Cellphones and smartphones have become an integral part of our social interaction, education and leisure, so banning them outright, as some parents did when the technology first arrived, is not an option, says Camilla Barrow, co-owner of Out of the Box IT in Durban. What is necessary is to assess when they’re ready for them, educate them, give them guidelines and set limits.
According to the Pew Research Center in the US, the average age for a child to get their first smartphone is now 10 years, but Internet Matters reports that 65% of children aged 8 to 11 have their own smartphone in the UK, and a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests 75% of children in the US already have their own mobile device by the age of four.
It’s harder to establish statistics in South Africa, but it’s expected that we’re following close behind as mobile usage is burgeoning on the continent. “Even my three-year-old nephew had a second-hand iPhone until it broke,” says Barrow. “There are even devices aimed specifically at this very young market like the FiLIP smartphone and locator.”
So when is the right time?
There is no perfect age for all children to be allowed a cellphone, say leading international experts, such as Dr Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Centre in the US. “It has to do with the maturity of the child, how the cellphone is being used, and the parent’s ability to understand how the child is using the phone,” she told Digital Trends.
In deciding if your child is ready, you need to ask yourself two key questions:
1. What does my child need a cellphone for?
“If it’s to keep in contact so you can check they’re safe or to arrange lifts, a basic cellphone rather than a smartphone with Internet connectivity is the safest option, and possibly the best one for children under 12,” says Jenny Perkel, a clinical psychologist and parental guidance specialist in Cape Town. “Cellphones can be particularly useful for children of divorce, giving them contact with both parents.”
If it’s to research homework once they start high school, to arrange extra-murals, play games and socialise through social media, you need to decide if your child is mature and responsible enough to keep an expensive smartphone safe – and more importantly, to keep themselves safe.
2. What are the potential dangers?
“Smartphones are minicomputers, and accessing pornography inadvertently or deliberately, sharing inappropriate personal information or photographs, encountering social media bullies or Internet predators who may groom them for abuse under false identities, are all potential risks and need to be discussed with them,” says Perkel.
“But if you install privacy settings and parental control safety software, you can obviate many,” advises Barrow. Net Nanny, for example, can block porn, inappropriate websites, apps and violent games, and filter out hate speech, gambling and swearing. “We’ve had great success assisting parents set up the Qustodia app, that allows monitoring of social media sites, blocks unwanted content and gives browsing history and much more,” says Barrow.
A more insidious and controversial risk is children becoming ‘addicted’ to cellphones, says Perkel. In a study of high school pupils by Unisa professor Deon Tustin through the Youth Research Unit of the Bureau of Market Research, 80% of pupils said they were “highly dependent” on their cellphones, 78% felt anxious when they couldn’t find them, 20% admitted stealing money for airtime or data, and 10% said they had used their cellphones to send naked pictures of themselves.
“The solution here is for parents to establish ‘digital hygiene’ practices,” Perkel says. Allow children access to their phones only for certain hours, ensuring they’re not used in place of real-time interactions with family and friends, outdoor activities and exercise, and aren’t used at social gatherings, meal times, or from an hour before bed. Explain your reasons, set clear rules with consequences, and follow through.
“I think parents should put more focus on the other activities, such as sport and real-life social interaction, rather than putting big policies in place to prevent cellphone use,” says Barrow. “Rather encourage the good stuff than nag about the bad – you’ll definitely get more response.”
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