Guidelines of “Phone-only for those under 11 and SNS restriction for those under 13”,
ⓒ News1 DB,
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, ‘(Seoul=News1) Reporter Kwon Young-mi = One of the largest mobile carriers in the UK, EE, is set to release guidelines warning parents not to give smartphones to children under 11.’,
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, ‘According to AFP on the 25th (local time), EE has announced these new guidelines. The guidelines are expected to advise parents to provide children with “restricted feature” mobile phones that allow only text messages and calls.’,
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, ‘It also recommends activating parental control features for minors under 16 and restricting social media for children under 13.’,
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, ‘In the UK, it has been common for parents to give smartphones to their children when they turn 11 and enter middle school. However, there is a growing voice opposing this trend.’,
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, ‘According to a recent study by the UK’s telecommunications regulatory authority, about a quarter of 5-7 year old British children currently own smartphones. However, these smartphones given for emergency purposes are having the opposite effect of exposing children to online harassment and harmful content.’,
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, ‘Matt Sears, Chief Business Officer at EE, stated, “Technology and connectivity have the power to change lives, but we understand that the increasing complexity of smartphones can pose difficulties for parents and guardians.”‘,
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, ‘American author Jonathan Haidt recently argued in his book “The Coddling of the American Mind” that smartphones are rewiring children’s brains and called for it to become the norm for children not to have smartphones before the age of 14 and not to use social media before the age of 16.’