Broadening Safety and Mental Health Considerations in the Technology Age

By Janet DesGeorges, H&V Headquarters

Hands & Voices has been at the forefront of children’s safety for over 15 years. The O.U.R. Project (which stands for Observing, Understanding, and Responding to child abuse and neglect for children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing) has been an ongoing community of learners and doers in keeping our children safe and expanding our knowledge about the risks. We are committed to taking on this tough topic so that our H&V organization has the skills necessary to support children’s safety. As our website states, “We don’t like to think about it, but our kids who are deaf or hard of hearing are at a higher risk for both abuse and neglect. Like any children, they are at risk. As children who might not always be able to communicate easily and fluently, or understand the nuances of conversation with neighbors, caregivers, or strangers, they are at an even higher risk of being victims of someone, somewhere.” Our aim is to equip our family leaders and the families we serve with just-in-time information to prevent maltreatment, and to recognize the signs so intervention can take place quickly should the maltreatment be occurring.

Recently, at the Hands & Voices Book Club, we explored mental health and children’s safety through a different yet related lens. Illinois Hands & Voices Parent Guide Hanna Swearinger and HQ staff Sara Kennedy led us in discussion of what resonated, what didn’t, and what takeaways we took from the book as family leaders and professionals in the field. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathon Haidt explores the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time, starting in the 2010’s with the advent of the explosion of phone-based childhood. The evidence suggests that the children entering puberty during this time were especially impacted negatively. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play (and risk-taking play) and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults.

For parents focused on ensuring that Deaf and Hard of Hearing children thrive in language, communication, and social relationships, this book magnifies the importance of thoughtfully weighing both the benefits and potential harms of excessive screen time, particularly when digital engagement may replace opportunities for meaningful connection and real-world experiences.

Haidt concludes his book with four foundational reforms that should be considered to help re-set our culture’s spiral of mental illness, particularly for teens. These are:

1. No smartphones before high school
2. No social media before 16
3. Phone-free schools (many schools and districts are making this choice)
4. Far more unsupervised play and childhood independence (with ideas about how to accomplish this)

Does this sound extreme? I invite you to read the book and consider the current trends in mental health issues. It’s imperative for systems (medical and educational) and parents to take the impacts of a ‘phone-based childhood’ seriously and take a stand in exercising parental responsibility for the mental health of our children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing. ~

H&V Communicator – Spring 2026