[Technology] How Does This Little Kidz Smartphone Addiction Resolve Itself?

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Make them wear woolen mittens until they are 21?

Wasn't that what Arnold J. Rimmer's school made him do to prevent ************? Or was that boxing gloves?

Thumbs up from me. Oh, hang on....

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

We keep an eye on screen time, sites visited and who is trying to engage with them. We have a table on the upstairs landing where ALL of our iPhones go at night.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Well, they aren't are they or they wouldn't give the phones to such young kids.

Before Xmas I was travelling home on the train and two youngsters, about two years old, each had their smartfones to keep them occupied whilst both parents were on their smartfones. Lazy parenting.

Pretty much the same experience here for me on a train up to London town just before xmas. Family of four next table down spent all the way from Brighton to Three Bridges earnestly discussing young Tarquin's username and password on his pissy little tablet thing, having established earlydoors that neither brat had any interest in doing anything as exciting as looking out the window on a rare family train excursion .

Having somehow miraculously managed to log on after 30 minutes of trying, they then spent all the way from Three Bridges to Clapham Junction allowing the older of the two kids to blast his inane content out at full blast. At Clapham Junction the touchy-feely parents agreed it was only fair that little Josh - aged about three - be allowed to view HIS preferred content for the five minute remainder of the journey. Especially since he'd howled all the way from Three Bridges to be allowed to do so.

Suppose I could have changed carriage earlydoors and left them to their pathetically stunted lives. Tho has to be said that there was a certain grim fascination in watching them play out the entire dreary scene. Just to prove it was for real, if nothing else.

And... RELAX!

 

[blue-shifted]

Its actually very, very simple. You restrict their usage to a reasonable level, don't allow the devices at the dinner table, don't allow the devices in their rooms at night, and learn to say the word 'no'.

We don't have a huge problem in our house with this sort of thing. But then there are few out there who say "No" as emphatically and consistently as my wife

 

[blue-shifted]

Can I also add the point that if you have a 50k+ post count, it's probably your, rather than your kids, screen time which needs moderating

 

[Live by the sea]

Kids should Not have smartphones until they are 16 plus. Period. .


If it is essential for your kid to be able to call you, maybe they go to school on a bus or for other essential communication reasons , give them a normal non smart phone ie no screen mobile phone.

Kids should be kids , they should play, draw, make things, etc they should not be looking at goodness what on the internet and using social media.

You give in, you only have yourself to blame. You can allow them screen time on an iPad etc when you are able to supervise what they are looking at.

Even Madonna , not the brightest or best educated celebrity said she deeply regrets giving her daughter Lourdes a smartphone at 12 as it changed their relationship over night.

You have been warned ! Don’t take the easy option and give in to your child nagging.

 

[LlcoolJ]

Its actually very, very simple. You restrict their usage to a reasonable level, don't allow the devices at the dinner table, don't allow the devices in their rooms at night, and learn to say the word 'no'.

This. With bells and a turnip on top.

 

[LlcoolJ]

All correct - but I'd add ban them in schools - there must be a way that the kids can hand them in on arrival, and collect them when they leave.

They do not need them during school hours.

They are banned at my son's school. You can have a phone in your bag, switched off, for use to and from home. But if it goes off in a lesson, or you're seen using it anywhere at school, then you are in the SHIT.

Good rule.

 

[Klaas]

It's getting bit scary now. Little kidz addicted to their phones. They seem to barely know - or want to know - what the Beeb's and other mainstream broadcasters offerings are. How do you wean them off it when (seen it with my own eyes) a three year old knows how to call up their favourite Youtube vids and also knows how to effortlessly 'Skip Ad'

Although I share concerns about kids and devices/social media, what about the adults? Reports show that older people are just as addicted and it's them who are more likely to share fake news. Just look at NSC. Share a report off of the bbc and it will be dismissed out of hand as untrue BECAUSE it's on the bbc by some users. Others will share videos without any kind of journalistic integrity that simply reaffirm their opinion. It's all very dangerous.

 

[portlock seagull]

Weak parents. That’s all it comes down to I’m afraid. Most are addicts too so it’s not surprising. Remember, nothing is ever YOUR fault in the digital age.

 

[portlock seagull]

They are banned at my son's school. You can have a phone in your bag, switched off, for use to and from home. But if it goes off in a lesson, or you're seen using it anywhere at school, then you are in the SHIT.

Good rule.

It is until little Johnnie stabs you for denying his human rights ie some schools are rougher than others and I’m not sure I’d want to be taking crack away from the addicts!!

 

[Megazone]

It's very scary when you consider what the future could bring to generations of people who've mainly learnt what they know of life and their social skills through a screen.
The device is playing a big factor in the regression of our communication ability, which is the most important of all survival skills. I'm meeting more and more people, younger and younger who come across as socially inept, timid, dull, unimaginative and very robotic. You can see they've lost key development to staring at a screen. They're missing out on being in healthy social circles in places like parks and swimming pools because the screen can offer them so much more without them having to go further than lifting a finger. It's so important for a child to learn how to try and make the most of very boring situations through imagination and humour to develop a character. Instead the phone now gets whipped out, then the finger starts scrolling through things like Facebook where all they're pretty much doing is brain washing themselves with an illusion of what peoples narcissistic traits can offer them in terms of virtual reality. It's very disturbing that a kid can desire a picture of themselves pouting in the mirror or posing in their new trainers before they've even started to enjoy the innocence and energy of childhood.
When I'm a Dad, I'm not going to allow them to have screens in their pockets unless they're going out to meet up with someone. I'm going to encourage to them the outside and the possible adventures I was lucky enough to experience. I won't let them use these things if they're ever in company of other human beings when in their primary socialisation . I'll try my best to make them prefer talking and being a pain in the arse. Basically i'll try and give them what I imagine a lot of modern parents are also failing with thanks to these modern devices, and that's healthy attention.

 

[Icy Gull]

We don't have a huge problem in our house with this sort of thing. But then there are few out there who say "No" as emphatically and consistently as my wife

Yep, exactly the way to curb it and leave the parents in control. However it is very time consuming, boring, leads to tears quite a bit, and involves the parents doing as they say, so not being on their own phone/tablet all the time too. This seems a leap and sacrifice too far for many parents

Imagine having to spend time doing things with your kids and cramping your own selfish liefestyle

 

[Justice]

A classic thread of a different generation scared about change, its how kids communicate these days, my daughters college have embraced smart phones as a way of communicating with parents and students. Times have changed chaps keep up.

 

[Icy Gull]

A classic thread of a different generation scared about change, its how kids communicate these days, my daughters college have embraced smart phones as a way of communicating with parents and students. Times have changed chaps keep up.

The only thing that’s scary is parents being happy to let, even encourage, their kids live in a virtual world. I accept that this is an old codger’s view.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

It ends in Aldous Huxley being completely right.

 

[Justice]

The only thing that’s scary is parents being happy to let, even encourage, their kids live in a virtual world. I accept that this is an old codger’s view.

My kids use phones to send invitations to birthday parties, organise days out it’s just the way these days. We haven’t had a land line for years no one would use it if we did. I’m 50 and run my business through my phone, embrace technology.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Anyone overly-complacent about the direction this increasingly invasive technology may be heading should do themselves a favour and catch a couple of episodes of the very excellent Black Mirror

 

[Bold Seagull]

Yep, exactly the way to curb it and leave the parents in control. However it is very time consuming, boring, leads to tears quite a bit, and involves the parents doing as they say, so not being on their own phone/tablet all the time too. This seems a leap and sacrifice too far for many parents

Imagine having to spend time doing things with your kids and cramping your own selfish liefestyle

05.50 in the morning and you’re making nearly your 53,000th post on a football forum to make a point about people being hooked on devices.

 

[hart's shirt]

Anyone overly-complacent about the direction this increasingly invasive technology may be heading should do themselves a favour and catch a couple of episodes of the very excellent Black Mirror

Ok. I'll watch it on the phone later.