Crazy
Notifications OFF
So (apparently) a quarter of 5-7 year olds have a smart phone and despite an age 13 restriction are active on social media!
WHAT - this is absolutely bonkers!
WHAT - this is absolutely bonkers!
Smile. I've just heard the same thing. I'm absolutely speechless. Why the hell does a 5-7yr old need a phone. It scares me to death what they can come across xx
I'm sorry if I tread on someone's toes but what do they need a phone for - with so many wonderful experiences to be had in childhood.
i just cannot understand why lock them in front of a screen at such a young age.... a screen that potentially is a gate to hell.
Get them outdoors, exploring the world, breathe in fresh air - stamp in muddy puddles, run til your breathless, listen to them read a book, get them involved in sports, what about brownies & cubs.......spend time with your kiddies - it's so precious - goes so quickly....
I could scream out loud when I see kids glued to screens with little interest in what's happening around them. Scream even louder to see their parents also locked into their smartphones...... like zombies.....
it angers me - it scares me......
i just cannot understand why lock them in front of a screen at such a young age.... a screen that potentially is a gate to hell.
Get them outdoors, exploring the world, breathe in fresh air - stamp in muddy puddles, run til your breathless, listen to them read a book, get them involved in sports, what about brownies & cubs.......spend time with your kiddies - it's so precious - goes so quickly....
I could scream out loud when I see kids glued to screens with little interest in what's happening around them. Scream even louder to see their parents also locked into their smartphones...... like zombies.....
it angers me - it scares me......
My 15 year old doesn't have a phone because I'm so scared of what he may come across on it, this situation we all find ourselves in has scared me and I'm definitely not ready for him to enter the world of social media, granted he has adhd along with many other health conditions, so is behind compared to your average 15 year old but It's crazy that 5-7 year olds already have phones.
It's so strange to me as well. If you want your child to be able to call you in case of emergencies just buy them an old phone without any internet access on it...
I guess it's something every generation has to confront, when I was young I had classmates that just sat in front of the TV all day, were allowed to watch everything on there (no comparison to what's on the internet of course). Then when people my age started to have children there was this term "iPad kid", children who just sit in front of the iPad all day and never go outside. These children are now adults and still call themselves that and I know they are saying it a bit tongue in cheek but I find it a bit sad to be honest...
I do think these parents just want the best for their children but they don't know what the dangers are out there. Or they close their eyes to it... there are ways to make phones safe for children (friends of mine for example have a setting where their children cannot download any apps on their phones other than those approved by parents) but I doubt many people are that tech savvy...
And then with my paranoia I always fear that they will suspect something about me and my OH when I bring up that I know a lot about this topic... I'm really stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to speaking up on these topics...
I guess it's something every generation has to confront, when I was young I had classmates that just sat in front of the TV all day, were allowed to watch everything on there (no comparison to what's on the internet of course). Then when people my age started to have children there was this term "iPad kid", children who just sit in front of the iPad all day and never go outside. These children are now adults and still call themselves that and I know they are saying it a bit tongue in cheek but I find it a bit sad to be honest...
I do think these parents just want the best for their children but they don't know what the dangers are out there. Or they close their eyes to it... there are ways to make phones safe for children (friends of mine for example have a setting where their children cannot download any apps on their phones other than those approved by parents) but I doubt many people are that tech savvy...
And then with my paranoia I always fear that they will suspect something about me and my OH when I bring up that I know a lot about this topic... I'm really stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to speaking up on these topics...
I think our anger needs to be vented towards the companies advertising and selling these devices and the government not tightening up the rules more. Parents really do worry about their children being disadvantaged or possibly the parents don't have the wherewithal to have the 'all my friends have one' arguments about phones, tablets etc. I admit I have used a video to 'babysit' my kids now and then when they were small, put on ET or The Lion King so I could have a bit of a break but our VCR player couldn't come out with us anywhere so inevitably wasn't a huge problem and we had lots of other activities, went out lots etc. I think the media report is slightly overdramatised as it includes parents who let their little ones have an old phone of theirs to watch cartoons etc rather than buying them a new phone, but things do escalate and maybe in a few years they will have new phones of their own in which case I dread to think of the consequences unless the powers that be get their acts together with safeguards and maybe laws to protect our children.
PS A very good read about the effect of screen time on our children's developing brain is a book called 'Glow Kids'.
PS A very good read about the effect of screen time on our children's developing brain is a book called 'Glow Kids'.
There is plenty happening in the background with the online safety bill, but unfortunately none of it will be brought in until next year.
The main change will be proper age verification, rather than the tick box that most apps have at the moment, where you can simply lie about your age.
Ofcom has said that they will focus on two groups initially. That will be large companies with lots of users (clearly aimed at the social media giants) and small companies that have the potential to cause great harm, which means the porn and suicide websites.
These apps will have to introduce age verification checks that actually work, or else they will be fined. The reason for the slow progress is that they have to give the companies time to get ready for the changes.
It is going to be a big change, with significant costs to bring in these checks. The smaller companies will probably just block UK users from accessing their apps, rather than pay to introduce age verification checks, which can only be a good thing.
We've already seen this week, that one company hosting deepfake images has blocked access from the UK, after the law here was changed to make distributing these images illegal. It won't stop older children from getting around the blocks, but younger children will find it much harder to get on to social media.
The main change will be proper age verification, rather than the tick box that most apps have at the moment, where you can simply lie about your age.
Ofcom has said that they will focus on two groups initially. That will be large companies with lots of users (clearly aimed at the social media giants) and small companies that have the potential to cause great harm, which means the porn and suicide websites.
These apps will have to introduce age verification checks that actually work, or else they will be fined. The reason for the slow progress is that they have to give the companies time to get ready for the changes.
It is going to be a big change, with significant costs to bring in these checks. The smaller companies will probably just block UK users from accessing their apps, rather than pay to introduce age verification checks, which can only be a good thing.
We've already seen this week, that one company hosting deepfake images has blocked access from the UK, after the law here was changed to make distributing these images illegal. It won't stop older children from getting around the blocks, but younger children will find it much harder to get on to social media.
Thank you Edel - shame these things take so long to implement!
An excellent update edel x