THE rise in mobile phone use among children has prompted a warning to parents from a local technology lecturer.
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It comes after a new report this week revealed the average Australian child receives their first smartphone at age 11, with some kids as young as three taking possession of phones.
CSU adjunct senior lecturer in technology Ken Eustace said the report reinforced the need for parents to keep tight controls on their children’s mobile phone usage.
“Technology is so open and accessible now that it’s very hard to give a young person a smartphone and not expect them to use it to its full capability,” Mr Eustace said.
“It exposes them to everything from cyber-bullying to being groomed by undesirable people.
“If you’re taught your child stranger danger, you should also be teaching them cyber stranger danger.”
He said even the simple act of sending a photo via applications such as Snapchat, which claims to make photos “disappear” in 10 seconds of less, had an element of risk.
“It’s a lot of fun for young people but even if they think they’re sending it to one person, there are a lot of hackers out there,” Mr Eustace said.
“Eleven-year-olds aren’t dumb, put they need to be made aware of the risks, not just from schools, but from parents.”
Complicating matters was the fact most kids were more tech-savvy than their parents, he said.
Drawing up a contract with a child, and telling them the phone would be confiscated if the contract was broken, was a good starting point, he said.
Regularly monitoring your child’s phone bill, messages and photos was also important.
Wagga child and adolescent psychologist Kylie Irlam said asking your child to pay part of the monthly bill would also encourage more responsible phone use.
Telstra this week released a free cyber-safety tool that can set time-of-day limits on calls and mobile web use for kids using a mobile.
To access Telstra Mobile Protect, go to www.telstra.com/mobileprotect
“Parents should always decide what’s best for their children but my advice is that there’s no need for primary-aged children to have a phone,” Wagga child and adolescent psychologist Kylie Ingram said.
