Should young kids have smartphones? These parents in Europe linked arms and said no
9 months, 1 week ago

Should young kids have smartphones? These parents in Europe linked arms and said no

Associated Press  

BARCELONA, Spain — Try saying “no” when a child asks for a smartphone. She polled the parents of her daughters’ grade two years ago and she was surprised to see that “99% of them were as terrified or more so than I was.” She shared the results of her questionnaire, and says that this year, when her daughter started high school, not one student in her grade had a smartphone. “What I try to emphasize to other principals is the importance of joining up with the school next door to you,” says Rachel Harper, principal of St. Patrick’s National School, one of the eight in Greystones to encourage parents to refrain from smartphones for their kids. Children shouldn’t have to worry about things like that.” But if the kids can’t have smartphones, are the parents cutting back their own online time? Capatina, an interior designer, says she shows her kids what she’s been doing online — work, for example, or schedules — “to hold myself accountable.” Laura Borne, a Greystones mom of kids ages 5 and 6 who have never known smartphones, says she is aware of the need to model online behavior — and that she should probably cut back.

Spain Children Kids Parents School Barcelona Smartphones Online Smartphone Schools Young Group Whatsapp Her Daughter Young Kids Greystones Capatina García Permanyer  children  spain  young  parents  kids  arms  linked  smartphone  group  online  schools  europe  smartphones  school

History of this topic

Bid to stop children 'doom scrolling' on social media apps such as TikTok and Snapchat is watered down after Labour ministers oppose tough crackdown
3 weeks, 1 day ago

Bid to stop children 'doom scrolling' on social media apps such as TikTok and Snapchat is watered down after Labour ministers oppose tough crackdown

Daily Mail  

A bid to restrict children's use of smartphones to prevent them 'doom scrolling' on social media has been watered down after ministers opposed the measures. Labour MP Josh MacAlister proposed legislation to protect under-16s from addictive social media content on sites like TikTok and Snapchat. Labour MP Josh MacAlister proposed legislation to protect under-16s from addictive social media content on …

Denmark to ban mobile phones, tablets in schools and after-school clubs for children aged 7 to 17
3 weeks, 3 days ago

Denmark to ban mobile phones, tablets in schools and after-school clubs for children aged 7 to 17

Live Mint  

Denmark is set to ban mobile phones in schools and after-school clubs based on a recommendation of a government commission. The proposed law will prohibit mobile phones during lessons and breaks at primary and lower secondary schools, affecting children aged 7 to 17. "It risks destroying their self-esteem.” Denmark's Wellbeing Commission’s Findings The commission’s research revealed that 94 per cent …

Do bans on smartphones in schools improve mental health?
3 weeks, 6 days ago

Do bans on smartphones in schools improve mental health?

Hindustan Times  

France has not allowed smartphone use in primary or secondary schools since 2018, claiming that it would help children focus, reduce their social-media use and mitigate online bullying. The brain undergoes profound changes during puberty, meaning that any research on the effects of smartphone use needs to consider the developmental age of the children being studied as well as their …

79 Nations banned smartphones in schools amid learning concerns
1 month ago

79 Nations banned smartphones in schools amid learning concerns

India Today  

A total of 79 education systems globally opted for a ban on smartphones in schools as nations persist in debating how they affect teaching and student privacy, according to the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring team. 60 education systems - 30 percent of the entire registered globally had implemented bans on smartphones through different policies and legislation in favour of keeping …

Mobile phone bans in schools not linked to grades or behavior of kids, says study
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Mobile phone bans in schools not linked to grades or behavior of kids, says study

Firstpost  

The study’s lead author, Dr Victoria Goodyear, told BBC, that the findings were not “against the ban of smartphones in schools but “what we’re suggesting is that those bans in isolation are not enough to tackle the negative impacts” Banning smartphones in schools has no real impact on improving grades and behaviours among students, a new study has found. The …

New Brazil law restricts use of smartphones in elementary and high schools
2 months, 2 weeks ago

New Brazil law restricts use of smartphones in elementary and high schools

Live Mint  

SAO PAULO — Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday signed a bill restricting the use of smartphones at school, following a global trend for such limitations. A survey released in October by Brazilian pollster Datafolha said that almost two-thirds of respondents supported banning the use of smartphones by children and teenagers at schools. “There's still a lot …

New Brazil law restricts use of smartphones in elementary and high schools
2 months, 2 weeks ago

New Brazil law restricts use of smartphones in elementary and high schools

Associated Press  

SAO PAULO — Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday signed a bill restricting the use of smartphones at school, following a global trend for such limitations. “We cannot allow humanism to be replaced by algorithms,” Lula said in a closed ceremony at the presidential palace in the capital, Brasilia, adding that the bill “acknowledges the work of …

Brazil restricts use of smartphones in elementary and high schools
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Brazil restricts use of smartphones in elementary and high schools

CNN  

AP — Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday signed a bill restricting the use of smartphones at school, following a global trend for such limitations. A survey released in October by Brazilian pollster Datafolha said that almost two-thirds of respondents supported banning the use of smartphones by children and teenagers at schools. “There’s still a lot of …

Just 18% of teachers think phone ban would improve pupil behaviour – poll
4 months ago

Just 18% of teachers think phone ban would improve pupil behaviour – poll

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Views are clearly mixed about whether mobile phones can be used as learning tools in …

How parents can manage their children's smartphone use
4 months, 2 weeks ago

How parents can manage their children's smartphone use

NL Times  

In today's digital age, smartphones have become an essential part of daily life, not just for adults but also for children. How should parents manage their children's smartphone use, and at what age is it appropriate for a child to have their own smartphone? With the increasing prevalence of smartphones, children are not only exposed to educational content and social …

It’s time to ‘divorce’ your children from their phones
4 months, 2 weeks ago

It’s time to ‘divorce’ your children from their phones

The Independent  

It’s a discussion that has become a weekly occurrence in Soban Bashir’s home: a “game” that many parents will be familiar with – one of stubbornly sticking to your guns, played on both sides. “Social media is doing harm to our kids and I’m calling time on it,” Albanese said during his announcement. “The thing is, asking the internet, rather …

Why parents are buying £19 ‘brick’ phones
4 months, 3 weeks ago

Why parents are buying £19 ‘brick’ phones

The Telegraph  

When Daisy Greenwell discovered that her eight-year-old daughter’s classmates were starting to get smartphones, she was shocked. “We know that there’s something not right about that – how it sucks their attention and all the harms they can experience.” In February, Ms Greenwell set up a local WhatsApp group with a friend to support each other through their decision of …

UK Considers New Smartphone Bans for Children
5 months ago

UK Considers New Smartphone Bans for Children

Wired  

The UK parliament is considering clamping down on how young people use smartphones. A bill brought forward by a Labour member of parliament proposes both banning phones in schools and raising the age at which children can consent to social media companies using their data. Experts on the impact of digital technologies argue that the legislation could end up shutting …

Why parents in this English city are taking a stand against smartphones
5 months, 1 week ago

Why parents in this English city are taking a stand against smartphones

ABC  

They're absolutely everywhere and have become a major battleground for parents and children in the home. "If we're all feeling this way, then actually let's all stick together and if nobody has a mobile phone when they're 11, and the expectation isn't there, then we can hold strong." "I think I'd miss out on stuff because there's lots of stuff …

Banning kids from using smartphones? Yeah, right!
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Banning kids from using smartphones? Yeah, right!

The Independent  

The debate around kids and smartphones has been rumbling on for about as long as they have been in existence. But this so-called Smartphone Free Childhood “pact” currently gaining momentum online – with campaigners urging education secretary Bridget Phillipson to take action to curb the use of smartphones in schools – has particularly irked me. This was especially true for …

Bridget Phillipson urged to take immediate action to curb use of smartphones in schools until age 16
5 months, 2 weeks ago

Bridget Phillipson urged to take immediate action to curb use of smartphones in schools until age 16

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In an open letter to the education secretary, 30 education …

Screens and teens: How phones broke children’s brains
5 months, 3 weeks ago

Screens and teens: How phones broke children’s brains

The Independent  

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about …

Opinion: Los Angeles school kids, get off your damn phones! You'll thank us later
6 months ago

Opinion: Los Angeles school kids, get off your damn phones! You'll thank us later

LA Times  

The Los Angeles Unified School District will ban cellphones in classrooms starting in January. About a week later, I found myself among hundreds of parents in a Zoom meeting that was billed as a chance for Los Angeles Unified School District parents to discuss the district’s new policy banning smartphones during the school day. That realization prompted one father to …

Sweden joins drive against excess screen time
6 months, 1 week ago

Sweden joins drive against excess screen time

China Daily  

Sweden's government has become the latest in Europe to work on drafting legislation banning mobile phones in schools because of the physical and mental damage being done to young people by excessive screen time. A lack of physical activity linked to excessive screen time was even resulting in youngsters developing physical ailments more usually associated with the elderly, he added, …

Academy with 35,000 pupils becomes first in England to ban smartphones
6 months, 1 week ago

Academy with 35,000 pupils becomes first in England to ban smartphones

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Ormiston Academies Trust’s chief executive said the move was …

France looking to ban phones in school
6 months, 4 weeks ago

France looking to ban phones in school

China Daily  

France is to try out a ban on mobile phones at school for students aged 15 and under in an effort to give youngsters a "digital pause". The report noted what it said was "a very clear consensus on the direct and indirect negative effects of digital devices on sleep, on being sedentary, a lack of physical activity, and the …

France looking to ban phones in school
6 months, 4 weeks ago

France looking to ban phones in school

China Daily  

By JULIAN SHEA in London | China Daily Global | Updated: 2024-08-29 09:41 France is to try out a ban on mobile phones at school for students aged 15 and under in an effort to give youngsters a "digital pause". The report noted what it said was "a very clear consensus on the direct and indirect negative effects of digital …

Do not give smartphones to children under 11, EE advises
7 months ago

Do not give smartphones to children under 11, EE advises

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The EE advice recommends that primary school children are not given smartphones with access to …

American parents want their children to have phones in schools
7 months, 2 weeks ago

American parents want their children to have phones in schools

Live Mint  

“It’s like they don’t trust us,” says Eva King, a 14-year-old pupil at Alice Deal Middle School in Washington, DC. “It would be unrealistic to expect that one thing—social media—is driving adolescent mental health.” Most parents want their children to have phones available at school. In February the National Parents Union, an advocacy group, polled 1,506 public-school parents and found …

When should teenagers get a phone and how can families delay their child joining social media?
8 months ago

When should teenagers get a phone and how can families delay their child joining social media?

ABC  

Aalia Elachi was eight when some of her friends started getting smartphones, prompting her to ask her parents for one, too. Now nearly 15, Aalia still doesn't have a phone or use social media, something she and her parents say they're grateful for. Professor Haidt, whose latest book is The Anxious Generation, argues that children old enough to have progressed …

Pressure mounts on Labour over smartphones after survey raises concerns on usage by children
8 months ago

Pressure mounts on Labour over smartphones after survey raises concerns on usage by children

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “But I do think I will sit down with anyone to look at how we’ll …

Labour WON'T ban mobile phones for under-16s despite calls from Brianna Ghey's mother - as Keir Starmer hints at controls on social media
8 months, 2 weeks ago

Labour WON'T ban mobile phones for under-16s despite calls from Brianna Ghey's mother - as Keir Starmer hints at controls on social media

Daily Mail  

Keir Starmer has said he is not in favour of banning mobile phone for under-16s - but hinted at controls on social media use. Asked whether he limits his 13-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son's mobile phone use, Sir Keir told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'Our children have mobile phones and I'm not in favour of simply banning them for children …

Opinion: Smartphones have silenced kids, and that isn’t a good thing. Hooray for LAUSD’s ban
9 months ago

Opinion: Smartphones have silenced kids, and that isn’t a good thing. Hooray for LAUSD’s ban

LA Times  

A high school student look at her phone in 2019. Now, our letter writers are once again united, but this time in praise: With barely any exceptions, they’re writing in approval of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s ban on phones during the school day. To the editor: I just finished my 29th year teaching high school English and would …

Should young kids have smartphones? These parents in Europe linked arms and said no
9 months, 1 week ago

Should young kids have smartphones? These parents in Europe linked arms and said no

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. That’s the endgame of an increasing number of parents …

Opinion: Why LAUSD should ban smartphones in schools
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Opinion: Why LAUSD should ban smartphones in schools

LA Times  

Smartphones in schools are distracting for students, and honor codes dictating no phone use make more work for teachers and staff who then have to police their use. In psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s book, “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Creating an Epidemic of Mental Illness,” he shows how the use of smartphones and social media, as …

MPs call for next government to consider smartphone ban for under-16s
10 months ago

MPs call for next government to consider smartphone ban for under-16s

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The House of Commons Education Committee said tougher guidance on mobile phones in schools …

'Our children should be nowhere near a smartphone': Families back teachers' calls to ban mobile phones for kids under 14 because they're 'dangerous'
10 months ago

'Our children should be nowhere near a smartphone': Families back teachers' calls to ban mobile phones for kids under 14 because they're 'dangerous'

Daily Mail  

Parents and grandparents in St Albans have lent their support to plans for the city to become Britain's first smartphone-free area for children aged under 14. Email: tips@dailymail.com ** Grandparents Karen and Steve Mitchell, 64 and 65, said smartphones posed a danger – but it is a 'good idea' to have a basic phone at secondary school for contacting their …

The government should fund phone lockers in schools to stop children from using them during the day, Tory MPs urge Rishi Sunak
10 months, 3 weeks ago

The government should fund phone lockers in schools to stop children from using them during the day, Tory MPs urge Rishi Sunak

Daily Mail  

Tory MPs last night urged Rishi Sunak to fund the installation of mobile phone lockers in schools to prevent children from using them during the day. Education Secretary Gillian Keegan issued new guidance to schools in February urging head teachers to ban the use of smartphones in schools, including during break periods. In their letter today, MPs urge the PM …

What you should know about teenagers and screen time
10 months, 3 weeks ago

What you should know about teenagers and screen time

The Economist  

Listen to this podcast Your browser does not support the <audio> element. Nevertheless, demands are growing to proactively restrict teenagers’ access to phones and social media, just in case. Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Tom Wainwright, The Economist’s technology and media editor; Clare Fernyhough, co-founder of Smartphone Free Childhood; Carol Vidal of Johns Hopkins University; …

Why banning mobile phones in schools is good for the kids
11 months, 1 week ago

Why banning mobile phones in schools is good for the kids

Live Mint  

Ask any parent about the time their kids spend on mobile devices, and you’ll likely hear the same refrain: It’s too much. Prompted by findings like these — and common sense — the British government announced this month that it will instruct schools to prohibit the use of mobile phones during the school day. A 2022 analysis of more than …

The race to make smartphones illegal for children under 16 – and why it matters
11 months, 2 weeks ago

The race to make smartphones illegal for children under 16 – and why it matters

The Telegraph  

When Steve Jobs climbed onto a stage in San Francisco to unveil the first iPhone in 2007, he promised a revolution. Soon after, most children who had the pocket money, or willing parents, had ditched their “dumb” flip phones or “bricks” and picked up a smartphone – with the darkest recesses of the internet a few taps away, and widespread …

Majority of parents want ban on smartphones for children under 16
1 year ago

Majority of parents want ban on smartphones for children under 16

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. A huge majority of parents of primary school children back …

Getting a mobile phone ‘a rite of passage’ for children, says schools minister
1 year ago

Getting a mobile phone ‘a rite of passage’ for children, says schools minister

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Getting a mobile phone between primary and secondary school has become …

Why can’t we have truly phone-free schools? Ask my students’ parents.
1 year ago

Why can’t we have truly phone-free schools? Ask my students’ parents.

Slate  

Recently, one of my ninth grade English students told me her parents rewarded her for making the honor roll by allowing her to text them during class. Yet many expect constant contact with their kids during class, even if they’re aware of school cellphone policies, and school officials point to parents as the main obstacle to banning phones in schools. …

’Today we help….’: UK PM bans mobile phones across England schools
1 year, 1 month ago

’Today we help….’: UK PM bans mobile phones across England schools

Live Mint  

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has banned mobile phones across all schools in England. PM Sunka said schools that have already banned mobile phones on their campuses have led to a 'better learning' environment'. While many schools around the UK are already prohibiting mobile phone use with great results, the British government said the new guidance will ensure there is …

Ban mobiles in school? Eton has a better answer
1 year, 1 month ago

Ban mobiles in school? Eton has a better answer

The Independent  

I think I’ve now worked out what’s wrong with the government’s new guidelines on “banning” mobile phones from schools – they’re actually not guidelines at all. Thus, the department suggests a range of options, all glaringly obvious: a) No mobile phones on the school premises; b) Mobile phone handed in on arrival; c) Mobile phones kept in secure location, which …

Ministers push ban on mobile phones in school – even on breaks
1 year, 1 month ago

Ministers push ban on mobile phones in school – even on breaks

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In new guidance, they say headteachers “can and should identify …

How children torment teachers with smartphones – by one who has been a victim
1 year, 5 months ago

How children torment teachers with smartphones – by one who has been a victim

The Independent  

A trainee teacher in the maths department was shifting from foot to foot outside the head of year 9’s office, glancing down anxiously at his phone. This is policy death warmed up – the Tories have mooted banning mobile phones from schools twice in the last three years, stopping because the majority of schools had lost patience with waiting for …

Blanket ban of mobile phones in schools across England ‘unenforceable’
1 year, 5 months ago

Blanket ban of mobile phones in schools across England ‘unenforceable’

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Plans to introduce a blanket ban on pupils using mobile …

Government to ban mobile phones in schools - even on breaks
1 year, 5 months ago

Government to ban mobile phones in schools - even on breaks

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Many schools already have measures in place to restrict mobile phone access and the …

Should there be a blanket ban on smartphones in schools?
1 year, 7 months ago

Should there be a blanket ban on smartphones in schools?

The Hindu  

India has 1.2 billion mobile phone users and over 600 million smartphone users. In an advisory dated August 10, titled “Restrictions on the use of mobile phones in school premises under rule 43 of DSER 1973”, the Directorate of Education, Private School Branch, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, has highlighted the need for all stakeholders connected with school …

China proposes to limit children’s smartphone time to a maximum of 2 hours a day
1 year, 7 months ago

China proposes to limit children’s smartphone time to a maximum of 2 hours a day

Associated Press  

BEIJING — China’s internet watchdog has laid out regulations to curb the amount of time children spend on their smartphones, in the latest blow to firms such as Tencent and ByteDance, which run social media platforms and online games. The Cyberspace Administration of China on Wednesday published the draft guidelines on its site, stating that minors would not be allowed …

China to limit teenagers’ smartphone use to two hours a day
1 year, 7 months ago

China to limit teenagers’ smartphone use to two hours a day

The Telegraph  

China is set to limit teenagers’ use of smartphones to two hours a day in one of the most stringent crackdowns on technology addiction among children in the world. The watchdog said the minor mode programmes mark an upgraded version of the “teenager mode” that was introduced in 2019, in what officials said at the time was a bid to …

Study shares findings on students' smartphone habits
1 year, 8 months ago

Study shares findings on students' smartphone habits

China Daily  

Young students in China have relatively low levels of mobile phone addiction, but it still has significant negative impact on their sleep and memory, according to a recent study. Around 80 percent of primary and secondary school students do not have mobile phone addiction, which can be attributed to strict restrictions on phone use at schools, the study said. The …

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