Smartphone ban for under 14`s ?

[Woodface]

A stupid idea that will never happen.

 

[stevec67]

Not sure of the practicalities of it? When kids go to "big school" at 11, they can be a fair way from home, and phones can be deemed essential by some, for safety reasons?

That's why schools have telephones and a register of which children are in which class at all times. It was good enough pre mobiles, it's good enough now. If granny dies, the parent rings the school and the school send someone to pull the child out of the class. The alternative, of 30 children sitting looking at their phones every time any one of them pings, doesn't work. Teachers are "in loco parentis" for a good reason.

 

[TheFlash]

Not sure what those papers say just noticed the issue seems to be on the radio 4 today programme constantly . I am not aware of all the issues but a great many parents and knowledgable people seem concerned by it

Sorry Phil, I can't remember whether you're a parent yourself. Question stands anyway though: do you think the ban is a good or bad idea?

 

[TheFlash]

Never had them before and we all survived? It's a want not a need really

Of course. As is hifi, but no-one is suggesting a ban on the over-60s owning it.

 

[RJohan]

You are Miguel de Cervantes and I claim my £5.

I think we where forced to read the windmill thing at school, if that's what you hinting at. I'm a book worm, but just to be awkward, I refused to read it.

 

[RJohan]

I understand why screen time is such a concern to parents. It's a big topic of discussion amongst family members with young kids.

I do wonder though if it depends a bit on the child. I was an geeky introverted child with two left feet. I hated sports. I loved reading, computers and later on music (obsessively).

That's just who I was - and largely still am today. I still need a space of my own where I can decompress, not have to deal with other people and can do the things that make me happy.

The difference is that my bedroom was a safe space. When I was bullied at school it didn't follow me home. I would hate to be a bullied child today where the internet and smartphones must make it seem unrelenting, permanent and inescapable.

Just like me, then. Know how it was.

 

[hifinutt]

Sorry Phil, I can't remember whether you're a parent yourself. Question stands anyway though: do you think the ban is a good or bad idea?

Yes indeed a parent . I dont know enough about the issues but reading rug doc thoughts and hearing many vexed people on the radio seems to give real concerns

 

[TheFlash]

Yes indeed a parent . I dont know enough about the issues but reading rug doc thoughts and hearing many vexed people on the radio seems to give real concerns

Thanks Phil. I'm still not sure where you stand: are you one of the vexed?

 

[hifinutt]

I think so , if these things are harming our children then yes

 

[TheFlash]

Thanks for clarifying your position.

 

[gintonic]

I think so , if these things are harming our children then yes

what things? the phones, the software?

 

[hifinutt]

Seems its the apps from what folks on here have said but i dont know enough about it

 

[gintonic]

The Apps themselves are not necessarily the problem, it is the harmful content that they provide access to.

Time on screen can be problematic as well.

 

[Kirk]

The Apps themselves are not necessarily the problem, it is the harmful content that they provide access to.

Time on screen can be problematic as well.

If this is about access and screen time, then computers, laptops, and tablets are also fair game.

 

[stevec67]

If this is about access and screen time, then computers, laptops, and tablets are also fair game.

They are, but it's the ubiquitous nature of the phone and its permanent connection that makes it so invasive. A laptop, you have to get out of a bag and (typically) connect to wifi. Not so a phone.

 

[gintonic]

If this is about access and screen time, then computers, laptops, and tablets are also fair game.

of course that goes without saying - a holistic approach across all devices, apps etc is appropriate.

 

[paul rich]

Are kids any more unsafe than they were before the advent of cellphones?

The 'meedja' may suggest that they are, but I'm unsure whether the statistics would agree.

My 82yr old parents, who spend hours each day locked into the mainstream TV news streams, unsurprisingly decided the world had become much more dangerous a place to live compared to when they were younger. Being a believer that modern day media bigs up danger as it increases their revenue I decided to go after some facts.

After some Googling I found an Excel spreadsheet that was compiled by the UK Police that showed the number of annually reported cases for about 30 different categories of crime. I chose assault and murder as the two crimes that best typified how "dangerous" society had become. Based on the number of these two crime types per head of population I found:

• The UK got more "dangerous" (my simple definition above) every year until 1981.
• After 1981 is got a lot less dangerous.

I can't lay my hand on this Excel now. I know my analysis is very simplistic and takes not account of unreported crime, definition changes of crime etc etc etc. But I believe media reporting strategies and public perception of crime levels are linked, despite the truth of the matter.

 

[Whaleblue]

ONS numbers on homicides here:

Appendix tables: homicide in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics

Findings from the analyses based on the Homicide Index recorded by the Home Office, including long-term trends, sex of the victim, apparent method of killing and relationship to victim.

www.ons.gov.uk

Too nuanced/complex to draw drfinite conclusions, but I’d say it appears to have peaked maybe 20 years ago, slightly better now, but still worse than in the 1960s?

 

[Whaleblue]

Regarding the OP my take would be that as a society we need to protect our children from harm.

Alcohol
Cigarettes
Drugs
Violence
Mental Cruelty
Corruption
Lack of education*

*yes, an awkward entry on a list of harm, but hopefully it’s obvious what I mean.

If apps on smartphones allow mental cruelty/corruption we should look for creative ways to curtail that. Interruption of education at school looks simple enough - phones off during lessons. Outside school might well be where mental cruelty and corruption may take place, and of course can interrupt education if homework is demoted (but equally if used positively can assist).

tl/dr - a black and white approach is not enough, but we need to collectively look to find solutions to this complex problem area.

 

[Lee T]

That's why schools have telephones and a register of which children are in which class at all times. It was good enough pre mobiles, it's good enough now. If granny dies, the parent rings the school and the school send someone to pull the child out of the class. The alternative, of 30 children sitting looking at their phones every time any one of them pings, doesn't work. Teachers are "in loco parentis" for a good reason.

Pre cell phone days looked liked this kids. Keep them with you at all times, Doug McClure is no longer around to save you from those pesky monsters.