Will there be a move towards going offline?

[mrg123]

The complexities of children using devices and social media is so difficult to navigate that I wonder if people have considered trying to go offline as a family? I have heard of schools where parents have made agreements to stick together and not buy their kids smartphones. I would be interested to hear if people think this might be something that becomes more common?

I think it will remain very niche, personally. I just can't see it being usual. I hope the age limit for social media is put up. It's been interesting watching school swap on channel 4 though, the American kids definitely have more self control around phones than the British kids who have more restrictions. I'm not sure what to 'do' with that!

I haven't seen the show so can't comment on that but my experience is that children and young people are struggling in an increasingly online world. I struggle to see many benefits. I know if I was a teenager now I wouldn't want restrictions unless it applied to everyone else. I also hope there will be some form of ban in place, leaving it to parents to navigate is unrealistic for the majority of children. Maybe the increasing number of out of work 16-24 year olds is starting to reinforce the impact to decision makers.

@mrg123 maybe there is no work for the 16-24 year olds??? My son applied for over 60 different jobse/apprenticeships. Only had a reply from 3 of the companies. He tried everything, shop work, engineering apprenticeship, McDonald's. Also most companies expect you to apply online. Universal credit is.... online. So I think sometimes you have to have technology to get on with your life

I'm sorry to hear your son has struggled to find a job, I remember it being quite difficult to get a first job and employers can be difficult. I think there's quite a big difference between using a device to apply for a job, do school work, plan journeys etc. and spending most of your waking day scrolling reels. It's the excessive use of social media and phone communication replacing face to face communication, as well as access to extreme content that concerns me as a parent. Also the lack of regulation on social media. It's almost comical that terrestrial television still follows regulations such as the watershed when on YouTube you could access the most extreme clips from 18 rated movies.

@mrg123 sometimes its a difficult choice. My sons listen to music mainly on their phones, eldest is addicted to steam trains. Agree content use does need more regulation

Most adults I know also have no control around their phones (e.g. well paid professionals in meetings clearly scrolling for extended periods, people watching TV/movies they've been looking forward to only to miss the whole thing as they're on their phones, etc!) so I have 0% belief that no restrictions means you self-regulate. The devices and what's on them have been designed to be addictive by nature. I use an app called 'lock me out' to lock my phone down during the day from all distractions. Recently realised I didn't have Mumsnet on the blocked list and LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENED 😂