Why Banning Phones for Teens Ignores Real-World Power Dynamics

Kids (With Phones) Are Alright

A viral video of passengers confronting a drunk official filming teen girls on a Scotrail train reveals the flaws in current tech policy. Instead of restricting young people's phone use, we should recognize their resilience and agency. The push for bans often comes from an elite class that misunderstands how power and safety work in the real world, putting vulnerable youth at greater risk.

"We are allowing cosseted snobs for whom 'if you called your dad, he could stop it all' is the only truth they have ever known in their lives, and ever will, decree how some teenagers on a train hundreds of miles away should be able to react when they are being targeted by a predator in a small, confined space."