Keep smartphones out of children’s bedrooms, researcher says

Parents should not allow children younger than 12 to use tablets and smartphones alone in their bedroom, according to a researcher from the West Flemish university college Vives, who examined the online behaviour of 375 children aged between 10 and 14.

“Children take real risks when they can use the internet outside the supervision of their mother and father,” Peter Dejonckheere told Het Nieuwsblad. Children in their own room are more likely to download a paying app, share passwords, post pictures of themselves, use a webcam, arrange to meet someone they only know via social media, end up in arguments or fall victim to bullies.

“Very young children don’t realise the impact of what they do online,” said Dejonckheere, pointing out that their internet habits have an effect on how children feel. “Children who are often online indicate more often that they are sad or feel lonely.”

Typical parental monitoring strategies – like installing software to monitor children’s surfing behaviour or block sites, and becoming friends with them on Facebook to check their account – don’t help, he says. “Children can easily circumvent filter software and they just switch to other sites if they feel their parents are monitoring them too much on Facebook.”

Children older than 12 start to become more independent and thus more able to use the internet safely, he adds. “They are increasingly online outside the house, so parental monitoring has less and less effect.”