The boss of Samsung Mobile in the UK has revealed he didn't have his daughter have a mobile phone until she was 11 years old. James Kitto said he believed under 11 was too young for his child to have access to a device like the ones he sells.
Speaking to the BBC Today programme, Mr Kitto said: "I personally wouldn't have given her one early, but it is a parental decision as to when you should get your child a phone," said James Kitto.
He added: "What is important here is that, whoever is using a smartphone, of whatever age, is safe when they are surfing and browsing the internet."
"From my personal perspective, my daughter got a smartphone when she was 11."
"Whatever choice you make, and whatever age you make that choice for your child, it is important to ensure that, if they are accessing the internet, they are accessing it in a safe way."
A study by Childwise found three-quarters of nine and 10-year-olds have access to a mobile phone, reports the BBC. 60|% have one of their own and most have interbnet access.
The same report found that 8% of five and six-year-olds own their own phone.
Recernt research found primary school children are missing out on up to the equivalent of a full night’s sleep a week, with bedtimes being delayed by social media use, new research suggests.
Instead of getting the NHS-recommended nine to 12 hours every night, 10 to 11-year-olds are only getting an average 8.7 hours of sleep, a small study looking at social media use and sleep quality found.
The study found that children who used social media more were more likely to report higher levels of Fomo (fear of missing out), anxiety, and worse sleep.
According to the research, conducted as schools started to reopen after Covid lockdowns, some 69.6% of the children reported spending more than four hours a day on social media.
Meanwhile 66.1% said they used it in the two hours before bed, and 12.5% said they used it in the middle of the night or when they should be asleep.
Experts suggest not getting enough sleep is linked to bad academic performance, and increased risk-taking behaviour.
Sleep is also when the growth hormone is released, suggesting that poor sleep could affect this.
Researchers also looked at the types of social media they were using and found that TikTok was the most popular at 89.2%, some 83.9% said they used Snapchat, 87.5% used YouTube, and 57.1% used Instagram.
Perhaps indicating a generational difference, just 1.8% reported using Facebook, while Reddit and Twitter were two other apps that were used.
The head of the Government’s Social Mobility Commission has said she would like to introduce a national campaign urging parents against giving their toddlers mobile phones.
Katharine Birbalsingh told MPs in the Women and Equalities Committee that toddlers who have tablets are less likely to take an interest in reading, and she would like the benefits of children being brought up without them to become “part of the national consciousness”.
The chairwoman, who is also headteacher of a school which has been dubbed the strictest in the country, added that she wishes to “win the hearts and minds” of parents and teachers.
Giving young children phones makes it more difficult for them to engage in reading (John Stillwell/PA)
Ms Birbalsingh told the House of Commons committee: “My initial thoughts are that I would like national campaigns on things like phones and not giving them to your toddler.
“I would love it if we could get to a point where, (the issue is considered) in the same way that we know that you should eat four or five fruit vegetables in a day, or drink eight glasses of water a day.
“We know this because the campaigning on this has been so clear, and it’s happened over time – years and years, it’s everywhere – it just becomes part of the national consciousness.
“I would love it if things like ‘don’t give your child a phone’ were to become part of the national consciousness.”
She added that giving young children phones makes it more difficult for them to engage in reading, because a “book that’s black and white and flat” is less interesting than a tablet which has “all sorts of flashing images and colours and adverts”.
Ms Birbalsingh said the best way to tackle disparities between education prospects for children from poorer versus wealthier backgrounds is to “improve teaching” including by enforcing discipline, rather than rolling out laptops.
She said: “You talk about the digital divide and I think there’s actually been a bit of a misunderstanding in the country.
“Which is that, the assumption is that the more digital access you have as a family, the better off you are in terms of accessing education.
“And I don’t think that’s true, I think there’s a lot more to accessing education and I don’t think the solution is providing more laptops for families.
“I understand why the Government is pushing out laptops, but that is to miss the nuances of learning, and to miss how a child best learns.”
Ms Birbalsingh was made chairwoman of the Social Mobility Commission after previous head, Dame Martina Milburn, resigned in May last year, telling Boris Johnson the role needed expanding to effectively tackle inequality issues.
