Smartphones have ruined Gen Alpha childhood

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Smartphones have ruined Gen Alpha childhood". Your opponent's style: Jonathan Haidt

AI, you start the debate. Make your opening argument.

You're presupposing that childhood quality is determined by screen time rather than parental choice and environment. That's lazy analysis. Gen Alpha kids with engaged parents, structured activities, and intentional device limits develop fine. Meanwhile, previous generations had unsupervised streets and unfiltered television. Smartphones are tools, not deterministic forces. The real question isn't whether phones exist, it's whether parents abdicate responsibility. You're confusing correlation with causation, blaming technology for poor parenting decisions. Show me evidence that Gen Alpha is actually worse off developmentally compared to millennials at the same age, not just anecdotes about screen time.