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The Daily PollA SURVEY HAS found that 24% of six-year-olds have their own smartphone.
Polling firm Amárach surveyed 900 parents of children aged five to 17 on behalf of Irish charity CyberSafeKids. The findings were released on Tuesday to mark Safer Internet Day.
It also found that 52% of parents do not feel confident about how to teach their children how to stay safe on the internet.
Alex Cooney, CEO of CyberSafeKids, said it was “alarming” to find that “children as young as 5 are being allowed to use smartphones alone in their bedroom”.
So today we’re asking: What is the right age for a child to own a smartphone?
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It’s also because of disgusting corporations like Meta and TikToxic that openly allow malicious content on its platforms, and refuse to regulate it.
@Dan Skelton: 100%
@Dan Skelton: Zuckerberg at the recent senate hearing was shown when searching for child pornography on one of his platforms users were given two choices . ‘Resources’ ( as in resources to seek help ) or ‘ see content anyway’ ..SEE CONTENT ANYWAY ! These are the people in charge of the social media platforms that children are using .. its beyond fckd up ..
@Brian: Absolutely. But if you say “hello” to someone and upset a snowflake, an instant 30 day ban with no remorse.
@Dan Skelton: You can’t control the offencetaken by the snowflakes nowadays, Look at the state they are in over Taylor Swift..
@Rob Cahill:
Haha nice one Rob
@Brian: and as much as I’m a strong defender of free speech in most spaces especially with the division politics and SM have sown of late – you barely have to go online a few mins these days and you can see harassment, humiliation and violent remarks being made at the drop of a hat. many adult people have lost it
@Dan Skelton: yeh but you can regulate it by not buying kids smartphones with internet connections. It’s in your hands.
Buy a phone with only keypad and basic numbers. That’s all they need. Restrict calls and text numbers to your own.
It’s not hard.
Smartphones not a big issue its the apps are a problem though
@bruce banner: I’ll assume your talking about specific apps .. because a smartphone without apps is just a.. phone.
@William Slevin: no escaping being bullied. At least pre smart phones bullying was somewhat left at the school gate.
Who are the gombeens that said 6 or 7?
Jesus wept.
@Andrew Kenny: pedophiles maybe?
They get bullied if they don’t have one, it’s a lose lose situation…
@Anon.: that’s why some legal restrictions would make sense to have an equal playing field, cause as parents we have a very hard choice between trying to protect the children from the technology vs not making them feel out the group which is extremely important for them in those years
All phones should have cameras, I couldn’t picture myself without one
My 12 year old has a Nokia phone. Just for phone calls. Any parent that give children under 16 a smartphone are just bad parents.
@DavyDoDa: I think you’re wise, that’s less stressful for a child.
They do get addicted to checking their phones and then they expect instant replies, which isn’t realistic.
They could all easily have smart phones but let them have no Internet connection .
@Thom Thumb: A reasonable remark, refreshing to read.
@Thom Thumb: so, a phone then?
I think some adults would come under the same category..
I’m far from the ban everything mindset. Also been around long enough to have witnessed many a moral panic. But smartphones are a different beast. Previously u
@SerotoninWars: argh…hit post by mistake.
Anyway….previously you had one thing causing the supposed ‘problem’ whether that was a heavy metal album or video game. It was usually hysterical and people were well able to tell the difference between entertainment and reality. With smartphones it’s so all encompassing that the effects are numerous. It’s changing behaviours on a scale never seen before. From sexuality to physical issues with RSI, the psychological effects of being inundated continuously with information and the anxiety that comes with 24/7 peer pressure and the feeling of never being switched off with the normal day over. Add to this the exploitative actors pumping young brains with misogyny and other regressive beliefs and it’s clearly a huge problem. The change is seismic.
@SerotoninWars: Well said.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: Cheers Sean. To an extent I understand people being reflexive when there’s a bit of a pile on with regards to new technology. Especially if you’ve lived through many of them already. It’s just such a different beast. As said before if adults are barely coping how will kids manage to? You are so incredibly impressionable at that age. Hardcore porn, exploitative cult leader types, context free information that appears so persuasive and a never ending stream of unrealistic imagery to make you feel even worse at such a fragile time of your life. I’m not sure if banning is the answer but it’s an issue of care and protection at this stage, whatever form that takes.
@SerotoninWars: banning is probably not the best solution, but a bit more oversight would go a long way
@Larissa Caroline Nikolaus: I hear you. I’m not sure if banning really solves anything although it would seem like such an expensive product would be a bit easier to monitor? Of course where there’s a will there’s a way and there’s probably a tonne of possibilities I haven’t thought of. Black market etc. It’s just such a fundamental change to human development and behaviour and you have to wonder how much of the ‘kindness’ of providing smartphones to kids will be viewed in a completely different light when they grow up. Definitely agree about more oversight though. Too much poison for adult brains never mind kids.
Up to their parents to decide
@David Jackman: Should we allow parents to decide if a kid could smoke?
That’s a serious question.
When are parental rights trumped by societal good?
@David Jackman: Not all parents are responsible or sensible.
There’s nobody else with any business deciding for them, but good advice is useful.
In my kids’ school the parents of the 9 -10 year old kids with the phones are the ones to blame, puts the pressure on everybody else. Weak parenting.
Only when someone is smarter than the smartphone should they be allowed to own one…
@Tom Brennan: Ah, if only there was a way to enforce that.
It would remove a certain element from The Journal comment section.
@William Slevin: You could perhaps try to back yours up with a grasp of basic grammar and literacy. It demeans your ghoulish pontificating.
It’s up to the parents. Responsible parents.
@Keth Tgi: Who decides which parents are the responsible ones?
And don’t you know that wealthier parents will be deemed as responsible by default.
When they understand that social media are toxic and addictive by design.
Failing that put it off as long as possible, just accept that you will have to cave in sooner than you want to.
At birth…keep em busy!
Secondary school is time enough for them to have a phone, I have grand kids that have just turned 15 last month and they just got there first mobile phones, they don’t need them in primary school, parents still need to be aware of some of the apps out there and make sure the kids are not on them
I’d say 6th class is fine, handy to text their friends
They don’t need a smartphone to text their friends.
As young as possible, get them used to life’s trials and tribulations
@Cuthbert Richardson:… and here is why some people,regardless of age,should never have a smart phone.
@Brian: Or children
And yet most parents who should know better will bow to pressure from an 8 year old. Imagine being that weak.
Get them on The Journal comments section ASAP :)
Smartphones help make children anti social. They may show risky content. Time spent on smartphones is time away from people, books, real world experience. Children lack the discipline, sense and maturity of adults, adults who also have problems putting down their smartphone. World literacy is down, mental health issues have never been so prevalent. But hey, give smartphones to kids for hours on end to lobotomise them because that’s great parenting.
8
People are annoying. Get a phone.
1
Smartphone s are not good for young kids. I think in my opinion, world be far better without the internet , but can’t turn back time. Makes kids and adults very anti social.
Whenever they’re taught responsible and safe usage of a smartphone and have the maturity to respect boundaries online. The appropriate age will differ wildly from child to child, it’s like asking what age is it safe to leave a child at home alone or to walk home from school.
The obsession around banning before a designated age is completely the wrong approach
have your say