- cross-posted to:
- technology@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- technology@lemmy.world
Nearly a quarter of UK five-to-seven-year-olds now have their own smartphone, Ofcom research suggests.
Social media use also rose in the age group over last year with nearly two in five using messaging service WhatsApp, despite its minimum age of 13.
The communications regulator warned parental enforcement of rules “appeared to be diminishing.”
It also said the figures should be a “wake up call” for the industry to do more to protect children.
In its annual study of children’s relationship with the media and online worlds, Ofcom said the percentage of children aged between five and seven who used messaging services had risen from 59% to 65%.
The number on social media went up from 30% to 38%, while for livestreams it increased from 39% to 50%. Just over 40% are reported to be gaming online - up from 34% the year before.
Over half of children under 13 used social media, contrary to most of the big platforms’ rules, and many admitted to lying to gain access to new apps and services.
Having a smartphone or social media access by themselves are not an issue. Having unrestricted access to a smartphone as a young child is a serious issue, both in terms of the amount of time they potentially spend on it and the content they may come across.
I can’t see a benefit of a 5 year old having a smart phone at all
Hard agree here, I couldn’t imagine my 6 yo having a smartphone or tablet. When we have screen time, we watch TV, movies, or play video games together.
My kids don’t, but some neighbor kids have them as basic gps/texting for their parents.
Gps to know where they are, and texting to go home for dinner. I’ve never seen them browsing or calling.
Like a little 5 year old? That’s wild to me
Well you dont need a smartphone for that. Plenty of “dumb phones” and senior citizens phones on the market to use for that purpose. Or hell, un-dust the old Nokia.
Social media is provably harmful to children, imo it should be completely cut off until at least age 12 or 13
I agree with you. It’s certainly possible, and quite easy, to give a young child a smartphone or tablet with restricted access to everything but a few games and YouTube kids and, as long as you keep an eye on things to make sure that YouTube Kids hasn’t fucked up and is showing adult material (I don’t think that’s happened in quite a long time), it just becomes “interactive device + TV” which is basically what kids have had for decades as separate things. This just combines them and makes them portable.
I would never trust YouTube kids ever. If its not an entirely separate platform it is not worth it with YouTube.
Something like Netflix is way more trustable since they control their content. Well, until they start adding ai generated crap and ads, then its goodbye Netflix too.
Removing the YouTube app but not the Netflix app would be the option in that case. It’s still not an argument against them having them at all.