The Smartphone and the child

It's been a rough few days feeling really rather off with a viral infection that's left me with a temperature, achy head and crazy tummy but as it is both Monday and a Bank Holiday it's time to do something.

Usually I've little time for Polly Ticks and all her  friends but one thing that is being talked about as the groan ups are getting rather noisy about a General Election is mobile phone usage.

That's because there does seem to be some evidence that high levels of usage are having a very bad effect on children's mental health feeding into anxiety, increased use in bullying and scams.

You may of noticed children walking past your home from school peering down at their smartphones oblivious to all around them coming back to school even though their peers have been in class with them while you recall walking home, talking with your mates.

Seemingly some younger people just do not feel comfortable even making a traditional phone call even.

That's one reason there is talk not just about regulation when it comes to what children can see at the end of their phones but dealing with the ever decreasing age of children having a smartphone of their own.

Apparently a quarter of five to seven year olds have their own in the UK, children who still learning to read and comprehend fluently, their are children on social media platforms who are underage - and accounts have set up by parents shockingly with fake ages.

The risks from being seen at that age a few years older than they actually are are considerable.

This is leading to pressure working within the political parties to effectively ban usage for children under 14 and in school.

It isn't a great idea from a safeguarding point of view for adults to be contacting children in school, some children may have restricted access to a parent or ongoing issues in families might put them at risk.

Any urgent message about being picked up, having someone to oversee them on return can be handled by school.

Younger children often don't understand that games often require things to be bought which can soon mount up, far too many children are being bullied by threats, pictures into behaviours that either put them at risk or lead to them wanting to end their lives.

A world where the corner phone box may have gone and many of us recall using doesn't mean a child cannot be give a simple call and text mobile phone to use if needed but a pocket computer with the internet isn't needed for that purpose.

Learning to just enjoying playing and socializing face to face before they develop the abilities to really understand how to navigate the risks as a well as the pleasurable uses of the internet it seems to me is needed rather more.

Time for a reset methinks.