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‘It went nuts’: Thousands join UK parents calling for smartphone-free childhood (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] 29 points 2 years ago (3 children)

I decided to go in the other direction. My two boys got their phones at 7 and 8. I put parental controls on it and never allowed them install apps. Most annoying is the extensive use of Youtube so far, but on the other hand both of them are speaking English and have good grades. The usage is limited to 2 hours a day. And at 9pm the phone locks itself.

However, I talked to them about social media and blocked Whatsapp, Instagram etc. I still need to talk more to them of course, because it's a risk for adults, too. They are individuals and I respect that they need to have fun after school. And I want them not to be "cool" online, but generally be happy with their lifes.

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  • [–] 20 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Our experience was that iPhone parental controls are broken beyond belief. They basically don’t work. Searching online I’m not the only one with that problem. Maybe it’s better on Android.

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  • [–] 8 points 2 years ago* (2 children)

    On Android, I'm using Google Family Link. Pretty much locks down and takes control of the entire phone and let's you manage it all remotely, it's akin to attaching a Windows computer to a centrally managed Active Directory domain.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago

    Yes, I use family link, too. The only annoying thing are general age restrictions. I am the parent and I need Element.IO for my kids that is rated 18. It doesn't let me install it, even when it's our private chat server. Fuck those people who make decisions for parents.

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  • [–] 8 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Honestly I think this is the way to go. You can only avoid it for so long. Rather than trying to stop them it's probably more effective teaching them control and how to navigate this flood of potentially dangerous influences.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    And what was the result? Did that work?

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago

    Depends what you mean by "it worked". Of course the kids play too much games and watch too much YouTube. But at least I have kids that are happy and I really have fun with.

    It's also easier to tell them what I want when I really need them to do something. What I want to avoid is to have kids that don't have respect towards their parents.

    I guess it's also my attitude. I really like to come back from work and have fun with my kids and see them happy. I know many parents who rather try to get their kids to sleep as soon as possible to have time for themselves.

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