Teenagers should use phones without apps, says union boss
PARENTS should be able to buy phones without social media apps for teenagers, the leader of the UK’s biggest teaching union has said.
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), warned there is “a link between the addictive nature of social media … and how teenagers are feeling”, after teachers reported a sharp rise in the number of pupils with poor mental health.
He told The Telegraph that “parents should have a choice and should be able to get phones for their teenager that come without access to apps”.
The NEU leader has become the latest prominent figure to support restrictions on “addictive” social media apps for children.
Since February, tens of thousands of parents have joined Parents for a Smartphone-free Childhood, a group launched to help parents support each other in delaying giving their children smartphones.
Arabella Skinner, director of Safe-screens Campaign, who want the Government to restrict smartphone use for under-16s, said: “The current options are either an old style brick phone or a full-on smartphone.
“Children need an option that allows them to access the apps they need such as maps, train tickets, banking, homework but eliminates the risk of harmful content and addiction.
“It is encouraging to see the NEU recognising that the addictive nature of social media and smartphones is a serious and urgent societal issue, and one that cannot be solved by parents alone.”
In his speech on the last day of the NEU annual conference yesterday, Mr Kebede said: “The mental health of our young people has plunged since 2010, and levels of depression, anxiety, selfharm, and suicide have soared.
“The development of social media and online forums has contributed to this.”
An NEU survey of 8,000 teachers this year found that 88 per cent of teachers have seen an increase in the prevalence of student mental health issues over the last year, with 57 per cent saying it has “increased greatly” in that short period of time.