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Smartphone bans alone fail to equip children for healthy use of technology, say experts

Banning smartphone and social media access alone fails to equip children for healthy use of technology, argues a group of international experts in The BMJ.

They say the focus should shift to a rights-based approach, underpinned by age-appropriate design and education, that protects children from harm while developing skills to help them participate in a digital society.

Bans on smartphone and social media access have been advocated in many countries to protect children from harm despite lack of evidence on their effects, explain Victoria Goodyear and colleagues.

For example, a recent evaluation of school smartphone policies in England reported that restricted smartphone use in schools was not associated with benefits to adolescent mental health and well-being, physical activity and sleep, educational attainment, or classroom behavior.

That study also found no evidence of school restrictions being associated with lower levels of overall phone or media use or problematic social media use.

While technology-free moments and spaces are important for children, the authors argue that blanket restrictions are "stop-gap solutions that do little to support children's longer-term healthy engagement with digital spaces across school, home, and other contexts, and their successful transition into adolescence and adulthood in a technology-filled world."

Instead, they call for a rights-based approach to smartphone and social media use, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recommends ways of protecting children from harm while nurturing the healthy development of smartphone and social media use.

Recent international legislation, such as the European Union's Digital Services Act and the UK Online Safety Act, also reflect a clear understanding of the need to ensure children's uses of technology are compatible with their well-being.

Immediate priorities are to improve legislation for the tech industry grounded in children's rights and create professional training and guidance for schools, teachers, and parents to help them be actively involved in the development of children's healthy technology use and in shaping future policies and approaches, they write.

They acknowledge several potential challenges, but say in the longer term, this approach is likely to be more beneficial and sustainable as it is focused on building a safe ecosystem in a digital society.

"Ultimately, there is a need to shift debates, policies, and practices from a sole focus on restricting smartphone and social media access toward an emphasis on nurturing children's skills for healthy technology use," they conclude.