One of the most disturbing pieces of information I discovered while researching my play, “The Engine of Our Destruction” is the link between child drownings and parents glued to cell phones.
A Texas mother was charged after a witness reportedly claimed she was using her phone while three of her children drowned in an apartment complex pool in 2015. Drowning rates are highest among children ages one to four, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Most such drownings occur in home pools.
Community health advocates in Fort Worth, Texas, told parents to “lifeguard your child” by putting down their phones at the pool.
It’s a global issue. Police in the United Arab Emirates warned parents to quit looking at their phones at the pool after two boys, ages 8 and 9, drowned in separate incidents.
“Families should not be busy with their smart devices while children are swimming and should avoid filling the swimming pool to the maximum,” Abu Dhabi Police said in a statement.
Ay yi yi.