We held out. Fourteen and a half. That’s when our daughter finally got her smartphone, still too soon for my liking and not without a lot of thought, compromise, and the occasional raised eyebrow from others. But I stand by it – phones are addictive and steal us from real life, real memories, real loved ones. Full stop. So while it is a pigeon step in the right direction, I find it incredulous that it’s taken18 years since the first iPhone for a letter from a coalition of 21 heads in Southwark to be issued with guidelines calling for limits on time spent on television, video games, tablets and smartphones from birth to the age of 16. The same letter also urges parents to “minimise their own screen use when in front of children”. The group said it was worried about the “negative impact” of technology in terms of developing an unhealthy attachment to screens, and also the damaging effect excessive screen time appeared to be having on the children at nursery on their speech and language skills.
We were honest with our daughter who is almost as old as the iPhone, from a very young age. Not just talking to her about the fact “they can be distracting” but “they are designed to be addictive.” It was obvious for all to see from day one. When it finally aired, we watched The Social Dilemma together – a chilling Netflix documentary exposing how social media giants manipulate behaviour with algorithmic precision. Watching Silicon Valley insiders look visibly uncomfortable talking about the monster they helped create made an impression. We still joke (only not really joking) about “the millionaire in Malibu cashing in on your eyeballs” when someone’s scrolling for too long – and how many of those tech execs won’t let their kids near the stuff. Our family mantra: when it comes to social media – we are the product.
