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Spain proposes limits on smart phone and internet use for kids
An expert report recommends banning children under 6 from using digital devices in Spain
A pioneering report has been presented to the Spanish Government outlining a comprehensive plan to safeguard children from the risks associated with smart phones and the internet.
The report, compiled by a committee of 50 independent experts, proposes a range of measures to protect minors in this digital age.
At the heart of the report is a call to limit children's exposure to digital devices from a young age. The experts recommend that children should not be exposed to digital devices until they are six years old, and even then, their use should be strictly limited.
For children between the ages of 6 and 12, the report advises that device use should be restricted to occasional, supervised use for social or family contact.
The report also tackles the issue of mobile phones, recommending that children should not be given a mobile phone with an internet connection until they are 16 years old.
For teenagers between the ages of 12 and 16, the experts suggest that so-called ‘dumb phones’ should be promoted – that is, the now old-fashioned mobiles that have no internet capabilities and are just used to call and text.
In addition to these measures, the report proposes a range of other initiatives to protect children in the digital world. These include forcing the industry to install parental control tools by default and placing warning labels on packaging against the potential health risks associated with their use.
Government spokesperson Pilar Alegría explained that this “pioneering report” is “a starting point with different measures to be developed throughout the legislature” and specified that 35 of the 107 measures are already included in the draft organic law for the protection of minors in digital environments. The Executive will also promote a national strategy for safe digital environments.
Concern about mobile phone and internet access among minors is nothing new in Spain. The committee was originally assembled at the start of the year by President Pedro Sánchez in response to the “authentic epidemic” of online pornography consumption among children.
“The numbers are both very telling and very troubling,” President Sánchez said in January. “One in four young people under the age of 12 – and nearly half of those under 15 – has had access, or currently has access, to pornography.”
In a broader context, local governments are taking note of the detrimental impact of over-exposure to the internet, and schools in several regions, including Alicante and Murcia, have put a blanket ban on phones during classroom hours.
The report comes amid a global debate over children's exposure to technology, and its findings are likely to resonate with parents and policymakers around the world.
Image: Pexels
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