Understanding the power in your pocket

Following calls for stricter controls on phone usage by young people, AISLING TANNER spoke to some friends about their enduring relationships with their smartphones

SMARTPHONES are playing a massive part in the lives of our young people today. 

They are essential for their communications with friends, but, of course, they also create many concerns for their parents.

Recently, the debate about phones has centred around the best age for allowing children to start their smartphone ‘journey’. There are moves to have them banned in primary schools, as many adults believe that having unfettered access to the internet under the age of 12 is not good for a young person’s mental health.

Ava Hurley (14) from Kinsale believes children should not get access to a phone until at least their 12th birthday.  ‘If children under 12 have phones, then it should only be for limited use, because kids under 12 are not mature enough to understand the dangers,’ said Ava. 

Aideen Sexton from Barryroe is of a similar opinion – the 25-year-old also believes that children should get their first phone around their Confirmation, at the age of 12, or just before they enter secondary school. ‘My phone is like my right hand,’ she admitted. 

Limits are often brought up when talking about excess phone usage. ‘I think there should be limits on phone usage for anyone under the age of 13, and they should only be on their phone for a maximum of two hours a day,’ said Aoife O’Connell (20) from Clonakilty.

 ‘I think having a phone impacts my mental health. Social media has a big part to play here, I often see people going out more than me, or I might see that people have more money than me and sometimes this can make me feel insecure or bad about myself.’

‘Phones should be left in a separate room at night,’ suggested 20-year-old Ciara Walsh from Drinagh, who noted that having a phone can also have a huge impact on young people during exam periods.

 ‘A phone can become quite addictive and can pull focus from studying,’ she added.

With phones being so addictive for young people these days, it is understandable that parents have a number of concerns, said Ciara. ‘I do understand the concerns of parents as I’ve heard stories from friends that would shock most parents!’ 

The use of social media platforms is now the norm for phone users, with apps like TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram the most popular.

These platforms should be more protective of their users, said Aideen. ‘They should have double authentication to get into apps because people’s accounts are getting hacked every day,’ she suggested.