DO NOT give your kid a smartphone this Christmas

[Firey40]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDd86TftyNT/?igsh=MTZueGVicm1udDllNw==

The evidence is overwhelming.

Their brains are only young once.

We might not have known before….. but we know now.

STOP GIVING KIDS SMARTPHONES

Bit late for that? It's the 20th of December

Why just focus on smartphones... there are many types of electronics. Are your family tech free?

I agree OP

Because with smartphones they always have them on them and cannot escape the never ending incoming notifications etc.

Other devices are usually left at home.

I agree OP. My children are younger (8&6) but we will not be giving smartphones. Hopefully by the time they're at secondary this will have taken off and they won't be the only ones ...

YANBU OP, at all.

i wish all parents would boycott smart phones and then maybe kids wouldn’t be addicted to social media and have poor mental health

My soon to be 11 year old will be walking to and from school next year and so I wish to track him via a phone and know he can contact me if needed, so sorry, he will be getting one.

So I'm supposed to click on some Instagram reel to see "overwhelming evidence" on this? If you're going to rant at me, at least provide a real reputable source that isn't behind a login rather than some shit you saw on social media. I think you're the one who needs to come off your phone OP if you think an Instagram post passes as "overwhelming evidence".

My 11 year old has one. She chats and video calls with friends mostly. No Facebook, tiktok insta etc allowed though. I'm totally fine with it. She's a sensible kid who understands the negative impact and sticks to the set limits we have

And that's not to say I disagree or agree, but we all need to think more critically, evaluate sources, and not get whipped up into a frenzy by social media posts.

My childs smartphone allows him to contact me when he is out and for me to be able to track him. That's invaluable living in a rural area.

This is really weird.

The world needs to change if children (under 16s?) are no longer going to have smart phones.
It's almost impossible to function without one these days - tickets, bus passes, timetables, maps etc on their phones.
Parents need to parent - restrict access to SM, check phones regularly and teach kids to use phones responsibly.

Talk and text phone.
Air tag if you’re keen on stalking tracking him.

smartphones are bad…anyway, here’s a link I found on Instagram whilst on my smartphone to back that up.

@Deargodletitgo completely understand the need to track and check up on safety of a child walking to school but there are other options. People use GPS watches. Definitely something to investigate.

As parent of 16 DD and 18 DS I really regret having given mine them when they went to secondary school and wish we could go back. We have been struggling with DDs phone addiction. She's now down to "only" 5 to 6 hours a day. She was at 10 previously. This does include watching Netflix. But bloody hell it's been a nightmare and even she recognises that her attention span and focus has improved. She also has struggled with anxiety and IBS which I'm sure is no coincidence.
If you can never let them have them in the bedroom either. Sleep issues too!

Completely agree, op. We all know deep down the harm that smartphones are doing.

You can have smart phones without social media

That is useful. But it's also invaluable to know how to cope without access to a phone.

Kids under 10 don't need a smart phone at all
Kids under 16 don't need any public social media (instagram, facebook etc)

but modern kids who commute to school alone do need a phone that has maps and a bus pass and can whatsapp their parents

DS10 has already got one, and has had for over a year. He is very sensible with it and he's got limits on screen time and apps etc.

Yeah, if you’ve bought one, take it back and get something else

Brick phone and a separate tracker then you know he won't be exposed to online bullying, hard porn, suicide information etc and his mental health will benefit along with sleep and concentration

Don't you think it's a bit ironic to be complaining about smartphones while posting a link to a smartphone app? 🫣

@Firey40 Fuck Off that.