Internet use by children

[Mock Turtle]

Most children own mobile phone by age of seven, study finds

The report, based on a survey of 2,167 UK five- to 16-year-olds, said 53% of youngsters owned mobile phones by around the age of seven. It said that by age 11, 90% had their own device, and phone ownership was “almost universal” once children were in secondary school. Of those questioned, 39% said they could not live without their phone – up from 33% last year. Teenagers aged 15 and 16 were most concerned about being without their phone, the report found. 57% of all the children surveyed said they always slept with their phone by their bed, while the same proportion admitted they did not know what they would do if they lost their device. And 44% said they would feel uncomfortable if they were somewhere without phone signal, while 42% admitted to being “constantly worried” about running out of charge.

Besides the worrying affects of so much use, and dependence on them (like so many adults), we have the additional worry cited here:

Young girls groomed 'within seconds' of going on to livestreaming websites in 'sinister' trend

Discuss?

 

[Quintessence]

A related article from a source that publishes articles written by academics and scholars (with appropriate links to peer-reviewed research and all):

"On average, American adults touch their phones over 2,500 times a day. According to the American Psychiatric Association, that fits the definition of addiction: “a condition in which a person engages in the use of a substance or in a behavior for which the rewarding effects provide a compelling incentive to repeatedly pursue the behavior despite detrimental consequences.” While researchers continue to study the effects and extent of phone use, the scientific consensus is that phone addiction is real."
From - Is secondhand screen time the new secondhand smoking?​

What becomes particularly troubling is when you couple this with awareness of surveillance capitalism that is manipulating human behavior through mobile devices (and other media) for profit:

"In 2016, the Google-incubated augmented reality game, Pokémon Go, tested economies of action on the streets. Game players did not know that they were pawns in the real game of behavior modification for profit, as the rewards and punishments of hunting imaginary creatures were used to herd people to the McDonald’s, Starbucks and local pizza joints that were paying the company for “footfall,” in exactly the same way that online advertisers pay for “click through” to their websites."
From - www.nytimes.com/2020/01/24/opinion/sunday/surveillance-capitalism.html​

And that's not even the most creepy and chilling part of the article. Surveillance capitalism is ubiquitous, sinister, and largely unregulated. While children are also snared up in it, let's make no mistake that adults are manipulated by this just as much as children are. There are some who are recognizing how problematic this is and taking needed steps to protect citizens, but it is an unfortunately slow process that really should have happened at least a couple decades ago.

 

[Mock Turtle]

A related article from a source that publishes articles written by academics and scholars (with appropriate links to peer-reviewed research and all):

"On average, American adults touch their phones over 2,500 times a day. According to the American Psychiatric Association, that fits the definition of addiction: “a condition in which a person engages in the use of a substance or in a behavior for which the rewarding effects provide a compelling incentive to repeatedly pursue the behavior despite detrimental consequences.” While researchers continue to study the effects and extent of phone use, the scientific consensus is that phone addiction is real."
From - Is secondhand screen time the new secondhand smoking?​

What becomes particularly troubling is when you couple this with awareness of surveillance capitalism that is manipulating human behavior through mobile devices (and other media) for profit:

"In 2016, the Google-incubated augmented reality game, Pokémon Go, tested economies of action on the streets. Game players did not know that they were pawns in the real game of behavior modification for profit, as the rewards and punishments of hunting imaginary creatures were used to herd people to the McDonald’s, Starbucks and local pizza joints that were paying the company for “footfall,” in exactly the same way that online advertisers pay for “click through” to their websites."
From - www.nytimes.com/2020/01/24/opinion/sunday/surveillance-capitalism.html​

And that's not even the most creepy and chilling part of the article. Surveillance capitalism is ubiquitous, sinister, and largely unregulated. While children are also snared up in it, let's make no mistake that adults are manipulated by this just as much as children are. There are some who are recognizing how problematic this is and taking needed steps to protect citizens, but it is an unfortunately slow process that really should have happened at least a couple decades ago.

Is it the dreaded FOMO driving much of this, or the equally dangerous 'look at me, me, me'? Not healthy.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Most children own mobile phone by age of seven, study finds

The report, based on a survey of 2,167 UK five- to 16-year-olds, said 53% of youngsters owned mobile phones by around the age of seven. It said that by age 11, 90% had their own device, and phone ownership was “almost universal” once children were in secondary school. Of those questioned, 39% said they could not live without their phone – up from 33% last year. Teenagers aged 15 and 16 were most concerned about being without their phone, the report found. 57% of all the children surveyed said they always slept with their phone by their bed, while the same proportion admitted they did not know what they would do if they lost their device. And 44% said they would feel uncomfortable if they were somewhere without phone signal, while 42% admitted to being “constantly worried” about running out of charge.

Besides the worrying affects of so much use, and dependence on them (like so many adults), we have the additional worry cited here:

Young girls groomed 'within seconds' of going on to livestreaming websites in 'sinister' trend

Discuss?

You mean like this?

 

[Twilight Hue]

Is it the dreaded FOMO driving much of this, or the equally dangerous 'look at me, me, me'? Not healthy.

I know it's an intrical part of our nature, but self aggrandization has peaked to new levels this generation.

 

[Shad]

Most children own mobile phone by age of seven, study finds

The report, based on a survey of 2,167 UK five- to 16-year-olds, said 53% of youngsters owned mobile phones by around the age of seven. It said that by age 11, 90% had their own device, and phone ownership was “almost universal” once children were in secondary school. Of those questioned, 39% said they could not live without their phone – up from 33% last year. Teenagers aged 15 and 16 were most concerned about being without their phone, the report found. 57% of all the children surveyed said they always slept with their phone by their bed, while the same proportion admitted they did not know what they would do if they lost their device. And 44% said they would feel uncomfortable if they were somewhere without phone signal, while 42% admitted to being “constantly worried” about running out of charge.

Besides the worrying affects of so much use, and dependence on them (like so many adults), we have the additional worry cited here:

Young girls groomed 'within seconds' of going on to livestreaming websites in 'sinister' trend

Discuss?

Bad parenting.

 

[SomeRandom]

Most children own mobile phone by age of seven, study finds

The report, based on a survey of 2,167 UK five- to 16-year-olds, said 53% of youngsters owned mobile phones by around the age of seven. It said that by age 11, 90% had their own device, and phone ownership was “almost universal” once children were in secondary school. Of those questioned, 39% said they could not live without their phone – up from 33% last year. Teenagers aged 15 and 16 were most concerned about being without their phone, the report found. 57% of all the children surveyed said they always slept with their phone by their bed, while the same proportion admitted they did not know what they would do if they lost their device. And 44% said they would feel uncomfortable if they were somewhere without phone signal, while 42% admitted to being “constantly worried” about running out of charge.

Besides the worrying affects of so much use, and dependence on them (like so many adults), we have the additional worry cited here:

Young girls groomed 'within seconds' of going on to livestreaming websites in 'sinister' trend

Discuss?

A needed increase in safe usage education aimed at younger levels?
I mean I grew up on the internet and sure sometimes it’s steered me in the wrong direction. But I mean, now my generation are the ones doing to raising. So surely we are savvy enough to tackle the issue a bit better than the Boomers and Xers, who’s technology looks antique to us millenials. Or I mean we could just all clutch at our pearl necklaces.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I know it's an intrical part of our nature, but self aggrandization has peaked to new levels this generation.

Perhaps forced upon them?

 

[Mock Turtle]

Bad parenting.

Like to see permanent surveillance of children? Like cameras in their bedrooms or any other place they might not want their parents' intrusion? It is possible these days but is it wise, just as monitoring software and parental filtering software of what they can and cannot see on the internet might not be that appropriate - leading to less rather than more trust between children and parents. It's still a very difficult area to negotiate.

From my experience, teaching children or even presenting a particular role model doesn't necessarily work in keeping them safe. Too many other influences outside of parental control - because they are children.

 

[Mock Turtle]

A needed increase in safe usage education aimed at younger levels?
I mean I grew up on the internet and sure sometimes it’s steered me in the wrong direction. But I mean, now my generation are the ones doing to raising. So surely we are savvy enough to tackle the issue a bit better than the Boomers and Xers, who’s technology looks antique to us millenials. Or I mean we could just all clutch at our pearl necklaces.

I'm not sure any particular generation is better than any other for perceiving what is happening to them - at the time.

 

[SomeRandom]

I'm not sure any particular generation is better than any other for perceiving what is happening to them - at the time.

True. But those who grew up on social media, like the Millenials, probably understand what it’s like to grow up on social media. Unlike boomers who likely still ask their kids or even grandkids how to set up a cloud printer network

 

[Quintessence]

Bad parenting.

It's interesting that you bring this up, because there was another resource I was looking at lately related to this issue which discussed the "bad parenting" excuse. The jist of it is that corporations can and do use "parental controls" (and the failure to use them as examples of "bad parenting") as an excuse to absolve themselves of any responsibility for the impact of their products on children.

The example used was video games. In case you are not aware, the more shady video games publishers have been allowing blatant gambling - yes, with real money and everything - in products that are not rated for adults only. In a pathetic attempt to cover their rears, some of them are sponsoring an initiative to "educate" parents about video games. But here's the thing - if a video game is rated "E" for Everyone that's supposed to mean parental controls are not necessary in the first place. So why are companies putting predatory microtransactions in these games targeted towards children and then claiming parents are the ones who need to take responsibility for this? To make matters more insidious, sometimes they add these "surprise mechanics" (aka, gambling) after the game's launch to avoid labels on the boxes that state there are "in game purchases" available for them.

This is the kind of stuff we are dealing with these days. Companies trying to constantly get away with stuff they shouldn't be doing because it makes them heaps and heaps (and I mean billions in the case of predatory monetization of video games) of profit. It's bad enough that this stuff targets adults, who in reality are no better equipped to resist the psychological manipulations companies use to trick people into buying these things than children are.

 

[Twilight Hue]

True. But those who grew up on social media, like the Millenials, probably understand what it’s like to grow up on social media. Unlike boomers who likely still ask their kids or even grandkids how to set up a cloud printer network

The problem with millennials is they live in a virtual world and ignore the real world.

It's a recipe for disaster.

 

[Quintessence]

The problem with millennials is they live in a virtual world and ignore the real world.

They don't, though, and I think you're missing @SomeRandom 's point. The "virtual world" is part of their "real world" in very significant ways that those who aren't plugged into it can't hope to understand.

It's interesting working at a university and getting to witness the up and coming generations. The generation I work with now is even more normalised to this "virtual world" than the thus-labeled "millenials." They're typically more concerned about grave, "real world" problems that we are facing within the next century than the older generations. It gives me hope.

 

[Twilight Hue]

They don't, though, and I think you're missing @SomeRandom 's point. The "virtual world" is part of their "real world" in very significant ways that those who aren't plugged into it can't hope to understand.

It's interesting working at a university and getting to witness the up and coming generations. The generation I work with now is even more normalised to this "virtual world" than the thus-labeled "millenials." They're typically more concerned about grave, "real world" problems that we are facing within the next century than the older generations. It gives me hope.

I can't say i entirely agree, but I do hope I am wrong with my assessment.

 

[SomeRandom]

The problem with millennials is they live in a virtual world and ignore the real world.

It's a recipe for disaster.

I think you’ll find that we are more socially aware than ever before. We can navigate both real life and the virtual world, as you call it. The younger kids are probably even more eager and aware of real life problems. I just happen to be more indifferent than my peers.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I don't think previous generations had this to contend with:

Porn survey reveals extent of UK teenagers' viewing habits

Most teenage respondents who intentionally watched pornography said they viewed it by browsing the homepages of popular pornography sites. This suggests the algorithms that control which videos appear on homepages of sites such as PornHub could be shaping sexual viewing habits, raising concerns similar to the potentially radicalising impact of the YouTube video algorithm on political opinions. Several girls told the researchers that boys boasting about what they had seen in pornography led to anxiety about whether they could meet such expectations, as well as concerns about aggressive or violent sexual behaviour, such as choking. While teenagers reported concerns about body image as a result of watching pornography, “many young people felt that the way they viewed their overall body image was more likely the result of the kinds of body images they saw on Instagram”.

 

[Shad]

It's interesting that you bring this up, because there was another resource I was looking at lately related to this issue which discussed the "bad parenting" excuse. The jist of it is that corporations can and do use "parental controls" (and the failure to use them as examples of "bad parenting") as an excuse to absolve themselves of any responsibility for the impact of their products on children.

The example used was video games. In case you are not aware, the more shady video games publishers have been allowing blatant gambling - yes, with real money and everything - in products that are not rated for adults only. In a pathetic attempt to cover their rears, some of them are sponsoring an initiative to "educate" parents about video games. But here's the thing - if a video game is rated "E" for Everyone that's supposed to mean parental controls are not necessary in the first place. So why are companies putting predatory microtransactions in these games targeted towards children and then claiming parents are the ones who need to take responsibility for this? To make matters more insidious, sometimes they add these "surprise mechanics" (aka, gambling) after the game's launch to avoid labels on the boxes that state there are "in game purchases" available for them.

This is the kind of stuff we are dealing with these days. Companies trying to constantly get away with stuff they shouldn't be doing because it makes them heaps and heaps (and I mean billions in the case of predatory monetization of video games) of profit. It's bad enough that this stuff targets adults, who in reality are no better equipped to resist the psychological manipulations companies use to trick people into buying these things than children are.

Sure it is basic consumerism and entitlement culture played up by businesses. Children want X product as their friends have it and they see it on TV. Parents cave to demands.

The rating system has no legal power. It is mostly made up and just opinion. Heck I remember buying games as a teenager with no one caring about said rating system at all.

 

[Shad]

Like to see permanent surveillance of children? Like cameras in their bedrooms or any other place they might not want their parents' intrusion? It is possible these days but is it wise, just as monitoring software and parental filtering software of what they can and cannot see on the internet might not be that appropriate - leading to less rather than more trust between children and parents. It's still a very difficult area to negotiate.

No just denying access to specific devices. More so you are assuming a level of trust without cause. Trust is earned and lost not just given. How someone thinks a 9 year old is trust worthy with such devices has questionable thought patterns in my view.

From my experience, teaching children or even presenting a particular role model doesn't necessarily work in keeping them safe. Too many other influences outside of parental control - because they are children.

Sure. However my point is about what parents can do as 9 year olds do not have the funds for those devices. The parents do.

My brother made a deal with his 12 (at the time) year old step-son. Get a paper route and he gets a smartphone. That lasted about 1 month. See how far unwarranted trust went? Now my brother has to pay off a phone he does not use until the contract is up.

 

[Mock Turtle]

No just denying access to specific devices. More so you are assuming a level of trust without cause. Trust is earned and lost not just given. How someone thinks a 9 year old is trust worthy with such devices has questionable thought patterns in my view.

Sure. However my point is about what parents can do as 9 year olds do not have the funds for those devices. The parents do.

My brother made a deal with his 12 (at the time) year old step-son. Get a paper route and he gets a smartphone. That lasted about 1 month. See how far unwarranted trust went? Now my brother has to pay off a phone he does not use until the contract is up.

Not a parent so I can't place myself in this situation, but I'll agree that a lot of parents seemingly are not doing their job - according to the second article in the OP and the later one on how so many are viewing adult material.