Smartphone Dangers and Kids

A youth worker friend recently sent me a link to a short video he found online. The video was shot on a security camera focused on a downtown subway stop. A host of passengers stood back from the platform edge waiting for their train to arrive to take them to their destinations. A lone figure appeared walking on the platform. It was a young boy wearing a backpack who looked like he was on his way to school. I very quickly thought that he looked a lot like my own elementary-aged grandson. As he walked, he was oblivious to everything around him as he focused his gaze on his smartphone screen. He literally walked off the ledge and onto the tracks. No train was in sight, but he knew he was in trouble. Panicked, he started to run down the tracks. A good Samaritan ran to him and lifted him up to safety. Parents, smartphone devices are great tools. But we need to keep them from becoming distractions. . . distractions that are a pathway to all manners and sorts of dangers.