Based on my own memories, smartphone use would have been a bonus. I went through times with literally zero friends. It upped to a small group of 3-5, and after we moved I only really had 1 friend for a few years.
That time with no friends: For a few preteen years, I didn't do my homework, which meant I got lunch detention. I had loose friendships with some kids I knew in elementary school, but we didn't speak in school. Then we moved when I was 13. I got labeled lesbian and people ignored me for the rest of the year. (I'm bisexual, but didn't really realize I was looking at the time) I made a few friends from other middle schools the first year of high school, hence the small group of friends.
I remember getting AOL my last year of high school - for a short time, anyway, until I ran up the bill due to the hourly billing. It was wonderful to simply talk to other folks my age, one of which also got snail mail for a while. I felt less lonely.
It makes it really hard for me to understand the internet making folks lonely or unhappy - it has always enhanced my life to this day when I've had regular accesss (I'm 40 now). I even met my spouse playing a text-based MMORPG, so I wouldn't even have my life without it.
Maybe this is different for kids that are more "normal" than I ever was.
That time with no friends: For a few preteen years, I didn't do my homework, which meant I got lunch detention. I had loose friendships with some kids I knew in elementary school, but we didn't speak in school. Then we moved when I was 13. I got labeled lesbian and people ignored me for the rest of the year. (I'm bisexual, but didn't really realize I was looking at the time) I made a few friends from other middle schools the first year of high school, hence the small group of friends.
I remember getting AOL my last year of high school - for a short time, anyway, until I ran up the bill due to the hourly billing. It was wonderful to simply talk to other folks my age, one of which also got snail mail for a while. I felt less lonely.
It makes it really hard for me to understand the internet making folks lonely or unhappy - it has always enhanced my life to this day when I've had regular accesss (I'm 40 now). I even met my spouse playing a text-based MMORPG, so I wouldn't even have my life without it.
Maybe this is different for kids that are more "normal" than I ever was.