“I don’t know if a complete ban is the way forward or if it’s even possible.”
Jemima Headey, from north-west London, is one of many parents whose children are facing new school rules around mobile phone use.
Sixty schools in north London are revising their phone policies following a campaign by the Smartphone Free Childhood (SFC) charity.
The charity also encourages parents to delay buying smartphones until their children are at least 14 years old and delay giving them access to social media until they are 16.
BBC London asked parents, some of whom are SFC activists, for their thoughts on children using smartphones.
Gemma also said this was an important conversation.
“The internet and social media have positive aspects, but children need to be able to use them safely,” she says.
“I think we need to put pressure on governments, telcos and big tech companies to protect young people.”
The charity is also guiding parents through other types of phones, such as ‘brick’ phones that only allow calls and text messages, and other models that allow access to podcasts and music but no internet access. Masu.
Some parents, like Carla Francom, struggle.
Her children are 7 and 9 years old.
“I think middle school is the right age to give kids phones because we want them to call us if they have a problem, but we want them to have the old ‘brick’ phones.” she said.
“This is very difficult because I want them to have access to the map, but not to anything else. Otherwise they’ll be friends all night.” And what will you do?
“That being said, that’s my job. So if it’s good enough for me, why shouldn’t I let my kids do it?”
Meanwhile, Fiona Dear from Bounds Green said: “I think social media is really harmful and you have to constantly check your phone. I don’t know how teenagers can really cope with that.” Ta.
Schools that have implemented or are working on banning smartphones in class include private, state, elementary, and middle schools.
Belmont School in Mill Hill, King Alfred School in Hampstead and Queen’s Park Community School (QPCS) in Brent have completely removed smartphones from their schools and only have basic ‘brick’ phones (offering only text messages and calls). He said he agreed to allow it. S.F.C.
At Queen’s Park Community School, a secondary school with more than 1,300 pupils, also in Brent, if a smartphone is seen it will be confiscated for six weeks, while if a brick phone is seen it will be kept in custody for just one day. .
Stacey Holohan has an 11-year-old son who uses his smartphone to make phone calls but doesn’t have social media.
Cell phones are also banned at his school, which she agrees with, but she also doesn’t think they should wait until the child is 14.
Stacey said: “They go to school and some of them travel very far. How will they contact their parents if something happens?”
“What if there’s an accident and I’m late? That would be safer for my parents.”
Eliza Kligman is a parent from Haringey and an active campaigner for SFC.
She told us that she plans to talk to parents about the importance of having a cell phone in environments without internet access and give them the option to consider alternatives to smartphones.
“The evidence is there,” she said.
“Smartphone use is associated with and contributes to the mental health epidemic among young people.”
Nova Eden, SFC’s North London Regional Leader, says the aim is to help children because childhood is short and takes away valuable time that could be spent in more fulfilling ways, such as spending time with family or learning new skills. The key is to prioritize how you spend your time.
“What we’re saying is not ‘never’, just not ‘yet,'” she said.
“Children’s brains are still developing, but it’s much healthier to enjoy childhood through play rather than being glued to a smartphone or social media.
“Our campaign is not suggesting that people stop using their phones, but rather that they are aware of the dangers of having the internet in a child’s pocket 12 hours a day, where they can call, text and have access to strangers. Instead, they are proposing brick phones and flip phones.
“Kids don’t need smartphones. Kids need childhood.”
More than 2,500 parents from around 200 schools in north London have pledged their support, and hundreds of thousands of parents across the country have joined the campaign, the SFC said.
In north London, the campaign has focused on schools in Barnet and Haringey, but will now turn its attention to Ealing.
As the SFC highlights, delaying smartphone use can go a long way in protecting children’s mental health, but there are other factors to consider.
Do we need to learn healthy digital habits too?
Dr. Faye Beghety, a neurologist and neuroscientist, emphasizes the importance of this.
She said on Instagram that we need to understand why cell phones need to be removed from classrooms so that children develop healthier digital habits as they get older. .
She shared the following tips on how to accomplish this (also for parents).
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turn off notifications
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Keep your phone in a fixed place/room (i.e. don’t carry it around the house, have a place specifically where you go to check your phone)
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If you have the urge to check, wait 5 minutes and see if the feeling has gone
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If you want to spend less time on social media, try logging out of it every time you use it so you don’t have to quickly check it.
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Once you remove an app from your phone’s home screen, you will have to search for it.
Source: The Phone Fix book, by Dr. Faye Begetty
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