COVENEY: WE DO NEED TO RESTRICT SMARTPHONE USE BY OUR CHILDREN
Tánaiste says we need controls on ‘when and where children access phones’ and measures to ‘block certain content’
SIMON Coveney has backed calls for restrictions on the use of smartphones by children. In a powerful intervention in the debate on child protection online, the Tánaiste said that new regulations were necessary – and also said we need ‘an element of control in terms of where and when children can access phones’. Mr Coveney also wants to examine
whether we can block certain types of content’.
Mr Coveney cautioned: ‘We need to be careful how we do it.’ He added that the Government would have to ‘get the balance right before we introduce new laws’.
But he would support measures that would restrict smartphone use and protect children from exposure to inappropriate information on them.
The Tánaiste said he gave a great deal of thought to the matter both as a legislator and parent, not least because his three daughters, all aged under ten, were ‘addicted’ to his smartphone.
His views go further than any other senior minister on the issue. Until now, Government policy has been to say that the answer to the dangers posed by smartphones is simply to educate children about the internet.
However growing numbers of experts – as well as a majority of parents – argue that such an approach is akin to allowing young children buy alcohol or cigarettes, and relying on education alone to protect their health. They also point out that many of the children
‘An element of control is needed’
concerned are too young to be taught to cope with cyber-bullying or paedophile grooming attempts online – or the lure of internet pornography.
The Tánaiste was speaking to the Irish Daily Mail in New York earlier this week, where he was campaigning for Ireland’s attempt for a seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Asked if he saw a need for regulations on children and smartphones, he said: ‘Yeah I do, but I think we need to be careful how we do it. I have three daughters – a nine-year-old, a seven-year-old and a five-year-old – they all are addicted to my phone, as I think is every child who is under the age of ten. So as a parent and also as a legislator it’s something I’ve put a lot of thought into.’
Mr Coveney cautioned that the matter needed to be considered carefully, saying: ‘I don’t think we should jump into the first proposal. I think this does need a bit of thought, because sometimes when you keep things from children you actually create more of an attraction and a draw to what’s being prohibited.
‘So I think it’s about education of children to the dangers of technology, information about that the seven exposure and nine to and five-year-olds should not be getting at that age.’
However, he reiterated his view that education alone was not enough, adding: ‘There is an element of control needed, in terms of when and where children can access phones and whether we can block certain types of content. ‘I know the Government is looking at this. We need to talk to experts and put some time into making sure we get that balance right before we introduce new laws in the area.’ And he concluded: ‘If you’re asking me am I in favour of new measures that would restrict the use of and protect children from exposure to inappropriate information on smartphones, the straight answer to that is “Yes, I would”. But I would be very cautious about how we do it. It needs to be properly tested before we do anything.’
The Tánaiste’s views are likely to boost the Irish Daily Mail campaign for age restrictions on smartphones.
In June, Education Minister Richard Bruton published a circular on the subject – but it only required all schools to consult parents, teachers and students on the use of smartphones and tablet devices in schools. In response, Fianna Fáil’s education spokesman Thomas Byrne expressed the frustration of many parents and child supporters when he dismissed the minister’s move as ‘wishy washy’ and called for tougher action.
Meanwhile, Blennerville National School, outside Tralee, became the first school in the country to impose a ban on smartphone use inside and outside school – and many others are expected to follow suit.
The bold new policy, agreed with parents, followed an 11-week trial among 6th class students which found that abandoning smartphones improved academic performance, friendships between pupils and the quality of family life. But parents and teachers pointed out that it should not be left to them to do this and that legislation was needed.
Last month, French politicians voted to approve a ban on smartphones in their schools.
Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer called it ‘a law for the 21st century, a law for addressing the digital revolution’. He said: ‘Being open to technologies of the future doesn’t mean we have to accept all their uses.’
Similar measures are under consideration in the UK, with Culture Secretary Matt Hancock warning recently that the devices are negatively impacting students’ achievements. ‘Studies have shown that mobile phones can have a real impact on working memory and fluid intelligence, even if the phone is on a table or in a bag,’ he said.
He cited a 2015 study by the London School of Economics which found that schools which ban smartphones see average grades rise by 6% – while the performance of disadvantaged students rises by 14%.
‘As a parent and a legislator’