Smartphones for Tennis Juniors: Helpful Tool or Unhealthy Distraction?

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It’s no secret that kids today are growing up in a different world than the one in which their parents and coaches grew up.

Adults use smartphones, the internet, and other modern technology daily but can still be amazed at the sheer amount of information at their fingertips or the ability to connect with anyone instantly. After all, they remember life before Bill Gates and Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg changed the world forever. Today’s kids can’t say the same.

The players now in junior tennis programs were born after 2000. Here’ some brief technology history for you: The internet emerged in the 1990s, Facebook opened to users 13 years and older in 2006, and the iPhone launched in 2007. Today’s youth simply don’t know life without the now-ubiquitous tools that have changed how we learn and communicate forever.

Many parents and coaches wonder whether smartphones are a helpful tool or unhealthy distraction for their junior tennis players. Read on to learn more about the next generation’s smartphone use and how it affects their growth on and off the courts.

Kids and Parents Are Using Mobile Devices… A Lot

You don’t need a scientific study to know that people love their smartphones—just look around you at restaurants, in waiting rooms, on the subway, or even on the tennis courts! But you may be surprised to learn just how much screen time today’s kids (and their parents) are getting on a daily basis.

Common Sense Media has conducted a number of studies to examine the media habits of the next generation, and here’s a glimpse at what they’ve found:

• Nearly everyone has a mobile device. In 2017, 95% of families had a mobile device—up from just 41% in 2011.
• Tweens and teens spend hours using mobile devices each day. Tweens spend an average of 4.5 hours a day with screen media, 41% of that time on a mobile device. Teens spend an average of more than 6.5 hours a day with screen media, 46% of that time on a mobile device.
• Young kids use mobile devices, too. Children 8 years old and younger spend an average of 2.25 hours a day with screen media. Of that time, 48 minutes is spent on mobile devices—that’s triple 2013’s average of 15 minutes a day.
• Parents use screen media for a large portion of their day. Parents of American tweens and teens average more than nine hours a day with screen media, and it’s not just for work. In fact, nearly eight of those hours are spent on personal activities.

Even while using their own devices nearly constantly, many parents wonder how much is too much for their kids. Are smartphones a helpful educational tool or a mind-numbing distraction in the hands of today’s youth?

Parents Consider the Pros and Cons of Kids’ Smartphone Use

Navigating mobile device use in children is a relatively new parenting challenge—remember, the iPhone didn’t launch until 2007—so parents have little personal experience to draw from as they make decisions about their family’s screen time.

Even parents who work in the tech industry are carefully considering what’s best for their children, according to a report from The Associated Press.

In one example, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom plans to limit his own daughter’s exposure to devices as she grows but also hopes she can embrace technology as he did from a young age. He says, “Obviously, like anything—whether it’s food, or drink—moderation is key. I think we are in a world where we have to develop opinions on what that moderation is and how to do it.”

For tennis parents, smartphones can come in handy when communicating with their players about drop off and pick up for school and practice. Players can also use tennis apps to communicate with their coaches, review their swing in slow motion, track their player development, and more.

On the other hand, too much screen-time can be a distraction, and kids who attempt to multitask are less likely to focus well on the task at hand, be that homework or listening to a coach’s pep talk.

Despite the cons, nearly all parents consider the pros of smartphones to be worth the extra parenting responsibility of instilling healthy habits. Very few areas of tennis remain untouched by technology today, and parents who allow their players to use devices may empower their kids to take advantage of modern tennis training tools.

Tennis Embraces Technology On and Off the Courts

Tennis is, of course, a sport steeped in tradition, but that doesn’t mean it can’t keep up with the times. There will always be some who resist change of any kind, but new tennis technology is being developed at a remarkable pace.

Widely-used tennis technology includes:

• Playsight’s camera-based SmartCourt technology for live streaming, video, and analytics
• Racquet sensors for detailed stroke analysis
• Web-based systems to manage court reservations and member payments
• Ball machines that provide a consistent shot so players can perfect their strokes
• Video analysis apps for a closer look at stroke and technique
• Tennis Locker, the on-court app for junior program management and player development

Because players at academies using Tennis Locker enjoy free access to the player’s app, they can find practice evals, practice match records, fitness test results, tourney history, coach-assigned goals, files shared by their coach, an academy calendar, group leaderboards, and more all at their fingertips. For a generation used to wearable tech and instant feedback, Tennis Locker can keep players engaged and excited about their tennis training.

Parents are wise to oversee their children’s mobile device use, which is why they enjoy free access to the same information in their own Tennis Locker app. This gives them the ability to monitor what their child is receiving while also empowering their child to take responsibility for their own growth and development as a tennis player.

Technology Can Empower Tennis Players and Parents

Can smartphones be a distraction? Yes. Can smartphones be a tool for player development? Also yes. At the end of the day, smartphones—like all technological advances—can be used positively or negatively.

One thing of which we can all be certain is that smartphones and mobile devices aren’t going anywhere. Tennis parents and coaches can see this as an unwanted burden on and off the courts, or as an opportunity to set a positive example in using technology as a tool for growth.

If you’re a tennis parent or coach, how do you encourage positive smartphone use in young tennis players? Do you encourage the use of player development apps like Tennis Locker while restricting apps that pose a safety concern? Do you set boundaries for when and where mobile devices can be used? Do you engage players in conversations over what they’re doing online—whether it’s reviewing a video from their coach or chatting with their friends?

We want to hear your thoughts! Join our conversation on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn to share your experiences in and strategies for raising a tech-saturated generation of tennis players.