Banning SM for under 16s

[CuteKoalas]

I've just seen a reel that it went to parliament today to be discussed about banning SM for under 16s.

I personally think its quite a good idea. The mindless scrolling I see dsc do on Instagram for hours on end, cannot be any good for them.
There has already been bullying on WhatsApp too
( their dm allows it on their phone ) they are 11.

I just think how simpler our lives were as teems without it.

Or am I being a grump ?

My other dcs are too young for it. However they often try to badger me to have it.

I also wonder what will happen to all the opened accounts if it was to get banned.
Or even how they would police it.

Same way we prevent them accessing other illegal stuff.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c89vjj0lxx9o

It was approved in Australia in Nov .

I was meant to be there today. If anyone would like to join a future friendly protest PM me.

Indeed !
Most people don't have landlines anymore so a smartphone in the house is just another regular item like the cooker or a kettle.
An ordinary household item that is used for lots of things (food orders, booking online appointments, any forms that need filling in etc....all done online via my smart phone.
Not allowing under 16s to use a fairly ordinary piece of household equipment would almost be impossible to do.
Plus how would many being able to access their homework apps without one?

I don't know! There are some parents locally that are very militant about 'phone free childhood' and part of this campaign group and are trying to stop all access to phones for anyone under 16. I personally find them bossy, judgemental and a bit rigid if I'm honest.

I'm not too bothered about the phones. My children (13 and 11) have had phones since they were in year 4. They are excellently behaved kids, work hard at school (oldest is a straight A student), spend time out and about with friends, engage in sports and various clubs in their free time etc..

I don't believe that phones and social media are inherently bad. They just need careful monitoring. My oldest has a YouTube following and makes and edits excellent videos. He has his own discourse channel and his videos (largely animation and technical programmes) are amazing! There's no way I could make them!

My youngest makes 3D models on his 3D printer he sells to friends, he also has a YouTube channel and edits videos. He has recently started developing his own VR game which is unbelievably complicated to do, but I love that he's persevering.

My children have WhatsApp. There are restrictions and there are apps they are not allowed (youngest isn't allowed Snapchat for example, and I am linked to oldest's Snapchat account so see everything he posts and people send to him).

I think by supporting my children's exposure to IT and the online world in a supported and monitored way, I am setting them up well for a future full of tech. When they reach 16 and have full access to all the apps I know they will be safe and experienced online and I won't worry about them

I do wish groups like 'phone free childhood' would stop trying to dictate to the rest of us what we choose to do. My children benefit hugely from the online access they have. The skills they are learning in editing, animation, printing, photography and more are incredible. They are both very tech savvy and I'm proud of their achievements.

The online world isn't right for everyone and not every family will choose to allow phones or apps or whatever. But let's just all accept we parent differently and support each others choices!

On the subject of homework apps, schools would no doubt have to take content offline, and encourage learning the old way.

We can’t stop kids from smoking/drinking/vaping/whatever in their own homes. No doubt some do, but responsible parents try to make sure that they don’t.

So under 16s can't phone their Granny for a chat, take photos, use homework apps, listen to music, order a takeaway, check when the next bus is due..... because they it's "illegal" for them to use a useful household item.

@Anonym00se yes it should be parents choice. Some unfortunately won't be 100% responsible in what they allow their under 16s to access - but that's their choice.

At the governmental level, sure, social media should be set for certain ages. It already is (13+), but kids still get on there at very young ages and with parental permission.

My dd is 12 and has absolutely no social media. Even sites like YouTube are blocked on her browser so she doesn’t watch all that vlogger shite. WhatsApp is very tenuous and we tightly monitor it. She is only in a few group chats with close friends. We don’t allow her in the whole year group chats or to be added to random ones.

But she has a friend who has been posting sexy photos publicly on TikTok since she was 9/10. Her mum, auntie, older siblings all follow her. 🙄 Parents gotta parent.

How would you know it was the under 16 accessing stuff.

It sounds like a good idea, but how would it be policed, or will there be a massive, expensive ad campaign trying to educate parents and teens on the issue at the same time as spending money on prosecutions? Will there be anything done to tackle why SM is so attractive/ dangerous eg forcing changes to alter algorithms to stop users being bombarded with increasingly harmful content?

Social media is changing all the time. So you find a way to effectively stop some (cos it will never be all) teens accessing Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp. Next week there'll be a new website / app popping up which won't stick to the rules. It's already against WhatsApp rules for it to be used by U13s yet parents ignore that then seem surprised when their kid is upset or in trouble re something said on there. That's poor parenting, thinking the rules are there to be ignored and despite being told how harmful it can be. The parents make the choice to let kids have access to SM because they think they know better. With something like smoking, it's easier to see the physical manifestations of cost, harm and the general unpleasantness of it and for parents to be against it from the start. It also takes prolonged use to have a truly catastrophic effect, whereas abuse on SM can lead to devastating consequences relatively quickly. The type of parents who don't look ahead to the potential harm of allowing their teens to use social media will ignore any ban, and by the time they have realised their mistake it will be too late.

A blanket ban is largely pointless. Education is the key, along with putting the onus on SM companies to minimise risks.

Absolutely. It's depressing this is where we've got to. Sold our kids down the river to Zuckerberg and his like

Well exactly how would kids have managed without smart phones during the pandemic when they were accessing lessons onnline?

I don't know but I'm sure that it's a good step towards changing the culture where kids are on their phones at all.

There's a lot of young people now themselves saying they don't want phones, they wish they could have had an actual childhood. And there's a wealth of evidence about how it's destroying mental health, education, relationships, even the ability to talk to people. Children are desperately lonely. We need to stop destroying children's lives.

Whatever it takes - banning social media, banning smartphones, bringing in punitive measures for parents who allow smartphone use - it has to be done.

It's already been done in other places, like Australia, so it's perfectly possible.

Just because it's been banned doesn't mean it's actually working.

The parents who parent will adhere to it.

The parents who don't, won't.

And guess which kids are the problem to begin with?

I don't think this is true.

I think here are so many positives of phones, computers and social media. Technology is the way of the future.

Unfortunately it can be used as a force for bad. But rather than just try to stop it, I think we should invest in more education around safe use. Instead of schools and communities and governments trying to ban everything, why don't they teach instead.

Schools could have e lessons on how to use a smart phone, what the apps do, what the dangers are, what apps can enhance your other skills. Lessons on using editing software, gaming development, email and communications apps safely, etc.. etc..

I believe education not prohibition is key.

Technology is here to stay. Kids sap it all up and have incredible tech skills. Let's use that and let's educate so they want to be responsible users, they can look out for each other online, they know how to report stuff appropriately, they know how to keep themselves safe online etc...

Same way I know if they're doing crack. It's my house, I know what goes on here

Not that I want to ever go back into lockdown but kids who didn't have access to the Internet/ smart phones were massively disadvantaged by not being able to access online lessons.

Just because something might be difficult to police or enforce isn't a reason to just give up on it. It was difficult to change the culture around drink driving or smoking. It was difficult to get people to wear seatbelts or get their kids to wear seatbelts. Changing the law is only part of it, but it's an important part.

Judgemental much?

I meant how would outside agencies know it was the under 16 accessing SM ,as not all parents will care or be in agreement with banning it.

Its going to be impossible to police

I wish all schools could do what DD's school does.

The HT is married to a man who works for CEOPS. Every year they have an event, that a local businessman funds, where parents are invited along. There are games in the hall for kids, snacks and drinks for kids and parents, and then the HT's husband gives a tech lesson to parents.

He shows the dodgy bits, he shows how they'll get round your parental controls and he talks about which apps are causing the most problems atm (I've 6 kids and it's changed a lot over the years!).

I've been 3 times so far and I've learned some thing new every time!

It's so educational and it also gives parents a good idea of what all the other parents are thinking about apps. It does make it easier to say "No, they're not..." when your annoyed child claims everyones parents are allowing them snapchat/instagram when actually you know for sure they're not (not that I'd be swayed if they were but)

What about children with type one diabetes? What about children with a hearing impairment? For those children a smart phone is a vital medical device.

I do think it's a good idea. I'm sure I read somewhere they were thinking of imposing heavy fines on companies caught with underage users to put the onus on them to ensure they're verifying age properly? I'm not sure how that works if they're not uk based though