• sunbeam60@lemmy.oneEnglish
    0·
    1 month ago

    Got two teenagers. I’d outlaw smart phones for anyone under 18 if it was up to me. Bring the flame!

    • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      0·
      1 month ago

      I strongly disagree, this should be a decision for parents to make, no need to get the law involved. However, schools can and should have a policy that phones need to be off (or at least silenced, no vibrate) during class, and they can check it if excused to go to the restroom or something. But I would never agree to a law banning access to phones for minors, that’s a violation of parental discretion.

      • sunbeam60@lemmy.oneEnglish
        0·
        1 month ago

        We ban gambling, cigarettes, alcohol, media for children, because of harms we understand that they inflict on children. Should these be parental discretions too?

          • sunbeam60@lemmy.oneEnglish
            0·
            1 month ago

            True, but there is good and bad ways to use media (educational content done well vs cheap Chinese children’s TV) and we do have age ratings there.

            You’re right that cigarettes are universally bad (smokers would argue not, of course, and probably highlight social moments, pauses to reflect etc) but much of my list has good and bad sides. I’m perfectly open to removing cigarettes from the list, but it doesn’t change the validity of the other areas where we regulate minors’ usage.

            • angrystego@lemmy.worldEnglish
              1·
              1 month ago

              I’d argue that gambling doesn’t really have good sides and alcohol is ambivalent at best. We could compare it to other media like TV, that’s perdectly ok. But when it comes to restrictions concerning other media, they are not as strict and act mostly like guidelines for parents.