The Government Shouldn't Ban Me From Having a Smartphone

Last year, I wrote about a UN report suggesting that mobile phones should be banned in all schools. Since then there have been further discussions about limiting children’s access to a mobile device, not just in schools but outside of school.

A proposal to ban under-16s from buying smartphones and to bring in a law to increase the age limit on certain social media apps, including Snapchat, WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook (which currently impose their own limit of 13 years-old), are said to be on the cards. WhatsApp and Facebook are facing even tougher restrictions. A consultation on protecting the young online has been launched seeking parents’ views on when children should be allowed to access social media.

This has come amid a campaign from Esther Ghey, the mother of Brianna Ghey, who was tragically murdered. She stated that her “daughter would still be alive if greater smartphone restrictions were in place”. Parentkind, a national charity which says it gives “those with a parenting role a voice in education for their children”, has called for all political parties to introduce this ban ahead of the next General Election. A poll commissioned by the charity revealed that, of 2,496 parents with secondary school-aged children, 58% believe that the Government should introduce tougher restrictions. This figure is even higher among parents with primary school children, 77% of whom would back a smartphone ban.

According to a recent Ofcom report on children in the U.K., 17% of toddlers aged three to four, 28% of children aged five to seven and 100% of 17 year-olds have a mobile phone. There is also a rise in children using social media: 93% of U.K. children aged 11-17 have social media accounts. Of 11-12-year-olds, who are below social media age restrictions, around 86% have social media accounts.

As a 15-year old schoolboy, owning a smartphone is vital. I can communicate with friends and family quickly and cheaply, complete homework, which is all online, access the internet to keep up with the news and updates from my school and it is vital for my safety. If I had my mobile phone taken from me, how could I call for help in emergency situations? There are far fewer public phones these days – the remaining ones are invariably vandalised – and there are hardly any bobbies on the beat to ask for help. It’s a different world from the one that existed prior to the growth of mobile phone use; mobile phones offer security and are highly accessible and easy to use. True, the safety aspects could be addressed by permitting children to have a ‘dumb phone‘. And homework could be done on a computer. But the other benefits remain.

However, using a phone on a regular basis also comes with some costs. If used near bedtime it causes inadequate and poor sleep, especially in teenagers, as the light keeps the brain stimulated for a while. From personal experience a mobile phone is a distraction when I am at school and when I am at home as I am always checking for messages or updates. This prevents me from socialising, whether at home, in school, at a meal or out with friends. But that is my fault and I should take responsibility for my own mobile phone use.

Should it be up to the state to decide if mobile phones should be taken away from children and teenagers? The Government has already issued advice on tackling smartphone issues within schools. This seems entirely appropriate, and it is up to schools to implement the guidance. Beyond that, it is hard to envisage a ban being effective. Six years ago, most supermarkets in the U.K. introduced a voluntary ban on the sale of energy drinks to under-16s. Yet a study in January found that up to a third of children consume energy drinks every week, despite the age limit. Would a Government ban really be more effective?

This smartphone ban will not be so smart and, like all other attempts by the Government and others to change the behaviour of adolescents, it risks failure.

Jack Watson is a 15 year-old school boy. He has a blog about supporting Hull City Football Club here.