Kids these days – Bebo, Blackberries and Banning Smartphones

I can remember clearly the rise of smartphones and social media at school. First it was the transition from Bebo (where inordinate time was spent on your top-16 friends) to Facebook. Then came the smartphone. Blackberry and BBM were quickly followed by iPhones as iPods very quickly fell out of fashion. No longer were photos having to be ‘Bluetooth-ed’ to each other. Instead, it could be done at the drop of a hat. It was hard to keep up.

As kids, little did we realise we were living through a technological revolution.

Having been born in 1992, as a ‘millennial’, I lived the majority of my childhood where this revolution was still in its early stages rather than established – and I’m glad I did. Because fast forward to the late 1990s and kids born then – ‘Gen Z’ – entered their teenage years where this trend was now much more well established, around 2010. It’s remarkable that, according to Ofcom, today 97% of 12 year olds in the UK own a smartphone and a quarter of 5 to 7 year olds, while half of nine year olds have a social media account. I didn’t get my first phone (a Motorola Slvr!) until I was 14.

And as Jonathan Haidt suggests in his new book The Anxious Generation, there has been a horrifying impact.

Haidt, a well-known American social psychologist, reveals the degree to which mental health has spiralled among younger generations since 2010. His whole hypothesis hinges on how kids have been over-protected in the real world, a trend dating back to the 1980s, and under-protected in the virtual world, a much more recent trend which has led to what he terms ‘the rewiring of childhood’. He argues that a combination of these two trends has left them fragile and unable to cope with the ups and downs that life inevitably throws at them. It’s a depressing but important read.

Though there is debate as to whether correlation means causation, the book has created an impact across government – it’s been suggested it’s the most widely read book in Number 10 at the moment, while Haidt was in Westminster earlier this month briefing dozens of MPs and Peers from across the house. It should be noted that both Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer, and many other MPs, have teenage children living through the effects of the smartphone generation so perhaps it’s no surprise it has resonated.

So, what can be done? And do people care?

At Stonehaven, as part of our ongoing polling amongst the general public, we have recently run some questions explicitly on smartphone usage. It should be noted that this is different to online safety, a related but separate topic which has seen plenty of recent news with the passage of the Online Safety Bill.

Our headline findings have implications for both government and business:

1.???? There is significant appetite amongst the public for government to take greater measures to protect children from harmful content and online risks associated with smartphone usage.

2.???? The public also support greater action from tech companies to address a) what they sell to children and b) the development of child-friendly smartphones.

This is important for government as there is overwhelming support from voters across parties for greater regulation. The Conservatives are weighing making it one of their legacy issues and, failing that, a Labour Government come the next election will come under increasing pressure to act.

From a business perspective, policymakers will know that it’s better to get ahead of the game reputationally rather than be dragged kicking and screaming into having to do what is inevitably coming down the line. And our polling shows that there is clear support from voters for tech companies to innovate and act in this space.

In many ways, there is a similarity with the climate debate here – some major companies such as BP and Exxon are still feeling the reputational damage of failing to move early on climate change. There is therefore a reputational imperative for tech businesses to get their own house in order before regulation comes down the line.

The headline results of our research:

·?????? 76% say that government should implement new regulations to protect children from harmful content and online risks associated with smartphone usage. This figure doesn’t differentiate much across Party, with 81% of Conservative voters and 78% of Labour voters seeing it this way.

·?????? 75% say that tech companies should only sell smartphones to children if the device is equipped with strict built-in safety features. The figure is 77% for Conservative voters and 75% for Labour voters.

·?????? 80% say that tech companies should develop child-friendly smartphones – only equipped with essential apps like maps and messaging. The figure is 84% for both Conservative and Labour voters.

·?????? Voters see children’s exposure to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, and the impact on mental health as their primary areas of concern regarding smartphone usage.

Various measures are under discussion within parliament at the moment – ranging from an outright ban on smartphones for under-16s to better safety measures being put in place. There is differentiating political support across this sliding scale.

The Conservative Government has been dancing around the issue with a consultation to address concerns about the impacts of phones on young people set to be published shortly. But it is now tight to get anything through the legislative process before an election. A number of Conservative backbenchers are clearly in support – a Westminster Hall Debate on 14th May saw many speak out, but the Minister’s response suggested responsibility lay primarily with parents while the Secretary of State for Education has since questioned how it would be enforced.

Labour has yet to commit either way though they are on record as being ‘open minded’ about a ban on under 16s having smartphones.

Perhaps a first sign of getting ahead of the game came earlier this month with Nokia re-releasing their Nokia 3210 with their tagline of ‘Let’s throw back to Y2K (the year 2000), when conversations mattered more than likes and shares.’ Snake was even one of their selling points.

Whether this is a gimmick, or others follow suit, will be one to watch. Because, as our research shows, there is a growing swell of support for government to act and business to innovate. It is one which will confront the industry and the next government head on.

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Notes:

Stonehaven's poll was a UK nationally representative poll of n=2,098 respondents, weighted by age, gender, region and 2019 vote. The poll was run from 24th of April – 26th April 2024. Data tables will be published on the Stonehaven website.?

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ENDS