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‘It went nuts’: Thousands join UK parents calling for smartphone-free childhood (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] 74 points 2 years ago (9 children)

Peer pressure. Kids at school get the new greatest phone and tell their parents. Parents feel compelled to get it for their kids.

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  • [–] 55 points 2 years ago (5 children)

    That's still on the parents. My little lad is 15 and never had his own phone until his tweens. Amusingly, he was older than me when I got my first phone back in the 90s.

    He never got bullied for not having a phone.

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  • [–] 37 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    He may not have been bullied, but he may have missed out on bonding and closeness that his peers enjoyed. There was a study that showed life is way better for kids if they don't have a phone, but only if their peers also don't have phones

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  • [–] 16 points 2 years ago

    This fact alone makes me conflicted about this. I don't want my kids to walk around having phones from an early age, but I know first hand that being excluded as a kid is not a enjoyable experience. And kids are vicious creatures to each other too.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 years ago

    Not just pressure to get a fancy phone but that most of the socializing happens on social media now. Even if they sit in the same class, it's a snapchat message.

    If they don't have access to it, they're social outcasts by default.

    It's fucking crazy..

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  • [–] 6 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I think if the kids want to bully, they'd just find a lonely and defenseless target and invent an excuse. If you are a potential target, having an expensive phone wouldn't save you anyway.

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  • [–] 4 points 2 years ago

    You'd be surprised! I was bullied throughout school for my shoes (fake Elllese). But one day I came in wearing a Fila jumper for non-school uniform day and everyone was my best fucking friend. Kids are evil.

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