Do your children have smartphones?

[Long slender neck]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-68838029

Almost a quarter of 5-7 year old do

My kids have a tablet and play some games on it. Phones I will avoid for as long as possible.

From what I've heard, most get them before they start secondary school.

[Dunners]

Mine are too old now but, when they were at that age, smartphones were in their infancy. Personally, I think they are a curse on younger children.

I'd support a ban on all primary-school-age children being allowed to use them. If parents want to be able to call or text their kids then just get them an old fashioned basic mobile.

[one o in huntingdon]

My daughter has a smartphone, couldn't really stop her seeing as she is 33 next month

[Long slender neck]

Mine are too old now but, when they were at that age, smartphones were in their infancy. Personally, I think they are a curse on younger children.

I'd support a ban on all primary-school-age children being allowed to use them. If parents want to be able to call or text their kids then just get them an old fashioned basic mobile.

Exactly, if the justification is 'need to be in contact with kids' then a cheap dumbphone will do.

I think what its really about Peer pressure and sh*tty apps, games, camera and social media.

I dont see any answer to it except try and get your kids interested in other things and curb youyr own usage- "monkey see, monkey do".

[Dunners]

Mine are too old now but, when they were at that age, smartphones were in their infancy. Personally, I think they are a curse on younger children.

I'd support a ban on all primary-school-age children being allowed to use them. If parents want to be able to call or text their kids then just get them an old fashioned basic mobile.

Exactly, if the justification is 'need to be in contact with kids' then a cheap dumbphone will do.

I think what its really about Peer pressure and sh*tty apps, games, camera and social media.

I dont see any answer to it except try and get your kids interested in other things and curb youyr own usage- "monkey see, monkey do".

The answer has to be from a health angle.

Social media access can affect anyone's mental health, but for it to be inflicted on children so young is cruel and damaging. Kids can go through enough peer pressure and bullying when they're at school but, thanks to smartphones, they don't even get to escape it when they're at home. And many of these apps are designed to tap into the brain's dopamine response and manipulate the user's behaviour. There's a reason why so many of these tech-billionaires don't let their own children use them.

[OyinbO]

It's the network effect - exactly the same reason why so many adults are on Twitter/Facebook/Insta/LOFC message boards etc. If you're not on, you feel like you're missing out.

[Hoover Attack]

Mine are too old now but, when they were at that age, smartphones were in their infancy. Personally, I think they are a curse on younger children.

I'd support a ban on all primary-school-age children being allowed to use them. If parents want to be able to call or text their kids then just get them an old fashioned basic mobile.

Exactly, if the justification is 'need to be in contact with kids' then a cheap dumbphone will do.

I think what its really about Peer pressure and sh*tty apps, games, camera and social media.

I dont see any answer to it except try and get your kids interested in other things and curb youyr own usage- "monkey see, monkey do".

The answer has to be from a health angle.

Social media access can affect anyone's mental health, but for it to be inflicted on children so young is cruel and damaging. Kids can go through enough peer pressure and bullying when they're at school but, thanks to smartphones, they don't even get to escape it when they're at home. And many of these apps are designed to tap into the brain's dopamine response and manipulate the user's behaviour. There's a reason why so many of these tech-billionaires don't let their own children use them.

Yep to all of this.

[Dunners]

Sh*t. Just realised I posted from the wrong account.

[StillSpike]

I'd support a ban on all primary-school-age children being allowed to use them. If parents want to be able to call or text their kids then just get them an old fashioned basic mobile.

Agree. And then, when they get older, they can use it as a burner phone.

[LittleMate]

How many more have tablets of some sort? I reckon that number is higher still. Phones or tablets they are all the same. No kid uses a phone to make a call these days.

[Long slender neck]

Parental controls on, on the tablet. It'd be reckless not to for multiple reasons, one being every app is designed to part you with your cash.

[Rich Tea Wellin]

Hasn’t even got an iPad. He can make do with an abacus

[Dunners]

Mine are too old now but, when they were at that age, smartphones were in their infancy. Personally, I think they are a curse on younger children.

I'd support a ban on all primary-school-age children being allowed to use them. If parents want to be able to call or text their kids then just get them an old fashioned basic mobile.

Exactly, if the justification is 'need to be in contact with kids' then a cheap dumbphone will do.

I think what its really about Peer pressure and sh*tty apps, games, camera and social media.

I dont see any answer to it except try and get your kids interested in other things and curb youyr own usage- "monkey see, monkey do".

The answer has to be from a health angle.

Social media access can affect anyone's mental health, but for it to be inflicted on children so young is cruel and damaging. Kids can go through enough peer pressure and bullying when they're at school but, thanks to smartphones, they don't even get to escape it when they're at home. And many of these apps are designed to tap into the brain's dopamine response and manipulate the user's behaviour. There's a reason why so many of these tech-billionaires don't let their own children use them.

I've no idea how they will enforce this, but the Australian government has announced that it is going to introduce a minimum age of 16 years old for social media use.

[BIGRON]

No , then again I don't have any kids

[CEB2ElectricBoogaloo]

Yeah, my six year old posts on here as Yanzi Gravy

[JimbO]

Mine are too old now but, when they were at that age, smartphones were in their infancy. Personally, I think they are a curse on younger children.

I'd support a ban on all primary-school-age children being allowed to use them. If parents want to be able to call or text their kids then just get them an old fashioned basic mobile.

The same mine got a smartphone when she started secondary school.

[soloman]

I dont even have one and I despise all what they stand for .

[Hoover Attack]

I dont even have one and I despise all what they stand for .

Totally agreed - I do have one and wish I didn’t.

But apparently you’re not allowed to send it back to the hospital once you’ve taken it home.

[Qin]

All my children have smartphones.
I have no qualms about them spending as much time as they want on them
They're all in their thirties, & it's up to them how they spend their time!

[Pugwash]

Mine are too old now but, when they were at that age, smartphones were in their infancy. Personally, I think they are a curse on younger children.

I'd support a ban on all primary-school-age children being allowed to use them. If parents want to be able to call or text their kids then just get them an old fashioned basic mobile.

Exactly, if the justification is 'need to be in contact with kids' then a cheap dumbphone will do.

I think what its really about Peer pressure and sh*tty apps, games, camera and social media.

I dont see any answer to it except try and get your kids interested in other things and curb youyr own usage- "monkey see, monkey do".

The answer has to be from a health angle.

Social media access can affect anyone's mental health, but for it to be inflicted on children so young is cruel and damaging. Kids can go through enough peer pressure and bullying when they're at school but, thanks to smartphones, they don't even get to escape it when they're at home. And many of these apps are designed to tap into the brain's dopamine response and manipulate the user's behaviour. There's a reason why so many of these tech-billionaires don't let their own children use them.

2nd & 3rd gen's are being switched off next year. Only smarts will be working so I've heard.

[Mick McQuaid]

A complete ban seems a bit silly to me when they are going to have free access one at some point. Trying to teach sensible use seems better. The games are mindnumbingly awful but probably no worse than me being attached to a Donkey Kong handheld when I was about his age and the voice notes he sends to his friend that is definitely not his girlfriend are quite sweet.

I know everyone (well, almost everyone) wants the best for their kids but the children of parents who follow all the rules on screen time, no processed foods and regular bedtimes after the required 20 minutes of reading are generally awful little shites in my experience.

[Mick McQuaid]

By the way he doesn't have his own, I just let him use mine with the agreement I can see what he's been up to afterwards. I don't have parental controls on, he knows he'd be in huge trouble if he bought something in an app and has never done it. I will at some point turn on controls for the internet, although I'd be quite disappointed if he doesn't fairly quickly work out how to bypass it.

[CEB2ElectricBoogaloo]

IMO having your kids out on a limb from their peers is damaging enough that that in itself is a good enough reason to not be massively Viz Modern Parents about phones, even if there are downsides to them

[Long slender neck]

Exactly, if the justification is 'need to be in contact with kids' then a cheap dumbphone will do.

I think what its really about Peer pressure and sh*tty apps, games, camera and social media.

I dont see any answer to it except try and get your kids interested in other things and curb youyr own usage- "monkey see, monkey do".

The answer has to be from a health angle.

Social media access can affect anyone's mental health, but for it to be inflicted on children so young is cruel and damaging. Kids can go through enough peer pressure and bullying when they're at school but, thanks to smartphones, they don't even get to escape it when they're at home. And many of these apps are designed to tap into the brain's dopamine response and manipulate the user's behaviour. There's a reason why so many of these tech-billionaires don't let their own children use them.

2nd & 3rd gen's are being switched off next year. Only smarts will be working so I've heard.

Not true

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-bro ... witch-off/

Also note that dumbphones now tend to have 4g

[Long slender neck]

A complete ban seems a bit silly to me when they are going to have free access one at some point. Trying to teach sensible use seems better. The games are mindnumbingly awful but probably no worse than me being attached to a Donkey Kong handheld when I was about his age and the voice notes he sends to his friend that is definitely not his girlfriend are quite sweet.

I know everyone (well, almost everyone) wants the best for their kids but the children of parents who follow all the rules on screen time, no processed foods and regular bedtimes after the required 20 minutes of reading are generally awful little shites in my experience.

So much worse than donkey kong.

Full of ads, microtransactions, loot boxes (gambling), inappropriate material and that's before you consider that the game itself is often just absolute crap.

And if its something online like roblox it can be infested with paedophiles