Actress Kate Winslet has strong views on children having smartphones, and shares compelling arguments why her own children won't be having them.
A child's first phone comes at the age their parents deem appropriate and will be different for individual family's situations. Choosing when the time is right will depend on many variables, and some parents might feel overwhelmed by conflicting messages - some tech companies have warned against giving children phones, while other evidence suggests banning smartphones for kids won't achieve anything.
The Smartphone Free Childhood movement is gaining rapid traction, with groups of parents up and down the country coming together in solidarity of removing pressure for kids to have smartphones. Actress Kate Winslet has now joined their ranks, sharing why she always knew she wasn't going to let her children have phones, and how she explains to them why they can't have one.
Kate recently appeared on BBC Radio 4's Today programme to reveal why she supports the Smartphone Free Childhood movement. The actress has always been clear that she didn't want to be the sort of celebrity who tells people how to live their lives, but feels compelled to put that to one side because of her strong feelings over technology in childhood.
"I want you to look up at the clouds and not photograph them and post them on your Instagram page and decide whether or not the clouds were worth looking at because someone else thought that they were rubbish."
Kate Winslet
When asked about the campaign, she says "It's phenomenal. It's enormously heartwarming just, if for no other reason than parents perhaps are communicating properly about it. Perhaps people feel a little bit less alone with how much they may have struggled or how much they were fearing it, should that time come."
She feels the government and technology companies should be stepping up in relation to children and phones, adding, "What if find surprising, is that the people in power aren't just doing more. It's a combination isn't it? People in power, yes, the politicians, but the big tech companies [should be working together to stop smartphone use in childhood.]'
Kate has a specific way she explains to her children why they can't have phones, and it's very useful for other parents to turn to if they find themselves in the same position. She tells them "You cant have it because I want you to enjoy your life. I want you to be a child. I want you to look up at the clouds and not photograph them and post them on your Instagram page and decide whether or not the clouds were worth looking at because someone else thought that they were rubbish."
For more on this subject, we look at the benefits of screen time, and whether some screens are better for kids than others. If you are concerned, we have tips for implementing screen time boundaries with your children.
