Stuart Harrington doubts that such a ban will work, while Oscar Acton spells out the benefits of smartphone access for school students
The members of the WhatsApp group Smartphone Free Childhood have an unrealistic expectation if they believe that banning under-14s from possessing smartphones and trying to prevent under-16s accessing social media is a practical way of protecting them from the very real dangers that the internet can unveil (‘It went nuts: Thousands join UK parents calling for smartphone-free childhood’, 17 February).
If the first duty of any parent or guardian is to provide a safe and healthy environment for their children, then showing them how to access and use the internet safely is their responsibility. Roads are also potentially dangerous for children, but we do not ban cars – instead we spend time teaching young people the safe way to navigate through busy traffic.
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