Five Reasons Why Kids Should Not Own A Smartphone

Nowadays, smartphones are used by everyone including kids. Yes, kids. As a kid, I remember I wasn’t even allowed to pick calls on the landline at home let alone own a smartphone; but fast forward to present day, kids own smartphones that even a working class adult wouldn’t dare to own. Kids of today have become smarter and brighter that they have little or no difficulty navigating any model of these smartphones.

Of course, this cannot be prevented because we are in the digital age however; some people fail to consider the side effects smartphones might have on these kids. Bear in mind that unlike in the past, these kids grow up early and are exposed to all sorts of things so; it is advisable to have second thoughts before buying a smartphone for these kids. Below are five reasons why kids don’t need a smartphone.

Cyber-Bullying
Wikipedia defines cyber-bullying as a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means and it is mostly common among kids. These harmful bullying behaviours can include posting rumours, threats, sexual remarks, a victims’ personal information or derogatory speeches. This can lead to low self-esteem, suicide, depression or even death at a very young age.
Poor Academic Performance
Many schools ban students from bringing their mobile phones to school because most mobile phones have the ability to look up information online and can also double as a calculator; in short, the ways that these kids use these mobile devices to their advantage are numerous. For many kids who own smartphones, their new book is Facebook. They spend so much time on social media that they barely pick their books to read thus affecting their output and performance in school.
Early Exposure to Pornographic Contents
With a smartphone, kids get unrestricted access to various pornographic and inappropriate contents online. Parents are always not aware of this except their online activities are checked however; it might even go unnoticed because these kids are so smart they know how to hide these contents.
Early Addiction
According to a recent study, one in 11 children aged 8-18 years are addicted to technology while many are now also suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). They can only concentrate on their smartphones and can’t learn if they cannot pay attention. So, if a child is having ADD, it is time to take away that mobile phone from them and this will help them break the addiction before it becomes uncontrollable.
Sleep Deprivation
A child who is addicted to a smartphone will deprive himself sleep. The consequence of sleep denied is terrible because it will affect their overall life cycle. Even as adults, we all know how messed up our day can be without adequate sleep and we definitely don’t want that for our kids.
Hopefully, these reasons have given you some things to think about when deciding why it may be a good idea to buy your child a smartphone but whatever you decide, keep in mind that we all want what’s best for our children. They don’t have to always like us for it, but I can guarantee one day they’ll look back and love us for it!