To think they should just ban mobile phones and tablets for under 18s

[CurdinHenry]

Instead of changing the law so that they all use vpns to access social media and now I, an adult, have to give my ID to tech companies if I want to use their services

Well I can use a VPN too I suppose

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

That's certainly one way to go it.

Ultimately I think the use of tech of that kind by kids will end up restricted. There will be some issues to figure out the best way. And some will be about wider cultural change making it unacceptable.rhough I don't think tech firms want it to change, they are happy to turn kids into compliant zombies.

If you use their services, tech companies know everything about you anyway.

There are perfectly valid reasons for under 18s to need and use phones YABU.

So 16 - 18 year olds will be able to vote, drive but not have a mobile phone?

You can have a baby or drive a car, but you can't use a phone?

Great idea 🤨

An awful lot of people don't seem to understand the concept of young people learning and experiencing the world, in preparation for adult life. Their adult life, in their own generation.

Supposing we said that there are a lot of very unsuitable and potentially harmful things that are written in some books, so therefore we will ban everybody under 18 from accessing any books, with certainly no opportunity for them to see it as a normal human pursuit as they grow up... how many people do you think would be suddenly embracing reading once they hit 18?

Don't blame the medium for the content.

Under 18.

You do realise 17 year olds can drive and 16-17 year olds can vote in elections and have sex. Stop being ridiculous.

Under 18 is a bit extreme I had a child and moved out at 16.
I personally think under 14 is reasonable for banning smart phones (not regular phones)
also don’t think toddlers and young children should be allowed tablets and would actually argue that’s worse than a teenager having a phone

I actually agree we shouldn’t have to give our information and identity just because other people can’t not give their kids phones and tablets.
Completely ban smart devices for under 14s is a great idea

I think I partially see this thinking like when some older people say that 'they should bring back national service' - it's the easiest thing in the world to put restrictions on the lives of other people when you know they won't affect you.

I sometimes wonder if Royal Mail are going on the all-out offensive in a desperate attempt to get everybody back to sending letters again like it's still the 1980s.

Yeah. It's one of those stupid things people say without giving it a moment's thought. It's almost like the OP realised it wasn't a good idea but still decided to post anyway

It's always people who are over the minimum age they are suggesting as well, so it doesn't impact them.

I love the suggestion that they may ban late night use. That was the absolute bane of our lives when ours were young, especially with one.

Many of them also have jobs - a lot of which will involve using phones, whether communicating with their bosses about shifts or actively in being able to do the job e.g. Deliveroo or similar.

Maybe we should make them sit on their hands and wait a couple more years before they can access the tools to enable them to do many of these jobs that will naturally fall to younger people... then we can also berate them for being lazy and wanting to live on benefits rather than working etc........

God you people are boring.

They'll be able to get married but not use a tablet to research venues and a smartphone to arrange it!

They could drive a car but not use their phone to buy insurance or to connect apple car play/google maps.

They could join the army but not message their sergeant major on WhatsApp.

Between the ages of 15-18 my kids used their mobile for these things. Mobile banking. Emails when applying to college. Emails from teachers while at college. Homework set on apps sent by college. Applying for student loans. Applying for university. The list goes on, so no mobiles should not be banned between the ages of 15-18, they need them for essential life skills now. We are not the the 80s anymore, life in set up different know and older teens need mobiles just as much as adults do for life essentials