Banning smartphone and social media access alone fails to equip children for healthy use of technology, argues a group of international experts.
In an article published in The BMJ, researchers including Dr Victoria Goodyear and Professor Miranda Pallan from the University of Birmingham suggest that supporting young children for healthy use of technology should involve a shift to a rights based approach. The shift should be underpinned by age-appropriate design and education that protects children from harm while developing skills to help them participate in a digital society.
While bans on smartphone and social media access have been advocated in many countries to protect children from harm, the research team note that recent studies have highlighted a lack of evidence on their effects.
For example, a recent evaluation of school smartphone policies in England reported that restricted smartphone use in schools was not associated with benefits to adolescent mental health and wellbeing, physical activity and sleep, educational attainment, or classroom behaviour.
That study also found no evidence of school restrictions being associated with lower levels of overall phone or media use or problematic social media use.
Dr Victoria Goodyear from the University of Birmingham and the lead author of the article said that while technology-free moments and spaces are important for children, “stop gap solutions that do little to support children’s longer term healthy engagement with digital spaces across school, home, and other contexts, and their successful transition into adolescence and adulthood in a technology filled world.”
Rights-based approach
Instead, they call for a rights-based approach to smartphone and social media use, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recommends ways of protecting children from harm while nurturing the healthy development of smartphone and social media use.
Recent international legislation, such as the European Union’s Digital Services Act and the UK Online Safety Act, also reflect a clear understanding of the need to ensure children’s uses of technology are compatible with their wellbeing.
Immediate priorities are to improve legislation for the tech industry grounded in children’s rights and create professional training and guidance for schools, teachers, and parents to help them be actively involved in the development of children’s healthy technology use and in shaping future policies and approaches, they write.
They acknowledge several potential challenges, but say in the longer term, this approach is likely to be more beneficial and sustainable as it is focused on building a safe ecosystem in a digital society.
