Children’s smartphone safety on the agenda at Warwickshire-wide movement talk in Stratford
AN EVENT raising awareness of the impact smartphones can have on children is taking place in Stratford. Organised by local parents from the Smartphone Free Childhood movement, a range of speakers including medical professionals, teachers, and a former police detective sergeant.
The Smartphone Free Childhood pledge has seen parents from 137 schools across Warwickshire sign a pledge to delay giving their child a smartphone until at least the end of year 9. The talk will address health and safety concerns raised around children having access to smartphones.
These include poor mental health, such as depression, anxiety and low self-esteem, reduced attention spans, and exposure to harmful content. A loss of playtime and sleep are also issues addressed by the movement.
Chris Warren is a speaker at the event and has worked in the tech industry for 20 years.
He said: “Smartphones are simply not designed to be safe for children. The standard parental controls are poorly designed and fail. We mustn’t confuse smartphones with digital literacy, they are not giving our children any useful skills in return for lost childhood.”
Charlotte Ashton, a regional leader for Smartphone Free Childhood Warwickshire, added: “Now that we know this addictive-by-design technology is impacting the development of our children’s brains, it is up to us to stand up for them - if not us, who? It looks like the law isn’t going to change in time to protect our children and the tech industry’s business model depends on them spending as long as possible online - time we will never get back.”
The talk will take place at the RSC Clore Learning Centre in Stratford on Tuesday 25 March between 7.30pm and 9pm. Free tickets can be found at Eventbrite.
Are you a parent concerned about how much time your child spends on their smart phone? Or perhaps you are a teacher who wants to do more to cut down on the use of smart phones in your classroom. We would love to hear from you, send an email to patrick.hollis@stratford-herald.com.
