Heightscast

In this week’s episode, headmaster Alvaro de Vicente helps us develop a philosophy of technology. Building off previous conversations on The Forum with Cal Newport, Mr. de Vicente takes a deep dive into the topic of smartphones. In particular, he helps us answer the following questions: How can parents discern if a smartphone would be beneficial for their son?  When is the right time to entrust him with this powerful tool? Under what circumstances?  Will waiting to give your son a smartphone render him ill-prepared for college and beyond? More provocatively, is it correct to assume that holding off on the smartphone is merely delaying the inevitable? As Mr. de Vicente explains, parents’ discussions of these questions ought principally to consider their son’s level of self-mastery. Like any tool, if a smartphone is to be of help rather than harm, the user must be prepared to use it and not be used by it.  On a practical level, the two basic questions to be asked are: What are my son’s current needs?  Can my