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

Instead of lecturing me on morality and whether I think x or y is bad, can you explain to me why the existing legislation on child cruelty wouldn't cover the hypothetical scenarios you are referring to?

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/23-24/12/part/I/crossheading/offences

Children and Young Person's Act 1933
Cruelty to persons under sixteen.
(1)If any person who has attained the age of sixteen years and [has responsibility for] any child or young person under that age, wilfully assaults, ill-treats (whether physically or otherwise)], neglects, abandons, or exposes him, or causes or procures him to be assaulted, ill-treated (whether physically or otherwise)], neglected, abandoned, or exposed, in a manner likely to cause him unnecessary suffering or injury to health (whether the suffering or injury is of a physical or a psychological nature)], that person shall be guilty of [an offence], and shall be liable—

(a)on conviction on indictment, to a fine . . . or alternatively, . . . , or in addition thereto, to imprisonment for any term not exceeding 14 years;

(b)on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding [£400] pounds, or alternatively, . . . , or in addition thereto, to imprisonment for any term not exceeding six months.

I genuinely don't see how banning mobile phones adds anything to our existing laws apart from a lot of additional problems.

If the police actually wanted to do something I believe they have grounds already to do so. The law may or may not have already been applied in this manner. I have no idea. I do think it could be though and maybe suggesting it could be might focus a few minds.

Certainly, becoming aware that a child was accessing the dark web would be a safeguarding issue and would be treated as such.

A child merely being caught with a smartphone ties up too many resources and has too many negative unintended consequences. Ultimately that would leave police with less resources to deal with the most vulnerable kids. I am guessing that in a lot of cases the police catching a kid with a mobile would, at most, result in a warning because it's not really in the public interest to otherwise pursue. Even finest jam the courts and are going to impact hardest on the most vulnerable kids.

I therefore think banning mobiles for teens is a clumsy way to try and solve a complex problem and it'd be doomed to fail. It would not serve to protect children and is more likely to result in harms to particularly vulnerable children who are already at risk (The issue of how gangs operate needs to be thought about in this context). That DOESN'T mean I don't think action isn't required. It means I think a different response is required to the one you suggest.

@RedToothBrush Explain it to yourself. I’ve said all I’m going to say, at length. Feel free to go back and read all of my posts. You are wrong. Change can and will happen. It needs to happen. Some random on the internet being ignorant and confused isn’t going to change that.

Have a nice Christmas. I’m off to start my holidays.

Stop atting me.

It's rude and aggressive.

You also havent addressed my point about why can't the current law as it exists be used?

Nicely dodged there. Complete with a Christmas flounce.

@RedToothBrush
They're a troll or a truly hysterical deranged person completely out of touch with reality

😂
"Change can and will happen"

So you are going to control the whole world?

Things like the dark web and porn don't even require an app or social media.

15 year olds aren't even that fussed about Instagram and Facebook is for old people apparently. Tiktok you can watch without the app.

The idea of restricting social media or smartphones till kids are 16 is frankly terrifying. It will be forbidden fruit and instead of being sensibly introduced to it all over many years, you're going to suddenly open Pandora's box in the middle of GCSE revision and A levels. That's going to work well.

Also rather messes things up for kids doing tech-related GCSEs/BTECs. Creative Media Production for example requires a smart phone for most of the practical work.

My DD turns 16 next year so none of this will ever apply to me, but I would absolutely not be stopping her from having a smartphone - and would just use SEN access arrangements to get an exemption.

Parents need to do more parenting - educate yourself on how the internet works, how different apps function, how to lock down and restrict access. Pick your child's phone up at random intervals, check their internet history, check their messages, unstall software that means you can approve apps or turn it off remotely.

Maybe also ensure your child has a more balanced life - lots of sport, dance, drama, music, walks, trips to museums etc. If your child is spending all weekend glued to their phone (when I was a teen it was 'glued to the TV') then try getting them out the door and doing something more constructive. And if you can't manage that with your 11-15 year old, just think how much less control you'll have with your 16 year old.

Your equating the uprise in smartphone use amongst children to playing dungeons and dragons??

That is literally the most hilarious and most worrying thing I’ve read on the whole of this thread. You are seriously naive.

But it’s not for the majority of the population, it’s just for children. And it’s about stalling their access to social media, not completely preventing it.

Yes of course it will be the ‘forbidden fruit’ like alcohol and drugs are currently but if society views it differently- as something harmful rather than beneficial - the widespread use of it will reduce. That certainly doesn’t mean no young teenager will ever be able to access social media but I think if there are certain changes in legislation it will become more frowned upon by others, particularly parents. There would definitely be a shift in behaviour towards phones and young teens/children.

Smoking in public places used to be widely accepted- not now. Driving with no seatbelts or child seats was done day in, day out. Not now. Smacking and corporal punishment was perfectly acceptable. Not now. Christ, the whole history of humankind has evolved and refined by changing our attitudes towards things often with introducing different legislation.

Making social media illegal for under 16s may not be practical, you’re right, but making noises towards this sort of safeguarding legislation highlights how seriously people are starting to take it. If everyone viewed a phone as a high risk object to give a developing brain, we would at least be in a better position to protect our children.

@cottoncandy260
Your equating the uprise in smartphone use amongst children to playing dungeons and dragons??

That is literally the most hilarious and most worrying thing I’ve read on the whole of this thread. You are seriously naive.

I guess reading comprehension is hard, at nk point I said D&D is the same as smartphone, I said the hysteria is the same.

But it’s not for the majority of the population, it’s just for children. And it’s about stalling their access to social media, not completely preventing it.

It will affect majority of population because some idiots think criminalizing and punishing people will somehow make things better.

Yes of course it will be the ‘forbidden fruit’ like alcohol and drugs are currently but if society views it differently- as something harmful rather than beneficial - the widespread use of it will reduce

Vast majority of people will never see it at the same level as alcohol and drugs, ever.

If everyone viewed a phone as a high risk object to give a developing brain, we would at least be in a better position to protect our children.

And here is where everything falls apart, vast majority of people won't care about it because it's the parents job to stop children from accessing social media, not society.

Not to mention that vast majority of people won't care about what other people children are doing, smartphones and social media are not even close to alcohol, smoking or drugs, you think some random adult will look over the shoulder of children to see if they're looking at social media? You think random adults will keep an eye if children have smartphone?

They won't, because not only it's not their job to take care of someone else children, they might also be accused of being a creep harassing children.

Trying to ban social media or smartphone will simply be a second version of alcohol prohibition, it'll fail completely because most people won't help on what you want to happen, some will even actively work against it.

Thinking such law could work is the definition of naive and being out of touch with reality, because it completely ignores how people will actually act in their daily life.

Even people who is in favor of it in practice would do nothing, because guess what? Saying you agree banning social media or smartphones for anyone under 16 is easy, actually acting on it is hard and too much trouble, nobody will go out of their way to do it except hysterical parents or people who love to put their nose into other people lives, vast majority will say "fuck it" and go on with their lives cause they don't have time to parent someone else children.

Riddle me this people who think such law could work.

First of all, social media is not the same as alcohol, smoking and drugs because it's free, I can literally go and create 1000 accounts on twitter, tiktok and so on.

So how exactly you stop people under 16 from accessing it? Force government to regulate internet as a whole? Make all online accounts be based on your government social number? Literally give the government more power to know everything you do and where you are?

On the physical side, yeah, some parents can take away their children smartphone, but guess what? These parents are the minority, you really think government will go out of their way to prosecute parents who give their children smartphone? They barely have resources to deal with real crimes.

And then there's the social side, people can't agree on more dumb banal stuff, you really think vast majority will agree with this? They won't.

Cost of living only rises, economy only gets worse, people need to work more and more and can barely make money as it is, who will go out of their way to see if random children are using social media? If they have smartphone?

Smartphones are small, any adult can let a child use theirs when they're out of sight and nobody would notice, children could hide a smartphone somewhere and only use it when they think they're safe, how do you even deal with that? Make everyone stalk children? Which will only help pedophiles since nobody will question an adult following a child? Create a secret police to look over everyone shoulder?

Such law will never work because it's not enforceable at any level, it's simply impossible.

What could be done and even I agree with it is making a law to stop children from using smartphone at school, a child has one? They give it to the teacher to lock it up, school want to use app to more easily manage children? The parents use the app instead of the child.

Making laws for controlled environment like school would still be hard but could work, but something to affect the whole society? Literally impossible.

Good for you!

I wish more people knew it CAN be done - we HAVE to try harder to reverse the trend; our children need us to be strong.

No smartphones until they’re 16 is the current plan in our house too.

And the one they get at 16 will be ‘my’ phone that they ‘borrow’, on the understanding that I can check it/put controls on it/ask for it back when I want.

They can then save up for their ‘own’ phone when they’re old enough

Does she have safari?

Why do people insist on taking any advice whatsoever from social media!?? You do see the irony of using a video on social media to argue against the use of smart phones children's access to social media, don't you?

But, to refer to the points he was making;

1. Who on earth gives their child a smartphone without any parental controls or family monitoring on it?

2. You DO understand that it's a parents responsibility to ensure that whatever a child has access to, whether that is television, video games or a smartphone, is suitably limited?

3. What a load of garbage! EVERYTHING is a distraction device! Again, it's up to the parents to ensure that their child uses whatever technology they have available to them in a responsible manner!

If you're going to try and advise others on how to raise their children, use something with more credibility than an instagram video!!