3 ms·

I strongly believe kids shouldn't have access to smartphones until they turn 18. Ideally this would be a legal mandate, which would help to reduce peer pressure

I strongly believe kids shouldn't have access to smartphones until they turn 18. Ideally this would be a legal mandate, which would help to reduce peer pressure. ("Everyone else at school has a smartphone!")

zarzavat 3y ago
Seems a bit extreme. Practically, 11+ year olds are capable of getting their hands on anything they want if they have the money and inclination for it. And they certainly have the inclination to get a smartphone. So the only way to achieve your vision would be to ban giving money to anybody under the age of 18.
- DANmode 3y ago
  It's not their vision. At least, not exclusively. There's a whole town about to put this to the test. If nothing else, it should spawn a new generation of young Irish hackers. For better or worse.
- madaxe_again 3y ago
  What 11 year old has a thousand bucks handy to drop on a phone? An incredibly spoiled one, if you ask me. I know this dates me, but mobile phones weren’t a thing until I was at university, and they definitely weren’t smart. I didn’t lead an impoverished childhood as a result, and information was still available to me through a desktop computer.
  - piperswe 3y ago
    You can get a smartphone that has all the major functionality for much less than a thousand bucks. Much less than a hundred bucks even. $30 will get you something that a kid will be content with: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Straight-Talk-TCL-30-Z-32GB-Black-Prepaid-Smartphone/562383087?athbdg=L1102&from=/search https://www.walmart.com/ip/Straight-Talk-TCL-30-Z-32GB-Black...
dento 3y ago
18? That's ridiculous. I'd understand 14, but at 18 it's not too rare to live alone and have a full time job. And even before, access to maps or Wikipedia is generally quite useful. It's the social media that's the main issue, and not the other features.

3 ms·

I strongly believe kids shouldn't have access to smartphones until they turn 18. Ideally this would be a legal mandate, which would help to reduce peer pressure

by warning26 3y ago

zarzavat 3y ago
Seems a bit extreme. Practically, 11+ year olds are capable of getting their hands on anything they want if they have the money and inclination for it. And they certainly have the inclination to get a smartphone. So the only way to achieve your vision would be to ban giving money to anybody under the age of 18.
- DANmode 3y ago
  It's not their vision. At least, not exclusively. There's a whole town about to put this to the test. If nothing else, it should spawn a new generation of young Irish hackers. For better or worse.
- madaxe_again 3y ago
  What 11 year old has a thousand bucks handy to drop on a phone? An incredibly spoiled one, if you ask me. I know this dates me, but mobile phones weren’t a thing until I was at university, and they definitely weren’t smart. I didn’t lead an impoverished childhood as a result, and information was still available to me through a desktop computer.
  - piperswe 3y ago
    You can get a smartphone that has all the major functionality for much less than a thousand bucks. Much less than a hundred bucks even. $30 will get you something that a kid will be content with: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Straight-Talk-TCL-30-Z-32GB-Black-Prepaid-Smartphone/562383087?athbdg=L1102&from=/search https://www.walmart.com/ip/Straight-Talk-TCL-30-Z-32GB-Black...
dento 3y ago
18? That's ridiculous. I'd understand 14, but at 18 it's not too rare to live alone and have a full time job. And even before, access to maps or Wikipedia is generally quite useful. It's the social media that's the main issue, and not the other features.