Children should not be given smartphones under 16 years old, says school psychologist

Recently, a schoolgirl , who took a naked selfie , was convicted in the United States . Two acts of a sexual nature were seen in her actions: 1) sexual exploitation of the second degree (creation of an erotic photo); 2) sexual exploitation of the third degree (possession of child pornography). With great difficulty, lawyers were able to agree that the girl should not be included in the national database of sex criminals for the rest of her life.

This case once again shows that it is dangerous for minors to hand smartphones into their arms . They can harm not only themselves, but also others. For example, that girl sent naked selfies to her lover. As a result, the guy was also attracted for possession of child pornography.

And if she sent a selfie to everyone in a row? Would the whole city have to be jailed for watching child porn?

To avoid such situations, parents should be vigilant. A government commission has been set up in the UK to study how technology gadgets influence student behavior. The commission will help solve the problems of child pornography and online bullying of classmates and teachers.

Teenagers under 16 are better off not giving smartphones at all, says school psychologist Tom Bennett, chairman of the state commission. Teachers should not be allowed to use smartphones unless absolutely necessary.

According to the results of a thorough study of the impact of smartphones on the children's psyche, the commission will announce recommendations for schools to introduce uniform rules. Now, such rules exist in almost every school, but they are very different from each other: from a complete ban on smartphones to a partial ban. At the same time, projects on the use of computers and tablets in education are being promoted for schools. Multimedia training programs, such as the world's first interactive textbook on linear algebra , increase the efficiency of the educational process by an order of magnitude. But still, extreme caution should be exercised.

“I believe that smartphones in the classroom strongly tempt schoolchildren, but that does not mean that I propose completely ban them,” says Bennett. “I think we should accept the rule that smartphones are prohibited by default until the teacher directly asks to get them to perform a specific task.”

Personally, Bennett believes that more stringent restrictions should be introduced. Gadgets appear too early in children. “I am often asked when to give a child a smartphone. I answer: as soon as you feel comfortable when he watches pornography, "because curiosity will lead them to such sites.

“My personal belief is that a child should not have a smartphone until he is 16 years old, only under the supervision of adults,” Bennett said.