Parents ‘cry’ over viral anti-smartphone ad for Siroko

A poignant new advert 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 for many families, where arguments over phone use are now the norm.

The tearjerker comes as Prince Harry warned in a discussion this week that smartphones are ‘stealing young people’s childhoods’.

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

The not-so-coincidental one-minute PSA about the horrors of smartphone addiction features a young girl receiving a phone as a gift — and how quickly she becomes dependent on the device, Today reported.

As she does everything teenagers do with phones, from taking selfies to trying out viral dances with friends, she quickly grows tired and goes from a bubbly teenager to a stressed, exhausted version of herself.

In rapid succession, we see scenes of her falling asleep in class, being shocked by internet porn, exposed to online bullying and more – culminating in an on-stage panic attack when her parents try to take the device away.

The tragic ad ends on a happier note, as the girl discovers a bicycle in the garage and takes it for a ride – with encouraging results.

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

“Omg, this ad made me cry. I have a six-year-old child and I’m terrified about what the future looks like with a digital device in her life,” one mother worried.

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

“This hits deep,” one parent admitted.

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

New research from Finland has 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 coming to a head quickly.

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

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