Polls show significant support for curb to protect children but some Tories uneasy with idea of government ‘microparenting’
  • Deebster@programming.devEnglish
    0·
    3 months ago

    This is throwing the baby out with the bath water. The problems aren’t with mobile computing, but with social media and free-to-play games abusing the science of addiction to create psychological dependencies in users (and children are especially vulnerable to this). Even the timing of your notifications can and are used to manipulate you.

  • kirbowo808@kbin.melroy.org
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    3 months ago

    LOL as if that’s gonna stop them from owning smartphones, teenagers don’t even have that much money to even pay for it to begin with cuz they’re school kids, so it’s always the parents that pay for it anyways. This proposed legalisation is literally not going to do anything.

    • DrCake@lemmy.worldEnglish
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      3 months ago

      Sounds like they are just chucking any shit policies at the wall to see what sticks

    • ReCursing@kbin.social
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      3 months ago

      Recent news Everything suggests that the ones who should be banned from smartphones are MPs.

      FTFY

  • steeznson@lemmy.worldEnglish
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    3 months ago

    I can’t believe that parents prefer to wait for legislation to ban smartphones instead of refusing to buy one for their offspring. I get the network effect of having all the other kids with phones but at the same time if that is the only motivation for buying one for your kid then you must not care that much about their dangers.

    • 9point6@lemmy.worldEnglish
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      3 months ago

      I think the thing I’ve seen oft repeated is that if all the other kids have phones too, by depriving your child of one, you’re essentially dooming them to being an outcast of their peers because most socialising happens via the phone.

      • steeznson@lemmy.worldEnglish
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        3 months ago

        Given the amount of parents who are happy to buy their kids alcohol and GTA videogames I wonder if the social pressure would vanish overnight.

        • 9point6@lemmy.worldEnglish
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          3 months ago

          Oh absolutely not, it would probably need to be a generational change in order for it to stand a chance of being effective, Pandora’s box is already open for the current generation of kids

    • Jho@feddit.ukEnglish
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      3 months ago

      I get the network effect of having all the other kids with phones.

      I don’t think the network effect is the only factor to consider here. Kids are at real risk of social ostracization and bullying by their peers if they do not have a smartphone. And that’s dangeous in of itself.

      I’m not sure if the dangers of being ostricised and bullied are more significant than the dangers presented by owning a smartphone. Either way, I don’t think it’s a simple decision for a parent to make.

      • steeznson@lemmy.worldEnglish
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        3 months ago

        I think that qualifies as being a severe network effect. Point taken though. In those cases would recommend the parents spend 5 minutes configuring the parental controls before handing the phone over.

  • Lad@reddthat.comEnglish
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    3 months ago

    Teaching kids about responsible use of smartphones and social media, and using the available parental controls, is the right way to go about making sure kids are safe.

    Trying to stop kids from getting their hands on smartphones is a laughable policy idea. Social media is ubiquitous with modern day youth, they will find a way to access it one way or another.

    • xlash123@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
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      3 months ago

      That, and regulating how social media companies can operate their platforms to reduce addictive behaviors.