Urgent warning over children ‘doom scrolling’ for hours a day
2 months, 1 week ago

Urgent warning over children ‘doom scrolling’ for hours a day

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter 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 equivalent of “seatbelt” legislation is needed for children and their social media use to help them manage addictive content, according to former teacher Josh MacAlister. Pepe Di’lasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Smartphones and the instant access they provide to harmful content is nothing short of a public health emergency for children and young people.” He added: “It is not enough to rely solely on parents and schools teaching children about the dangers of smartphones. We have reached a point where regulation is required over their sale and the conduct of online platforms.” Mobile network EE has issued guidance suggesting that primary school children are not given smartphones with access to the internet and social media sites In February, schools in England were given guidance under the former Conservative government intended to stop the use of mobile phones during the school day, but it is currently non-statutory. Mr MacAlister, who led an independent review into children’s social care for the former government, said: “The evidence is mounting that children doom scrolling for hours a day is causing widespread harm.

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History of this topic

Proposed California law would require warning labels on social media
2 weeks ago

Proposed California law would require warning labels on social media

LA Times  

Victoria Hinks watched her daughter get sucked into the dark sides of social media, and she couldn’t pull her out. Rob Bonta and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan in announcing proposed legislation that would require social media companies to warn California users their platforms could pose risks to the mental health and well-being of young people. In an op-ed published in the …

Texas weighs social media bans for minors as schools and police face challenges
2 weeks, 3 days ago

Texas weighs social media bans for minors as schools and police face challenges

Associated Press  

As school districts struggle to control the spread of cyberbullying, sexual abuse images and online exploitation among their students, Texas lawmakers could consider banning social media from minors, among other sweeping measures, in the upcoming legislative session. While they welcome any efforts to reduce harm to children, school officials and cybercrime investigators say more needs to be done to hold …

Parents urged to be vigilant about children’s online safety over Christmas
2 weeks, 4 days ago

Parents urged to be vigilant about children’s online safety over Christmas

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Parents have been urged to remain vigilant about their children’s online safety over …

Australia imposes world's-first ban on social media for children below 16 years
Top News
3 weeks, 3 days ago

Australia imposes world's-first ban on social media for children below 16 years

India Today  

In a landmark decision, Australia has passed a law that effectively bans social media usage for children under the age of 16, making it the first country to implement such sweeping regulations. The new law, which was passed in Parliament earlier this week, requires social media platforms to enforce stricter age verification measures, ensuring that children below 16 are unable …

Australia pushes for social media ban for kids under 16: Here are the rules
3 weeks, 5 days ago

Australia pushes for social media ban for kids under 16: Here are the rules

India Today  

Australia took a major step toward banning social media for children under 16 on Wednesday, with the lower house of Parliament passing a bill aimed at implementing some of the toughest online controls globally. The bill passed with bipartisan support, securing 102 votes to 13, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government pushes for swift enactment before the year’s end. Here …

It’s Time to Make the Internet Safer for Kids
3 weeks, 6 days ago

It’s Time to Make the Internet Safer for Kids

Wired  

In the real world, we have more than a century of experience figuring out how to share the world with children in order to keep them safe while still allowing adults to engage in adult-only activities, particularly those involving sex, violence, and addictive substances. However, following the temperance movement’s efforts to publicize alcohol’s harmful effects on families, women, and children, …

Is a “digital duty of care” enough to protect young people from social media’s harms?
1 month ago

Is a “digital duty of care” enough to protect young people from social media’s harms?

ABC  

Since the start of November, the Australian government has made two significant announcements aimed at addressing the harms that social media platforms are causing to the mental health of adolescents: that it will legislate a minimum age of 16 for access to social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X; that it will legislate a minimum age of 16 …

It’s time to ‘divorce’ your children from their phones
1 month, 1 week 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 …

New, strengthened Online Safety Act needed to protect children, charity says
1 month, 4 weeks ago

New, strengthened Online Safety Act needed to protect children, charity says

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. “Almost seven years after Molly’s death, we urgently need ministers …

UK Considers New Smartphone Bans for Children
2 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 …

Children ‘doom scrolling’ on phones for hours a day causing widespread harm – MP
2 months, 1 week ago

Children ‘doom scrolling’ on phones for hours a day causing widespread harm – MP

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. Smartphones and the instant access they provide to harmful content …

6 Big Screen-Time Myths That Need To Be Busted
3 months ago

6 Big Screen-Time Myths That Need To Be Busted

Huff Post  

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends, essentially, no screen time for babies under 18 months of age. “Achievement in a video game is so much easier and entertaining than studying for a test.” If your child is struggling in school or with their friends, that’s a bigger warning sign than going over their screen time limit, Kanojia said. “Our study …

Academy with 35,000 pupils becomes first in England to ban smartphones
3 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 …

Children and young teenagers could be banned from using social media, minister says
3 months, 1 week ago

Children and young teenagers could be banned from using social media, minister says

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. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Children in the …

American parents want their children to have phones in schools
4 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 …

Pressure mounts on Labour over smartphones after survey raises concerns on usage by children
4 months, 4 weeks 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 …

What to know about the Kids Online Safety Act that just passed the Senate
5 months ago

What to know about the Kids Online Safety Act that just passed the Senate

Associated Press  

The last time Congress passed a law to protect children on the internet was in 1998 — before Facebook, before the iPhone and long before today’s oldest teenagers were born. KOSA would create a “duty of care” — a legal term that requires companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm — for online platforms minors will likely use. Even …

Opinion: Smartphones have silenced kids, and that isn’t a good thing. Hooray for LAUSD’s ban
6 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 …

California governor wants to restrict smartphone usage in schools
6 months ago

California governor wants to restrict smartphone usage in schools

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that he wants to restrict students’ usage of smartphones during the school day, citing the mental health risks of social media. “We support legislation which empowers school leaders to make policy decisions at a local level that reflect their community’s concerns and what’s necessary to support their students,” spokesperson Troy Flint …

Social media warning label sought by U.S. surgeon general Vivek Murthy, asks congress to act
6 months ago

Social media warning label sought by U.S. surgeon general Vivek Murthy, asks congress to act

The Hindu  

The U.S. surgeon general has called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms, similar to those now mandatory on cigarette boxes. In a Monday opinion piece in the The New York Times, Dr. Vivek Murthy said that social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young people. “It is time to require a …

Keeping children safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids
6 months ago

Keeping children safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids

Associated Press  

At what age should kids be on social media? For years, there has been a push among parents, educators and tech experts to wait to give children phones — and access to social media — until they are older, such as the “Wait Until 8th” pledge that has parents sign a pledge not to give their kids a smartphone until …

Surgeon general calls for social media warning labels and calls on Congress to act
6 months ago

Surgeon general calls for social media warning labels and calls on Congress to act

Associated Press  

The U.S. surgeon general has called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms and their effects on young people’s lives, similar to those now mandatory on cigarette boxes. “It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents. A surgeon …

Surgeon general calls on Congress to require social media warning labels, like those on cigarettes
6 months ago

Surgeon general calls on Congress to require social media warning labels, like those on cigarettes

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 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. Please try again later {{ …

LAUSD, fed up with kids distracted by social media, to consider cellphone ban
6 months ago

LAUSD, fed up with kids distracted by social media, to consider cellphone ban

LA Times  

The Los Angeles Unified School District board is considering a resolution that would ban student cellphone use. It directs staff to “develop and present to the public” policies that would prohibit student use of cellphones and social media “during the entire school day,” including lunch and breaks. “Simply put, they make kids more depressed and just plain dumber.” District high …

US surgeon general calls for warning labels on social media platforms
6 months ago

US surgeon general calls for warning labels on social media platforms

Al Jazeera  

The United States surgeon general has called on Congress to require social media platforms to carry warning labels on their effects on young people’s lives, similar to those now mandatory on cigarette boxes. “It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents. …

The government puts warnings on tobacco and alcohol. Is social media next? : Consider This from NPR : NPR
6 months ago

The government puts warnings on tobacco and alcohol. Is social media next? : Consider This from NPR : NPR

NPR  

'An unfair fight': The U.S. surgeon general declares war on social media Enlarge this image toggle caption doble-d/Getty doble-d/Getty Emma Lembke was 12 years old when many of her friends started using phones and social media. "Too much time on social media gets in the way of things that we know are good for kids, like getting a lot of …

Opinion: Why LAUSD should ban smartphones in schools
6 months, 1 week 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 …

Keeping children safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Keeping children safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids

The Hindu  

At what age should kids be on social media? For years, there has been a push among parents, educators and tech experts to wait to give children phones — and access to social media — until they are older, such as the “Wait Until 8th” pledge that has parents sign a pledge not to give their kids a smartphone until …

Keeping children safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids
6 months, 2 weeks ago

Keeping children safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids

Associated Press  

At what age should kids be on social media? For years, there has been a push among parents, educators and tech experts to wait to give children phones — and access to social media — until they are older, such as the “Wait Until 8th” pledge that has parents sign a pledge not to give their kids a smartphone until …

Children ‘blackmailed into stripping for strangers’ on daily basis, says MP
7 months, 1 week ago

Children ‘blackmailed into stripping for strangers’ on daily basis, says MP

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. She said: “This Government does have less than a year …

Online safety rules don’t go far enough, bereaved parents say
7 months, 2 weeks ago

Online safety rules don’t go far enough, bereaved parents say

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. The intervention from the parents of 11 children, whose …

Editorial: Social media companies refuse to safeguard kids. It’s up to lawmakers now
8 months ago

Editorial: Social media companies refuse to safeguard kids. It’s up to lawmakers now

LA Times  

From state capitols to Washington, D.C., lawmakers are scrambling to come up with regulations that can protect kids from the potential harms of social media, since the platforms have been unwilling to adopt reasonable safeguards themselves. In just the last few months, Florida passed a law banning children under age 14 from having a social media account, Iowa legislators backed …

Quarter of children under seven own smartphones
8 months ago

Quarter of children under seven own smartphones

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In its annual study of children’s relationship with the media and online worlds, Ofcom said the number …

The race to make smartphones illegal for children under 16 – and why it matters
8 months, 1 week 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 boys aged 11-14 ‘exposed to online content that promotes misogyny’
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Majority of boys aged 11-14 ‘exposed to online content that promotes misogyny’

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 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. Every parent knows being online …

Keeping children safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids
10 months, 2 weeks ago

Keeping children safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids

Associated Press  

Social media CEOs got grilled by Senate lawmakers this week in an emotional and often heated hearing about the dangers their platforms pose to children — sexual predators, videos encouraging suicide and glorifying eating disorders, bullying and addictive features, just to name a few. To comply, social media companies have generally banned kids under 13 from signing up for their …

To protect kids, California might require chronological feeds on social media
10 months, 3 weeks ago

To protect kids, California might require chronological feeds on social media

LA Times  

Social media companies design their feeds to be as gripping as possible, with complicated algorithms shuffling posts and ads into a never-ending stream of entertainment. A new California law would require companies to shut off those algorithms by default for users under 18, and implement other mandated tweaks that lawmakers say would reduce the negative mental health effects of social …

UK Government Considers Social Media Restrictions for Under-16s
1 year ago

UK Government Considers Social Media Restrictions for Under-16s

Deccan Chronicle  

Hyderabad: The UK government, led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, is contemplating potential restrictions on social media access for teenagers below the age of 16 in a bid to safeguard them from online harm. Despite the implementation of the Online Safety Act, mandating social media platforms to shield minors from harmful content or face fines up to 10% of global …

Opinion: Kids have been used like guinea pigs on Big Tech’s platforms. How much harm will we tolerate?
1 year, 1 month ago

Opinion: Kids have been used like guinea pigs on Big Tech’s platforms. How much harm will we tolerate?

LA Times  

It should be no surprise that federal politicians favor Big Tech. In the eight years since Russia used Facebook, Instagram and other platforms to interfere in the U.S. presidential election, Congress has done nothing to protect our democracy from assault by bad actors. Section 230, which was created to enable internet platforms to moderate harmful speech online, has been interpreted …

States sue Meta for harming young people's mental health, collecting data on children
1 year, 1 month ago

States sue Meta for harming young people's mental health, collecting data on children

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 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. Please try again later {{ …

Avoid helicopter parenting in the age of digital surveillance
1 year, 2 months ago

Avoid helicopter parenting in the age of digital surveillance

Live Mint  

Last spring, my tween was begging for more freedom, starting with being allowed to walk home from school alone. “The culture of surveillance is shaping our children’s sense of identity and independence—and impacting our mental health, our family’s connectedness, and our ability to self-define in adulthood," Heitner writes. The solution, therefore, is simple: Parents just need to be more on …

Top US health official warns of social media’s risk to children
1 year, 7 months ago

Top US health official warns of social media’s risk to children

Al Jazeera  

US surgeon general calls for tighter regulations and greater research on minors’ use of social media websites. Washington, DC – The United States surgeon general has warned that social media can have a “profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children”, calling for more regulations and research on minors’ use of internet platforms. The advisory highlighted …

8 tips for parents and teens on social media use, from the U.S. surgeon general
1 year, 7 months ago

8 tips for parents and teens on social media use, from the U.S. surgeon general

LA Times  

Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. surgeon general, is calling for “immediate action” by tech companies and lawmakers to protect kids’ and adolescents’ mental health from the harms of social media. “Our children and adolescents don’t have the luxury of waiting years until we know the full extent of social media’s impact,” the surgeon general said in an advisory released Tuesday. …

Column: Smartphones and social media hurt teens. What choice do parents have?
1 year, 7 months ago

Column: Smartphones and social media hurt teens. What choice do parents have?

LA Times  

We can’t keep ignoring social media’s harmful effects on the mental health of young people. “They don’t show you what you want to see –– they show you what you can’t look away from,” Matthew Bergman, founder of the Social Media Victims Law Center, told me. “Parents have this really awful lose-lose tradeoff of maximizing safety for their children on …

US Congress considers new tech regulations: What is on the table?
1 year, 7 months ago

US Congress considers new tech regulations: What is on the table?

Firstpost  

Should TikTok be banned? President Joe Biden said in his February State of the Union speech that “it’s time” to pass bipartisan legislation to impose stricter limits on the collection of personal data and ban targeted advertising to children. AP The idea, the senators say, is that platforms should be “safe by design.” The legislation, which Blumenthal and Blackburn reintroduced …

Kids and social media: Here are tips for concerned parents
1 year, 7 months ago

Kids and social media: Here are tips for concerned parents

Associated Press  

When it comes to social media, families are seeking help. To comply, social media companies have generally banned kids under 13 from signing up for their services, although it’s been widely documented that kids sign up anyway, either with or without their parents’ permission. For years, there has been a push among parents, educators and tech experts to wait to …

Tools parents should know about to keep kids safe online
2 years, 2 months ago

Tools parents should know about to keep kids safe online

Hindustan Times  

Parents go to great lengths to protect their children. It's crucial for parents to be aware of their child's online activities and use certain tools and options to make sure their child has a safer online experience. Tools parents should know about to keep kids safe online In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Mansi Zaveri, Parenting Expert and Founder and …

California 1st with law protecting children’s online privacy
2 years, 3 months ago

California 1st with law protecting children’s online privacy

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will be the first state to require online companies to put kids’ safety first by barring them from profiling children or using personal information in ways that could harm children physically or mentally, Gov. He noted that as a father of four, “I’m familiar with the real issues our children are experiencing online.” The bill requires …

California first with law protecting children’s online privacy
2 years, 3 months ago

California first with law protecting children’s online privacy

LA Times  

Facebook parent company Meta said it has concerns about some of the law’s provisions but shares lawmakers’ goal of keeping children safe online. He noted that as a father of four, “I’m familiar with the real issues our children are experiencing online.” The bill requires tech companies that provide online services attractive to children to follow age-appropriate design code principles …

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