2024-07-26 18:41:19
Nokia is developing a phone for kids that will have internet access but won’t let them access TikTok, Instagram or other social media, according to The Telegraph.
HMD Global, which owns the brand, aims to bridge the gap between smartphones and “brick” devices that are largely limited to calls and some text messages.
The company is working with parents to develop a phone next year with features like location tracking, so families know where their children are, messaging, and perhaps some form of video communication between parents and kids.
“We won’t have a device where you can install Facebook, TikTok or social media platforms,” said Lars Silberbauer, HMD’s chief marketing officer.
“I have two girls, ages 4 and 8,” he continued. “What worries me is the fact that about half of parents say smartphones have changed their children’s personalities. I don’t want my kids to be changed by what some tech entrepreneur or Silicon Valley company decides they need. I want them to have a device that supports them, not one that takes away their personal attention and prevents them from living their real lives.”
The online safety regulator Ofcom found in April that a quarter of children aged three to seven had their own smartphone, up from a fifth the year before. That figure rose to 59 per cent of children aged eight to 11, and 95 per cent of children aged 12 to 15.
An international survey of 10,000 parents, including 2,000 in the UK, found that more than half regretted giving their child a smartphone. They felt it hindered family engagement, disrupted children’s sleep, reduced their physical activity and limited their time socialising with friends.
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2024-07-26 18:41:19