Parents are ‘crying’ over viral anti-smartphone ad for Siroko

A poignant new ad highlighting the tragic impact of phone addiction among teenagers is leaving parents in tears as experts say society is at a “tipping point” in the epidemic.

The ad for Siroko, a Spanish sportswear brand, highlights the sad reality of many families, where fights over phone use are now said to be the norm.

The puzzle comes as Prince Harry warned in a debate this week that smartphones are “stealing young people’s childhood”.

“How much life is your phone consuming,” the ad asks viewers, some 20 million of whom have watched the spot on TikTok since it went up on September 16.

The not-so-accidental minute-long PSA about the horrors of smartphone addiction shows a girl who receives a phone as a gift and how quickly she becomes addicted to the device, Today reported.

As she does all the things teenagers do with phones, from taking selfies to trying out viral dances with friends, she quickly grows more tired, transforming from a bubbly teenager to a stressed, exhausted version of herself .

In quick succession, we see scenes of her falling asleep in class, being shocked by internet porn, being bullied online and more, culminating in a full-blown mess when her parents try to remove the device .

The tragic announcement ends on a happier note, as the girl discovers a bicycle sitting in the garage and takes it for a spin, with encouraging results.

And while the ultimate goal may have been to sell sportswear, parents quickly embraced the message, calling the ad “awesome” and Super Bowl-worthy.

“Omg this ad made me cry. I have a 6 year old and I’m terrified of what the future will look like with a digital device in his life,” one mom worried.

“Our sweet children deserve better than this,” another sighed.

“This runs deep,” confessed one parent.

“Why did this make me cry,” asked another.

New research from Finland found that teenage girls spend more than five hours a day on their phones and are mostly addicted to social media, The Post reported.

“The implications of nearly six hours of daily smartphone use and its associations with adolescent well-being are serious,” the study authors wrote.

And some with deep knowledge of the subject say things are quickly coming to a head.

“This year, 2024, is the tipping point,” predicted social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, during a conversation with Prince Harry that was first reported by Fortune.

“Terrible things have happened to our children. We see it now… I don’t want to blame any parent because we didn’t know that 10 years ago,” he said.