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One of Britain’s largest cellular community operators stated on Sunday it would warn dad and mom they need to not give smartphones to youngsters below the age of 11.
The new steering comes after rising concern from dad and mom in regards to the potential pitfalls of smartphone entry for younger individuals.
A latest examine by the UK communications regulator discovered round 1 / 4 of British youngsters aged between 5 and seven-years-old now had a smartphone.
EE will say in new steering that youngsters ought to solely be given telephones with “restricted functionality units” permitting them solely to textual content and name.
It may even advise enabling parental management options for teenagers below the age of 16 and restrictions on social media for the under-13s.
UK dad and mom have more and more began to push again in opposition to the pattern of giving youngsters one of many units once they switch from main to secondary college on the age of 11.
Widely justified on security grounds in case of an emergency on the way in which to or from college, dad and mom concern the telephones additionally doubtlessly open youngsters as much as on-line predators, bullying, social strain and dangerous content material.
“While know-how and connectivity have the facility to remodel lives, we acknowledge the rising complexity of smartphones might be difficult for fogeys and caregivers,” stated Mat Sears, EE company affairs director.
“They want assist, which is why we’re launching new tips on smartphone utilization for below 11s, 11 to 13-year-olds, and 13 to 16-year-olds to assist them make the very best selections for his or her youngsters by these adolescence.”
US writer Jonathan Haidt — whose latest e-book “The Anxious Generation” argued that smartphones have rewired youngsters’s brains — has urged dad and mom to behave collectively on smartphone entry so it turns into the norm for kids to not have one.
A baby “breaks our coronary heart” by telling us they’re excluded from their peer group by being the one one and not using a cellphone, he stated earlier this yr.
Haidt advocates for no good telephones earlier than the age of 14 or social media earlier than 16.
“These issues are exhausting to do as one father or mother. But if all of us do it collectively — if even half of us do it collectively — then it turns into a lot simpler for our youngsters,” he added.
© 2024 AFP
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Don’t give smartphones to children below 11, UK cell phone agency says (2024, August 26)
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