Smartphones are “digital fentanyl,” says Clare Morell, author of “The Tech Exit: A Practical Guide to Freeing Kids and Teens from Smartphones.”  Studies show that a child’s phone or tablet usage directly affects his or her brain development and “hinders their ability to self-regulate their own emotions, to develop self-control, and impulse control,” Morell says.  Consuming digital content, especially social media, is designed to cause a release of dopamine and causes kids to increasingly live in the “limbic part of their brain, which is their social-reward kind of processing center, and it is leading to the underdevelopment of their prefrontal cortex.”  The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that is responsible for self-control, regulating emotions, and critical thinking.  As more knowledge about the effect of social media on the brain becomes known, some families are choosing to ditch smartphones altogether.  have decided to wait to give their children smartphones until they are adults, and to provide a road map for how other families can join the growing trend.  Also on today’s show, we take a moment to remember the lives lost to the flash flooding in Texas. Plus, we discuss Elon Musk’s proposed America Party and a Gen Z trend known as “micro-retirements.”  Subscribe to The Tony Kinnett Cast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tony-kinnett-cast/id1714879044⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Keep Up With The Daily Signal Sign up for our email newsletters:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.dailysignal.com/email⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠     Subscribe to our other shows:  The Signal Sitdown: https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL2026390376   Problematic Women:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.dailysignal.com/problematic-women⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Victor Davis Hanson: https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL9809784327   Follow The Daily Signal:  X:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=DailySignal Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/thedailysignal/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Facebook:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/TheDailySignalNews/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Truth Social:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://truthsocial.com/@DailySignal⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  YouTube:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/dailysignal?sub_confirmation=1    Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices