Now Reading: Parents can set safer phone limits as children go online
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Parents can set safer phone limits as children go online
A phone-free childhood is difficult for many families as schools, teachers, friends and emergency contacts increasingly rely on smartphones. The Hindu recommends age-based safeguards, including screenless phones for children aged 2 to…
The Story in Brief
A phone-free childhood is difficult for many families as schools, teachers, friends and emergency contacts increasingly rely on smartphones. The Hindu recommends age-based safeguards, including screenless phones for children aged 2 to 6 and built-in parental controls for older children. These settings can limit usage, block unsuitable apps and websites, restrict downloads and purchases, and stop notifications during school hours or after bedtime.
Google Family Link lets parents manage screen time, app permissions, bedtime locks and safe-search settings remotely. It can also show device locations and battery levels, but does not provide access to private messages. The Hindu reports complaints about slow updates and weak cross-platform support. It also warns that monitoring can become excessive control, especially for older teenagers.
The Indian Opinion
The lazy answer is that every child needs either a smartphone or a total ban. Families face practical needs, but controls are not a substitute for trust or conversation. Tracking a university-going teenager is not the same as stopping in-app purchases by a young child. Parents should use the least intrusive setting that meets the safety need, review it as children mature, and ask whether each restriction protects the child or simply makes surveillance convenient. Will the rules change when the child’s age and responsibilities do?
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
