The coalition of Mainers advocating for less cellphone tech for kids are doing timely work. I am a teacher, and just yesterday I received an educator survey on this issue. I read this paper’s headline, “Maine parents ramp up fight to get cellphones out of schools,” with interest, then turned on my radio only to encounter a related national story.

While I have no children, working against phone addiction is an uphill battle even for an adult. Do a quick search for “dumbphones” and peruse the plethora of articles, forums and cottage industries popping up lately.

One strategy that’s working for me is to stop calling my smartphone a “phone” at all. Just in my head, I suppose, I call my iPhone a supercomputer and ask myself whether I need that kind of functionality at the moment. I pay for a second, cheaper wireless plan and use a simpler phone for things like a trip to the grocery store.

Safety-concerned parents might try an old-school phone for their children first, before giving them a powerful gadget to which they become joined at the hip.

Alex Silver
Scarborough