This is quite an interesting topic to address. In my country, it has practically become a cultural norm to give a child a cellphone at an early age as a tool to help them navigate daily life. What I mean is using it to “control and distract” the child in this case.
I don’t have children, so I wouldn’t know if this is good or bad from a parent’s perspective. But as someone who uses these devices and understands the power and ease with which inappropriate things can be done through them, I believe it’s very wrong to give children the kind of flexibility Venezuelan parents allow nowadays.
Starting with platforms like TikTok, Facebook, X, and Instagram these are superficial social networks where people mostly portray a life full of lies. The use of these platforms is supposed to be personal and “friendly” or a way to meet good people. The problem is, there are a lot of bad people with easy access to your information.
I remember once my underage sister was being harassed by a man on Instagram. We immediately took her phone away. I know my sister wasn’t at fault at all, but it was a way to protect her from the world.
Another thing that deeply worries me is the amount of pornographic and violent videos that appear on these platforms’ feeds. You don’t need to search for them or follow anyone specific, these social networks push harmful content in a morbid attempt to grab your attention and keep you consuming more.
I’d trade a cellphone for some storybooks, board games, or anything else that teaches values to my children (if I had any). I’d even go as far as to say I’d only give them a phone once they turn 18. If they need to send a message, they can ask an adult for help, and if they want to see someone, there’s nothing better than doing it face to face instead of through a screen.
Thanks for your reaction. You've mentioned some points I didn't even address in my blog.
It's not the first time I hear about 'grown' men that reach out to teenagers online. We have talked about this with our kids too. Told them people can pretend to be someone they are not. We told our kids that they could only accept friend requests from people they know in real life and that they can never use their real name online as well as share their address or whereabouts.
The harmful content is also worrying indeed. Although some platforms have moderators, you can't do anything when bad things happen during live streams.
And what to think about the AI generated content? If we already find it difficult to detect if things are fake, how can we expect kids to do it?
No, it's not getting easier to raise a kid or to grow up in times like this.
I may sound a bit negative, but I think proper education and regulation could help to change things for the better.