Public debates about teens and technology often feel charged and overwhelming. This article explores why. Using NATO’s cognitive warfare framework, it explains how fear-based narratives, emotional messaging, and simplified stories shape how parents think, feel, and decide about youth tech use. It offers a lens to separate evidence from influence, and clarity from noise.

When a nation’s leader claims “60% of 11–19-year-old boys didn’t see a single friend in their free time” because of phones, it sounds alarming, but no credible study supports it. This unverified statistic shows how even influential voices can spread “zombie data” that fuels fear instead of understanding. Parents need to fact-check, question sources, and model evidence-based digital literacy for their kids.

Fearing phones without evidence fuels moral panic. If we want what’s best for kids, we need facts, not feelings, anecdotes, or bias.