Smartphone bans alone fail to equip children for healthy use of technology, say experts

A ban on smartphones and social media access fails to equip alone children for healthy use of technology, arguing a group of international experts. BMJ,

They say the focus should be transferred to an right-based approach, which is underlined by age-appointed design and education, which protects children from damage by developing skills to help children participate in digital society.

Victoria explain to Goodyer and colleagues, despite the lack of evidence on their effects, restrictions on smartphones and social media access have been advocated in many countries to protect children from damage.

For example, a recent evaluation of school smartphone policies in England reported that the use of banned smartphones in schools was not associated with adolescent mental health and well -being, physical activity and sleep, educational receipt, or classes of classroom behavior.

There was no evidence of school restrictions in that study, which is associated with the use of overall phones or media or the lower level of problematic social media.

While technology-free moments and spaces are important for children, authors argue that blanket restrictions are “stop-gap solutions that make children very little to support long-term healthy engagement with digital spaces in school, home and other contexts, and their successful transitions in adolescents and adults in a technology-filled world.”

Instead, they call for an right-based approach for the use of smartphones and social media, in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights, which recommends ways to protect children from harm by nurturing healthy development of smartphones and social media.

Recent international laws, such as the Digital Services Act of the European Union and the UK Online Safety Act, also reflect the clear understanding of the need to ensure the use of children’s technology, compatible with their goodness.

Immediate priorities are to improve law for technical industry based in children’s rights and make professional training and guidance for schools, teachers and parents to help them actively involve children’s healthy technology and in shaping future policies and attitudes, they write.

They accept many potential challenges, but say over the long term, this approach is more likely to be more beneficial and durable as it focuses on the creation of a safe ecosystem in a digital society.

“Finally, the only careful debate, policies and practices are required to transfer, policies and practices on restricting the access of smartphones and social media towards the use of healthy technology,” they conclude.