NOW MINISTER’S ADVISER WARNS ON SMARTPHONES
Dr Geoffrey Shannon says child phone use is a ‘public health issue’
THE Government’s top adviser on child protection has issued a stark warning over the danger of smartphones, saying their use is ‘a public health issue’. Dr Geoffrey Shannon, the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, said the smartphone and online world are ‘a new child protection frontier’ and that steps need to be taken to protect children’s physical and mental health in this new
cyber age. His intervention is particularly significant as only last week, Communications Minister Denis Naughten emphasised that he took particular account of Dr Shannon’s views when deciding on his approach to policy issues.
Dr Shannon’s use of the phrase ‘public health issue’ is also highly significant: supporters of the 2003 smoking ban have said that their campaign received a massive boost when smoking in pubs was recognised as being a public health issue, rather than just a lifestyle one.
The comments will place further pressure on the Government to look at taking tougher measures to protect children from the harm caused to them by having their own smartphones.
Myriad studies have shown that smartphone ownership damages children’s mental health, prevents them sleeping enough and can lead to obesity and other physical health problems.
In America, the rate of suicide among girls aged ten to 14 has tripled in recent years – an increase attributed directly to the smartphone. In the wake of such findings, Dr Shannon told the Irish Daily Mail that, as well as examining age restrictions on smartphone ownership, the Government should now consider forcing internet service providers to limit the amount of time children can spend on social media.
He said: ‘For me this is a child protection issue. I would liken this to be a public health issue. There are concerns around obesity and mental health. If children are spending a large amount of time on their smartphones, whether it’s accessing Instagram or whatever, I think it will have far-reaching consequences.
‘The smartphone and the online world is a new child protection frontier and we need to come up with steps that make sure children are not left vulnerable by spending too much time online.’
While Dr Shannon’s first priority is making internet service providers act to protect children by setting online time limits, he expressed strong support for the Mail’s ‘Protect Our Kids Online’ campaign which calls for an age limit on smartphones. ‘I’m very supportive of the Mail campaign around this issue,’ he said. ‘I think it’s very important that the focus is on the internet and the vulnerabilities it poses for children. I would characterise the whole internet world as the new child protection frontier. It’s very important that we are looking at this.
‘What I would now be calling for is a proposal that puts the onus on internet service providers in respect of children, that is anyone up to 18 years of age, that there would be a restriction on the amount of time that they could spend on a smartphone,’ he said.
‘It’s a health issue. I feel this is consistent with the message that the Mail have been publicising on this issue. What I am saying now is that pressure should be out on the internet service providers to come up with a mechanism to restrict access for children.’
His concerns echo those of cyber experts, including Professor Mary Aiken, principals and more than 1,000 readers who have signed the Mail’s petition calling for an age restriction on smartphones.
Dr Shannon added: ‘I absolutely think we should be looking at the age which we allow smartphone ownership. I think now we should go one step further. Legislation or whatever is required if the inter- net service providers are not willing to devise a system to protect children.’
A similar system whereby social media sites would cut teenagers off after a few hours was proposed by ministers in the UK last week.
Dr Shannon said he believes this approach would be more effective than raising the digital age of consent, which the Government has lowered to 13. This is the age at which children can sign up for online services such as social media sites without their parents’ permission. ‘We have been paralysed by the digital age of consent when we should be taking steps to place obligations on the internet service providers,’ he insisted.
However, other experts, such as leading cyber-psychologist Prof. Aiken, have argued vehemently that children who cannot consent to a medical procedure – or even vote – should not be allowed to sign up to such services without their parents’ permission.
Speaking in Cork last week, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar again appeared favourable to the idea of at least considering age limits. Asked if he’d consider a smartphone age limit, he said: ‘It is something the Government is giving some thought to but we have made no decision on it as yet.’
At last Thursday’s ‘Open Policy Debate’ on internet safety, Minister Denis Naughten – who is largely resistant to smartphone age limits – told the Mail he had a ‘huge amount of respect’ for Dr Shannon. When asked by the Mail if age restrictions on smartphones was an issue he was willing to look at, the minister dismissed talk of age limits on the basis that he did not want to prosecute children or parents. He said: ‘The question I would ask is, who are you going to prosecute, are you going to prosecute the parents?’
However, the Mail and other experts have pointed out that the penalty for underage smartphone ownership could simply be confiscation of the device – just as gardaí have the power to confiscate alcohol from underage drinkers.
‘Huge amount of respect’