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The prevalence of a smartphone has become a routine feature of daily life, it is astonishing that still, 3% of 12-year-olds in the UK don't own a smartphone. This news has sparked a debate among parents, educators, and psychologists regarding the effects on children of smartphones.
Parents and other educators believe there is an addiction issue, inappropriate content exposure, and learning impacts that have made schools act against these services.
To these concerns, many UK schools have lately intensified programs that minimize cellphone use. Recently, the UK government even published new standards in February 2024, prompting several schools to ban smartphones from school grounds.
What do you notice about children, who make up the slight 3% without a smartphone in a world of tech? Four 12-year-olds share with you, their experiences.
Jake, 12: "Sometimes lonely, but I do better in school and spend more time with family." Jake, knows that it's not easy to be completely phone-free, but the extra time allows him opportunities to bond with his family and succeed more at school.
Emily, 12: "I like being different. It feels relaxing not being glued to a screen." For Emily, it is about pride in her phone-free lifestyle because she finds herself being present, hence liberated from all that stress online.
Oscar, 12: "I feel like I'm missing out on plans, but I like my time for sports." Oscar loves his time for the hobby and sports but feels excluded sometimes, most times, he feels this way when trying to get into group chats.
In February 2024, two mothers started a WhatsApp group, Smartphone-Free Childhood, to link up parents wanting to raise smartphone-free kids. Today, with over 120,000 members, the group has organized local chapters across the UK.
"Parents are increasingly aware of how drastically altering their children's lives constant smartphone access is," said co-founder Daisy Greenwell of the WhatsApp group.
The UK Parliament on 13 May 2024 discussed the rising concern over the dangerous effect of the use of smartphones and social media on children. By February 2024, Ofcom reported that 99% of children are online, and nine in 10 possess a mobile by the time of age 11.
To reduce the harmful impact on such tech-savvy children, the Online Safety Act 2023 directed social media companies to erase illegal content and conduct high-standard checks about the age group so that children are not exposed to harmful material while accessing online platforms.
Countries and parents worldwide are increasingly worried about the long-term impact that smartphones are having on children. Italy has taken a step to restrain the usage at least within the schools.
The PM of Italy is paving for schools with an AI push, in line with a blanket ban on mobile phones in classes for educational as well as personal purposes. Prime Minister Meloni discussed AI at the G7 summit in 2023, clarifying the positive impact of AI and controlling the problems associated with the overuse of smartphones. Read more
