Tech firms to make phones safe for kids? Now that would be a really smart idea
I AGREE with stopping children under 16 from buying mobile phones. The only problem is it’s now probably impossible to do.
The ban is being considered in England but I’d like to see any policy designed to protect young people from the harmful effects of social media rolled out in Scotland too.
Although change is desperately needed I’m afraid the genie is very much out of the bottle when it comes to young people with smartphones.
I don’t know any 14 or 15-year-old who bought their own phone – we’re the ones who buy them for our kids, sign the contracts and set them up.
The ban would be a rule that’s too easy to get around so let’s focus on the real issue which is safeguarding children from the content they can access. The problem is smartphones. I confess my 13-year-old has one and I regret giving in to his pleas.
He was the only one in his year who didn’t have a handset. I stood firm until high school then after arguments and tantrums I caved and he’s had his for two years now.
The result? A less engaged, more tired, distracted, moody teenager who spends way too much time with his device in his hands. Rather than banning the sales how about starting with banning them in schools?
The last time I wrote on this subject I faced a barrage of shouty parents on social media telling me why their child “needed” to have a phone at school but the cons far outweigh any
pros as far as I’m concerned.
There will be exceptions but I see no reason why kids should have mobiles with TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram in their place of learning.
Decreased focus, lower academic performance and disruption are proven, not to mention cyberbullying and sharing of inappropriate content. The solution is obvious yet there seems to be a lack of guidelines or policy for schools to take action.
After school hours it’s up to parents to monitor and control what their children watch and I’m the first to admit it’s not easy.
Junior is at an age where I want to give him more freedom and responsibility, not checking everything he looks at but the truth is I’m worried about online bullying, snapchatting, catfishing, grooming. We know teenagers’ mental health is suffering and we know the blame lies partly with smartphones and social media so they should be treated the same as cigarettes and alcohol when it comes to children. Esther Ghey, the mother of Brianna Ghey, the teen murdered by two 15-year-olds who had been watching violent content online, has been campaigning for under-16s to be banned from accessing social media apps and this seems a more workable solution. She’s pushing for a law so mobile phones are only suitable for that particular age group. Operating systems like iOS and Android would have to be set up so the user only sees appropriate content for their age.
Facebook, TikTok and the others would have to protect kids from harmful content. Parental monitoring apps should be a default.
Like Esther, I believe under-16s should only use devices that are not smart. Parents, schools and the tech world have to work together to make that happen.
The result? A less engaged, more tired, distracted, moody teen JEAN ON EFFECTS OF A PHONE ON JUNIOR