional patterns, alerting parents and guardians to early signs of distress. This "heads up" is crucial in a world where problems can escalate quickly online, often out of sight of adults.
Facilitating Communication: By offering insights into a child's digital habits and mood, the app helps open up conversations about mental health—conversations that might not happen otherwise in a phone-dominated environment.
Access to Resources: The app provides families with mental health information and support networks, empowering children to seek help and learn coping strategies using the same devices that can cause harm.
Phones: Part of the Problem, and the Solution
It's clear that smartphones are deeply entwined with the mental health crisis facing young people. However, with the right tools and awareness, they can also be part of the solution. Big Sister recognises the realities of modern childhood and harnesses technology to protect and support children's mental health, giving families the heads up they need to intervene early and effectively.
By bridging the gap between digital dangers and real-world support, Big Sister helps ensure that phones become a force for good in children's lives—offering not just connection, but care.
At Big Sister, we advocate for children's safety online. Our app marks a positive change in the way that our children are protected online, using flags and alerts to warn parents of dangerous content without breaking down trust and privacy barriers between children and adults.
Find out more about how to protect your children online without breaking their trust in our latest blog here.
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