National News Disorder & Protests

[Essexyellows]

Plenty of kids at the footy with virtually no regard to the match for most of it too.

Not sure if you have kids, village, but I do and they are subject to peer pressure to get phones/devices from the very early Primary school years. It's basically because there is always some parent who caves in and gives their kid their own device from pre-school onwards (often as an automatic baby-sitter because they don't have the time or can't be arsed to do the job themselves, or they simply don't want their kids to "miss out"). Soon as one gets a device, they all want one and many parents will cave in way too early because they are constantly bombarded until they do, not to mention the kids lives being made hell. The average age by which children get a mobile in the UK is 11 years old, with 98% having them by Year 12 (16-17yo).

Having a device is one, thing (and I let my kids have one in the last year of primary school when they started walking/bussing home), what they have access to on those devices is entirely another. Setting up the strictest parental controls possible is absolutely essential to make sure "age appropriate" content and apps only are available, along with being able to set limits on screen time, internet and time on individual apps too. There's also plenty of location tools and anti-theft tools etc. My kids HATED the fact I could see where they are AND that I could block their phones or they couldn't access content due to age-related restrictions. If I had a pound for the number of times we went over the conversation about why things like Snapchat and Tiktok were restricted to 13 and above (and whatsapp was 16 at the time!) in those late primary/early secondary years . . . .but that was all part of the deal.

The irony being now is that my kids are older and have the choice for me not to know where they are. They however choose to share their location (and know where I am too)that because it gives them some piece of mind. They've also come to realise that most of the apps they craved from before the were old enough to have them are largely filled with unadulterated trash and distorted reality nonsense, and that the vast majority of social media is an absolute cesspit. . . . and that ALL of it steals no end of time that could be much better spent. I'm proud of that, and I'm also very lucky and I won't pretend it has been plain sailing . . . .of course it hasn't and I have witnessed fist hand the distress, anxiety, hurt and strain that it can cause.

So fwiw, everyone from parents, to schools, to governments to tech giants and content providers has an absolute duty to protect very, very vulnerable and impressionable minds. It requires huge effort on all parts, but they deserve our protection and to not do so is to condemn the next generation to miss out on so much that should be part of growing up normally, not to mention storing up a whole world of trouble for their adult lives.

Wouldn't it be good if we could somehow flip the current perception most kids have that you're missing out if you don't have phone/device and can freely immerse yourself in damaging content from any age? I'd much rather parents were having the battles with their kids over little Johnny missing out because he doesn't have the right trainers, than the fact he doesn't have access to a sewer full of internet trash to melt his mind with.

Unfortunately, Elon and the Tech Bros seem hell bent on dragging us in the opposite direction . . .

Excellent post and parenting skills.

Sadly you are probably in a minority of the parental population.

Genie is out of the bottle and on a rampage....

 

[Sheik Djibouti]

Excellent post.

It seems that you have navigated the challenges incredibly well, with everyone coming out the other side better for it.

Sadly, unlike yourself, there seem to be too many parents not prepared to invest the time and set boundaries, time limitations and fight the good fight.

I guess in my day it was more about wanting a nice pair of football boots or clothing/sports equipment. Certainly I remember the pressures for things like the latest Lacoste, Sergio Tacchini gear or the most expensive Head or Wilson Tennis rackets . Or maybe the challenge to have a TV in your bedroom.

As you say, everyone has to take some responsibility, but the Tech billionaires have to be made much more answerable to what content they allow to flow through the platforms and the effectiveness of safety protocols they are putting in place.

So whilst we never did have kids of our own, I do remember many an argument with my parents. I appreciate that I was probably an annoying little s**t a lot of the time, but in the cold light of day they were most certainly right...... on most things.

Although the old saying that schools days are the best years of your life... nah, having none of that

Our family of choice, a Golden Retriever and Spaniel..... They will get you out in the open air and countryside in all weathers, away from the TV and internet, show you nothing but unconditional love and loyalty (usually without the dramas) and completely release you of any daily stresses and tensions.

The only down side, you have to learn to eat without those dopey eyes convincing you to share every scrap of food.

Thank you.

Not completely out of the woods yet - they are still relatively young, naive and impressionable, but the challenges are different as they mature and I will never stop worrying about them and their struggles on a daily basis, while recognising that I can't live their lives for them. So I just hope I've equipped them with the sense to think critically and make good choices for themselves.

And I am totally with you on the Spaniel thing too, although I have little hope that mine will ever make good choices