A Sign Of Societal Change...

Another moral panicmoral panic rears its head, and inadvertantly throws a light on how we've changed in the last 50 years.

The next government should consider proposals to ban smartphones for under-16s within its first year, a committee of MPs has said.

And predictably, it's been met with scorn by the young themselves, and not greeted with wholehearted delight by parents. Why? Well, let them tell you: 

In Glossop, Derbyshire, parents' views on a potential ban were mixed. Courtney Clarke, who has a 13-year-old daughter, said she hated her having a smartphone but liked to be able to contact her when she is walking to and from school or out with friends.

Not something my parents used to be concerned about, but the need for parents to be in constant contact is a reflection of how unsafe society now seems. 

When I was on my way to school, I did so in a homogenous neighbourhood, where everyone knew each other, and authority figures (not just teachers, but neighbours, lollipop ladies, actual police officers, park staff) were always to be found and would act without hesitation or the need to consult H&S rulings or standard procedures. The violently mentally ill were not roaming the streets, and - though the IRA was active at the time - we had little to fear that indescriminate street terrorism would be a factor in our lives.  

“If I took my daughter’s phone off her, I am taking away her social life, and that is not good, either”, she said, adding that her daughter did not have the same access to youth clubs that she did when she was young. She said she would worry about her being bullied if she was forced to use a "brick" phone instead.

The killing of schoolchildren by other schoolchildren was unheard of, yet now, it's a constant worry. Even those who agree that there's a danger in smartphones are reluctant to give up the contact they provide:   

Joanne Whaley said she had already gone through bad experiences with her 12-year-old son's smartphone. “If I could change it, I would never have let him have one,” she said. “I would have let him have the old Nokias that we used to have so he could tell me where he is, but the internet being so available has been a disaster."

Is it just 'the internet' that's been a disaster? I don't think so.