Schools fuel the smartphone need
DAME Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner, seems to be totally out of touch with schools.
She suggests parents should buy their children old-fashioned mobile phones without internet access to protect them from harmful content they might see online.
But parents have no option but to buy smartphones, as many schools send homework schedules to their child’s phone. Parents I know wouldn’t have bought a phone at all for their child but have had no choice because of this.
DEE GARRETT, Ash, Surrey. The advice by the Children’s Commissioner that parents should not buy their children a smartphone shows a lack of understanding of the technical issues involved.
She suggests: ‘If you’re worried about your children walking home from school, for example, buy a non-internet connected phone, so they can always contact you.’ Most non-internet-linked phones only operate on GSM 2G or 3G networks. 2G is going to start being phased out next year, and 3G will probably follow shortly after, in order to free up bandwidth for 5G and its successor 6G. This means that non-internet phones being sold now will soon have, at best, a limited connectivity life, if any at all.
So, while her advice might save a few children from internet harm (though most will soon find other ways to access the net; children understand the tech far better than their parents), it may well lead to many youngsters being in the dangerous position of not being able to ‘phone home’ when they are in danger.
I do wish politicians — and those involved with government organisations — would refrain from giving advice about matters they obviously do not properly understand.
IAN MCNICHOLAS, Waunlwyd, Ebbw Vale.