LONDON: One of Britain's biggest mobile network operators said on Sunday it will issue a warning to parents against giving smartphones to children under 11.
The new guidance comes after growing concern from parents about the potential dangers of smartphone access for young people.
A recent study by the UK's communications regulator found that about a quarter of British children aged between five and seven owned a smartphone.
The US will say in new guidance that children should only be given phones with “limited capability devices” that allow them only to text and call.
It will also recommend enabling parental control features for teens under 16 and social media restrictions for kids under 13.
Parents in the UK have increasingly begun to push back against the trend of giving their children one of these devices when they move from primary to secondary school at age 11.
While widely justified for safety reasons in case of an emergency on the way to or from school, parents fear that phones also potentially expose children to online predators, bullying, peer pressure and harmful content.
“While technology and connectivity have the power to transform lives, we recognize that the increasing complexity of smartphones can be challenging for parents and caregivers,” said Mat Sears, director of corporate affairs for the U.S.
“They need support, which is why we are launching new guidelines on smartphone use for children under 11, children aged 11-13 and children aged 13-16 to help them make the best choices for their children during these formative years.”
American author Jonathan Haidt – whose recent book The Anxious Generation argues that smartphones have rewired children's brains – has urged parents to get their act together on smartphone access so that it becomes the norm for children not to have one.
A boy “breaks our hearts” by telling us he is excluded from his peer group for being the only one without a phone, he said earlier this year.
Haidt advocates not having smartphones before age 14 and not using social media before age 16.
“These things are difficult to do as a parent, but if we all do it together, even half of the time, it will be much easier for our children,” he added.
