It began with pester power. ‘I’m the only one in my class with no phone, Mum.’ With that line, my eldest child secured his first iPhone at the tender age of eleven, almost a decade ago.
In my defence, we didn’t know about the negative impact of smartphones on children then. From screen addiction and poor mental health to sleep disturbance and declining social skills, the deleterious effects of smartphone use are well documented, leaving parents like me wishing they could turn back the clock and undo the decision to give smartphones to kids at such a young age.
