“Can’t we just ban smartphones or at least social media for children?” is a question often asked of us as we deliver talks to concerned parents across the country. Surely it would be so much simpler if the Government took the decision out of parents’ hands and made it illegal?
To ban or not to ban access for children seems increasingly to be the question of the moment. A simple question with a “yes” or “no” answer, right? Smartphones have been likened to cigarettes and alcohol, and so the argument follows that if those things are deemed unsuitable for children, then why can’t we follow suit for online access?
Well, maybe, but will it solve the problem? It certainly won’t make the online world safer – there would be no incentive for the big tech companies to make it safer for everyone if children are totally banned. They are falling very short in terms of any duty of care for children using the online environments they’ve created (and are profiting hugely from). That can and must change. If a child is in a public playground, there are standards in place to ensure everything in that space is safe and appropriate. We need to take that same approach online, with both high standards for protection for those under 16, and meaningful accountability for when things go wrong.
Banning access also puts all the onus on parents to be the gatekeepers. We can see from our own research that there are vastly different approaches to parenting children online, with many giving full and unfettered access from a (too) young age. According to Left to Their Own Devices, our trends and usage report for the last academic year, it is more likely for an 11-year-old to have a smartphone in 2024 than in the previous year (59 per cent), and 71 per cent of them have their own social media/messaging account in their own name: this is despite minimum age restrictions of 13 on most platforms.
[ More than 80% of primary school-aged children have smartphones in their bedroomOpens in new window ]
If you look at the new data we’re releasing today to mark Safer Internet Day, you’ll see that 82 per cent of the 2,000 children (aged eight to 12) said they have “no rules in place” for device use in bedrooms, and 28 per cent of children told us that they can go online “whenever they want to”. Only 35 per cent of children said their parents or caregivers could see what they are doing online.
An important message to parents and caregivers is that if you’re going to ban anything, ban devices from bedrooms: they disrupt sleep, and you have no idea what your children are getting up to online. One 11-year-old boy told us in a focus group discussion that we conducted, “my mam turns off the PlayStation at 11 or 12 at night, but then I just go on my tablet”. A number of children told us they regularly sleep with their phone under their pillow. Regardless of when or where they saw, if a child sees something that bothers them online, it’s essential to reassure them that they come to you and share it.
Even with a legislative ban, to what extent would children really be banned from the online world? When Australia announced its proposal to ban social media for under-16s, there were notable exclusions such as YouTube, WhatsApp and gaming platforms. Online harm occurs significantly in these places too and via devices other than smartphones – including exposure to sexual and violent content, bullying and online predators. Where would the line be drawn?
It’s also worth considering whether children have a right to access the online world, as is clearly laid out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In the Australian case, 140 international children’s rights experts came together to write a strongly-worded letter against the proposals from a child rights perspective.
Unlike access to, say, cigarettes, there are genuine benefits to growing up in a digital age and having access to the online world. We saw that during the lockdowns of the Covid-19 era, when it provided a vital lifeline to so many, including to children, when so much of their world was limited.
[ Millions of children use Roblox – but this digital playground has a dark sideOpens in new window ]
To be clear, I’m in favour of children being able to access the online world – but with caveats; that they are treated as children while online and protected accordingly, that they’re benefiting from ongoing digital media literacy/online safety education in school. Access should come with parental supervision and ground rules, including the one earlier stated about keeping device use out of bedrooms. It’s really a battle worth having in terms of your child’s device use.
We put restrictions on so many other areas of children’s lives offline – where they can go, and what they can do – and we need to take that same approach online. They should not get access until they (and we) are ready for it, and that might mean holding off the temptation to give a child a smartphone for their birthday. The key is also not to give them access to apps such as Snapchat or TikTok just because of social pressure.
So perhaps a better question would be: how can children thrive both offline and online? There may not be one simple answer to that question, but it’s much easier to see the solutions when it is framed that way. It’s high time that we put those solutions in place.
Alex Cooney is the CEO of CyberSafeKids, cybersafekids.ie
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