A few weeks ago, a group of parents in Greystones, Co Wicklow, whose children are in second class, made a pact – while their children were in primary school, there would be no mobile phones. It was a clever move. More and more reports are being published on the damage being done to children and teenagers by certain types of mobile phone use, social media use and internet content.
The big increase in referrals to youth mental health services we’ve seen in recent years is linked, I believe, to what these reports are telling us. While we need to meet the demand for services, we’ve also got to tackle the issue at source. This unified approach by the parents means none of them can fall foul of that powerful, guilt-evoking cry: “But everyone in my class has one.”
Their idea has spread. Last week all eight primary school principals in the area wrote to the parents suggesting a similar approach. As one of those parents, I commend them. As a parent and Minister for Health, I believe we should look at some form of this approach nationally in terms of safeguarding youth mental health. The strength of what is happening in schools in Wicklow lies in the fact it is community-led.
[ The Irish Times view on smartphone use by children: trying to turn the tideOpens in new window ]
And it’s not just primary schools. Secondary schools I’ve met with in Wicklow have introduced bans on mobile phones on school grounds. The feedback has been positive from the schools and parents, as you’d expect, but what might surprise you is that it has also been strongly supported by the students.
I’ve spoken with primary and secondary school students, teachers, principals, computer scientists and mental health experts about the impact on children and teenagers of smartphones, unfettered internet access and social media. Here are a few common themes.
1. There are undoubtedly some positives to smartphones and social media, including being able to co-ordinate activities and to connect.
2. Children and teenagers can be exposed to content on social media platforms that is damaging their mental health. Sometimes this damage is profound, with parents referencing anxiety, eating disorders, body dysmorphia, self-harm and suicide ideation. One of the problems is that the algorithms that determine what a child sees in their online feed can prioritise content similar to what they have already looked at. The objective is to keep the customer using the app for as long as possible. So, a girl looks at something on slimming and can then be targeted with content on anorexia. I’ve spoken with parents who’ve told me about the heartbreaking damage this has caused their daughters.
3. Some children and young teenagers are accessing pornography, including extreme content, with a range of deeply disturbing effects.
4. Parents often feel powerless to act. There are parental control apps, but they’re complicated. Not everyone can afford them and they require constant monitoring. Children and teenagers can readily bypass them. On a school visit some time ago I asked a sixth class how many of them had mobile phones, and how many of those phones had full access to the internet. These are 11- and 12-year-olds. Nearly every student took a smartphone out of their schoolbag. Only five said there were controls on their phones. These children then had unfettered access to the very worst that humanity has to offer. Imagine a school stocked its library with graphic, violent pornography, which any student aged 11 and older was allowed access. It would be a national story for weeks. Heads would roll. There could well be prosecutions. But that’s exactly what smartphones offer if they don’t have parental controls on them.
I asked students if they could simply make smartphones and social media not exist, would they? After a brief pause, they started to raise their hands, one by one, until every one of them had their hand up
5. Young people want help with all of this. One teacher told me about the annual school trip, which is a week of outdoor activities. When they reach the camp, the phones are collected. He said that some students panicked, cried and asked repeatedly for their phones back for a day or two. Then the requests stopped. At the end of the week, the phones were returned. Many of his students didn’t want them back.
I’ll never forget a session I had with a brilliant, funny, lively transition year class in Wicklow. We discussed smartphones and social media at length. After a while, it became clear that while there were undoubtedly positives, there was much they didn’t like. At the end I asked them, if they could simply make smartphones and social media not exist, would they? After a brief pause, they started to raise their hands, one by one, until every one of them had their hand up.
We regulate broadcast and print media. We regulate food and drink and medicines. We have extensive child protections in place in so many areas of our society. We’re now beginning to do it in the digital space. Thanks to the new Online Safety and Media Regulation Act, the new Media Commission was established in recent months. Our first Online Safety Commissioner, Niamh Hodnett, has decided to target the online risks to youth mental health.
[ Parents hail no-smartphone code for children until second level as ‘good idea’Opens in new window ]
The issues I’ve raised here are being experienced around the world. Ireland can be, and must be, a world leader in ensuring that children and young people are not targeted and are not harmed by their interactions with the digital world.
We must make it easier for parents to limit the content their children are exposed to. Social media companies have a vital role to play. It is essential that the content they suggest to young people is safe, does not reinforce self-doubt, feed insecurities or promote violence or hatred. Content providers must ensure that there are real age-checks in place. If they do not step up to these challenges, they need to be held accountable for the damage caused. Most importantly, we have to listen very carefully to children and adolescents when they tell us about their experiences.
One final thought. Anyone who spends time on certain social media platforms knows how toxic they can be. Adults in Ireland are engaging with each other in aggressive, threatening, bullying, awful ways that simply never happened before. It is tearing at the fabric of our nation. It is at least partially responsible for Trump, Brexit and the rise of extremism around the world. We need to remember that when we attack each other online – in ways that simply don’t happen face to face – when we stoke up hatred, when we target individuals with bile and threats and lies, our children are watching.
Stephen Donnelly is the Minister for Health and a father of three