Smartphones and school kids: Should under-16s be limited to "dumbphones"?
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Should we be looking at banning youth from owning smartphones instead of banning them from social media?
ACT Leader David Seymour has suggested that under-16s should be limited to “dumbphones” that can’t access the internet, but can text and call.
While not suggesting it as official policy yet, he says social media has caused anxiety, depression, self-harm, poor body image, loneliness, and declining life satisfaction.
President of the New Zealand Principals' Federation, Jason Miles told Kerre Woodham he would recommend parents give their kids a dumb phone – the practical elements are appealing.
However, he says, the pressure that comes with the expanding online world will always be there now, and it should be on the social media companies to keep kids safe.
Miles asks why social media companies should be driving how society acts, telling Woodham that it’s surely something our government, parents, and educators should be doing.
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