We have to stop giving our kids smartphones

The devices are more dangerous than you could ever imagine. But, there is a solution.

“The whole internet, and everyone who wants to prey on your child, is there waiting for you to give them a smartphone.”

Let that sink in.

These are the words of ex-detective and Child Safety Strategist & Educator, Kristi McVee, who I recently had the pleasure of interviewing on Mum Club.

I say ‘pleasure’ because she is a delightful, engaging and super intelligent guest. She also has zero qualms about shedding light on some terrifying realities - and it’s time we, as parents, listened.

We have to stop giving our kids smartphones.

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What it really means to have a phone

I’m not talking about making your 13-year-old sign some kind of ‘terms of use’ contract prior to being gifted a device. I’m not talking about confiscating the phone before they go to bed at night. I’m not even talking about parental controls. I’m talking about not getting any child under 16 one to begin with.

How many children need to take their own lives due to online bullying before we realise that kids and smartphones do not mix? How many apps like Omegle need to be created before we realise the internet is not just unsafe, but an actively predatory space?

(For those who don’t know about Omegle, like me until recently, it’s a free chat platform literally designed to connect strangers on the internet. A chat roulette, if you will. From what I’ve heard, if you dabble in the app, the question isn’t if you saw a penis - it’s how many.)

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The solution?

This column is not intended to shame parents who have bought their child a smartphone, or those who plan on leaving one under the Xmas tree. I don’t underestimate the difficulty of saying ‘no’ when everybody else’s parents seem to be saying ‘yes’. Nobody wants their child to feel excluded.

I also note that, ironically, many parents invest in these devices with the misguided intention of keeping their children safe. With the entry into high school, we see a whole lot of 12-year-olds embark on using public transport independently for the first time, and it makes total sense that parents would want to be able to contact them.

So I would urge you to look into what has affectionately been termed as the ‘dumb’ phone. No internet access. No Snapchat. No TikTok. No Omegle, for heaven’s sake.

A device that can make and receive calls and texts is really all children of that age need. (All that any of us needs, to be honest.) It’s time to listen to the experts and make the unpopular choice.

Your child will (eventually) thank you.

Originally published as We have to stop giving our kids smartphones