DD your kids, and yourself, a favour and don’t buy a smartphone for them this Christmas.
Parents today spend a lot of time telling their children how lucky they are.
“When I was small there were just three channels on TV”, “Fitzy’s Park was the only place with swings and slides”, “‘Tis far from gourmet pizzas I was reared” are met with gasps of incomprehension and pity!
Half the time, I sound like a character from Oliver Twist but when it comes to smartphones, I think all parents are in agreement that we are the lucky ones to have had a childhood free from the constant distraction and surveillance of smartphones.
The strife caused by smartphones is a significant topic of national conversation. Thankfully, many schools have restrictions on phone use within school, but the reality is that outside the school gates, phone usage by children is a cause for concern for parents, teachers, and students themselves.
The Department of Education recently issued guidance for parents’ associations and schools to help them come together to agree that their children will not have a smartphone until the end of sixth class. (I’m aiming for my kids to get phones in Leaving Cert!).
Keeping Childhood Smartphone Free is a document with advice to assist school communities to model the ‘It Takes a Village’ wellbeing initiative in Greystones and Delgany in County Wicklow, where students and parents across eight primary schools promote a no smart devices voluntary code.
As we approach the most wonderful time of the year (to spend and consume to excess), children are cultivating their present list and many have a smartphone as their No.1 preference.
Here are six reasons you can tell your kids why they won’t be getting a smartphone for the foreseeable:
1. Bad for your body and brain
Excessive screen time, particularly on smartphones, has been linked to various health concerns in children, including sleep disturbances, eye strain, and a sedentary lifestyle leading to overweight and obesity.
The HSE recommends that kids over six should have limits on their screen time to make sure it’s not impacting their sleep or physical activity, two health impacts with long term consequences.
A common, and depressing, sight is watching children at a park, playground or public place hunched over their phone. Neck crooked and noses inches from the screen they periodically show their screen to their companion for a quick smile and go back to interacting in the online world oblivious to the real world and adjacent friend.
Kids should be moving! They’ll be sat on their bums for much of their adult life. Moving and playing are the business of children and smartphones steal children’s time for these core pursuits.
The leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the United States, Dr Vivek Murthy, indicated in a recent advisory that “Children are exposed to harmful content on social media, ranging from violent and sexual content, to bullying and harassment. And for too many children, social media use is compromising their sleep and valuable in-person time with family and friends. We are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned that social media is an important driver of that crisis – one that we must urgently address”.
It’s advice that could easily apply to Ireland.
2. Waste of your time
Smartphones have a bewitching ability to steal our attention. Adults, even with their fully developed brains, are enthralled by all that our smartphones serve up to our eyeballs. It is hard to resist the allure of the smartphone.
Another way of thinking about the influence of smartphones is to think what kids are not doing when they are scrolling TikTok or watching endless Mr Beast videos or sending torrents of emojis.
They are not playing with their siblings, reading a book, calling for a friend to come out to play, having a kickabout in the garden, sharpening their hurling skills, practising the piano, or just huffing around the kitchen complaining about being bored.
Knowing how to deal with boredom is an important life skill that helps children work out what they are interested in or where their passions lie.
Giving a child a smartphone replaces precious play and family time with screen time. As children become engrossed in apps and social media, the risk of diminished face-to-face interaction increases. The ability to communicate effectively and build meaningful relationships is a critical human skill that children develop through face-to-face interactions and smartphones can hinder development of these vital social skills.
3. Too expensive
Smartphones are expensive and come with ongoing costs, including data plans and potential app purchases. Delaying the introduction of a smartphone allows parents to instil important lessons about the value of money and the importance of earning privileges. And saves on another household expense. If contacting your child to arrange pick-ups or check in for safety reasons is a factor, consider a good old-fashioned flip up Nokia 2660 for €60 or an old school Alcatel for €40.
4. You’ll thank me when you’re older
With the digital world at their fingertips, children are exposed to the risks of inappropriate content and cyberbullying. Smartphones provide access to social media platforms where these dangers lurk.
By delaying the introduction of smartphones, parents can better monitor and guide their children’s online experiences until they are mature enough to navigate the virtual world safely.
5. It’s the law
In Ireland, users must be 16 years of age, the age of digital consent, before a social media or internet company can collect, process, and store their data.
However, the digital age of consent is higher than the age you need to be to create a social media profile on platforms such as Snapchat or Instagram. TikTok has a 12 rating and is listed as “Parental Guidance Recommended”. The minimum age for using WhatsApp is 16 years old.
Teenagers between 13 and 16 years old must have parental permission to sign-up but it’s easy to bypass age restrictions by lying at registration.
So technically children under the age of 13 should not have a social media account. Therefore, if you don’t want to play bad cop denying your child a much-coveted smartphone and access to social media, blame the law and offer a flip phone as an alternative.
6. You’re not the only one without one
As awareness about the negative impact of smartphones on children and teenagers grows, more and more parents will begin to resist giving them to their primary school children.
Assure your precious child that most of the other parents in your class have agreed not to buy their children phones either so they don’t have to worry about being left out.
Smartphones may offer convenience and connectivity but the potential drawbacks and long-term impact, especially for young minds, cannot be ignored.
This year give your child the best gift - the gift of a childhood free from the pressures of the digital age.
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