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Louis C.K. once expertly described the science behind why cell phones are bad for kids

Louis C.K. is cynical about most things, but more often than not, he's right.

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In a 2013 interview on "Conan," the veteran comic launched into a rant about how cell phones dominate our lives to the point where we feel little outside the confines of the glowing screen.

Science agrees. Kids need human interaction if they're ever to gain empathy, and each additional screen gets in the way of that.

louis ck conan
Louis C.K. on "Conan." Team Coco/Youtube

Or, at Louis put it in the interview:

"Kids are mean, and it's because they're trying it out. They look at a kid and they go, 'You're fat.' And then they see the kid's face scrunch up and they go, 'Oh, that doesn't feel good to make a person do that.'...But when they write 'You're fat,' then they just go 'Mmm, that was fun. I liked that.'"

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Screen use has a number of negative effects on kids' brains. 

It can, for example, slow the growth of certain regions related to impulse control, organization and planning, and emotion detection. A 2014 study found that abandoning cell phones for a few days helped restore kids' ability to read nonverbal cues in other children.

Louis goes on:

"You never feel completely sad or completely happy," he says. "You just feel kind of satisfied with your products, and then you die. So that's why I don't wanna get a phone for my kids."

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