I’ve worked with OOSC children (5-12yo) for 15 years. Over that time the inability of some to regulate emotions when denied or limited ‘screen time’ has rocketed off the scale. For the past 2 years we have had to ban all use of screens while they are with us - they moaned a bit initially, but accept ‘no’ when it is an across the board restriction.
Punishing the users rather than the Tech companies themselves seems a strange way to go about it, and the Government had only just closed the survey so hadn't really had time to analyse the results. It just seems so rushed to make a political point rather than an actual thought out ruling.
I don't think social media is that much worse for children than it is for adults. I think education from people deeply experienced with social media from a young age, rather than from people who started using the internet when they were already in their 20s or so, would be much more effective and better than what feels to be the equivalent of a sort of Reefer Madness. I say this as someone who has experienced bad effects and good effects from unfettered access to the internet as an 11 year old.
I think there's addictive qualities of various apps, there's an encouragement of social media interaction to be through making people angry and algos have been known for ages to radicalise people in various ways. But this has also been affecting adults. I think there's too many risks of cutting off kids who have things such as abusive parents or who are looking for help regarding sexuality, disability or gender, where they won't get a chance to connect with people like them in their daily life.
I think the tech companies need to take more responsibility instead of making children and parents do their work for them
I’ve worked with OOSC children (5-12yo) for 15 years. Over that time the inability of some to regulate emotions when denied or limited ‘screen time’ has rocketed off the scale. For the past 2 years we have had to ban all use of screens while they are with us - they moaned a bit initially, but accept ‘no’ when it is an across the board restriction.
Punishing the users rather than the Tech companies themselves seems a strange way to go about it, and the Government had only just closed the survey so hadn't really had time to analyse the results. It just seems so rushed to make a political point rather than an actual thought out ruling.
I don't think social media is that much worse for children than it is for adults. I think education from people deeply experienced with social media from a young age, rather than from people who started using the internet when they were already in their 20s or so, would be much more effective and better than what feels to be the equivalent of a sort of Reefer Madness. I say this as someone who has experienced bad effects and good effects from unfettered access to the internet as an 11 year old.
I think there's addictive qualities of various apps, there's an encouragement of social media interaction to be through making people angry and algos have been known for ages to radicalise people in various ways. But this has also been affecting adults. I think there's too many risks of cutting off kids who have things such as abusive parents or who are looking for help regarding sexuality, disability or gender, where they won't get a chance to connect with people like them in their daily life.