Teen cell phone addiction: How bad has it gotten?
One out of two teenagers feels "addicted" to their phone, according to a recent study. Statistics like this may have fueled two major Apple investors to push the company to offer more flexible parental controls.
One Texas teenager has likely learned her lesson after her parents took over her Instagram, Snapchat and Tik Tok accounts for two weeks as a punishment.
The girl’s dad has since shot to social media stardom after posting hilarious videos and silly selfies online – though his daughter reportedly says the end of the two-week penalty can’t come quickly enough.
Tawyna Ford and Larry Sumpter of Denton were not thrilled to learn that their daughter Madelynn, 15, recently helped sneak boys into a sleepover party, and carefully deliberated over the best course of discipline. The couple decided to let their high school sophomore choose between going one month without her cell phone, or, alternatively, two weeks without the device and relinquishing control of her various social media pages to her parents, Today reports.
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Madelynn confidently elected to go two weeks without her phone – though her mom admits that the teen has lived to regret the decision.
Since the takeover began on Nov. 11, Sumpter has gotten creative with TikTok videos, receiving over 26,000 views via Facebook of one must-see lip sync clip in which he danced around in a cropped tank, bare belly, jean shorts and cowboy boots. Ford and the couple’s young son also made an appearance in a rap video, captioned with clever hashtags “#MakeBetterChoices” and “#Parenting Win.”
Sumpter has similarly taken to Instagram to share entertaining photos, like a shot of an embarrassed-looking Maddi, and playful selfies with captions like “I wonder what Maddi is doing without her phone[?]”
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According to Ford, Madelynn is more than ready for the stunt to be over and done with.
“After the first day, Madelynn was like, ‘I changed my mind, I choose the one month. Larry told her, ‘No. I’m too invested.' I have too many ideas. We’re sticking with the two weeks,’” Ford recalled. "He’s loving it. I think he's going to make his own TikTok account when this over.
“We’re always down to embarrass our kids!" the mom joked.
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