As the author of a book on the impact of technology on young people’s lives, I see tremendous value in the use of technology to enhance athletes’ lives. At the same time, I also have grave concerns about its overuse, particularly with social media. In January, 2017, I wrote a blog post exploring how excessive social media can hurt athletes psychologically and in their sports performances (not to mention their lives outside of sports).
Following up that post, I was recently interviewed for an article that just appeared in The Washington Post in which the writer interviewed NBA players about their social media use and the findings were almost unanimous: the best basketball players in the world are getting beaten by their phones. They check their phones during team meetings, before games, at half time, and after games. They know they should stop, but they can’t.
Now, apply those same social-media habits to your young athletes and ask yourself whether you think it might be time to help them develop a healthier relationship with their technology.
