Just two weeks ago a report from The Education Select Committee recommended that, post-election, the new government consider additional measures around screen time – and smartphone use – for children.

Having previously heard from both parents and young people on the topic of a smartphone ban for under-16s, this Tech Shock special now turns its focus onto some expert viewpoints.

In this episode, Vicki is joined by a member of the Parent Zone Studio, Riley Mackrory to explore contributions from both education and mobile industry professionals.

Talking points:

• Who could be held accountable – or even criminalised – for not adhering to a smartphone ban?
• Is there really such a thing as a ‘dumb’ phone?
• What impact could bans have on households where smartphones are the only route online?

Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.

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Part two of this Tech Shock special discusses the possibility – and possible impact – of a smartphone ban for under-16s.

Having previously heard from parents, this week Vicki is joined by Anna Lindsay from youth-content platform VoiceBox to get a measure of what young people themselves think about the issue.

Talking points:

• Can you build resilience in an ecosystem of bans and prohibitions?
• Are we consulting young people enough on legislation that impacts them? Could – or should – this process be more collaborative?
• What do young people feel they would lose if using smartphones were no longer an option?

Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.

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A minimal digital living standard is a benchmark. It refers to both a level of digital skills and access to tech that can appropriately meet an individual’s basic needs – not just ‘nice-to-haves’. It involves things like communication and connection with others, and the ability to engage with opportunities and digital services adequately and safely.

This week, Vicki is joined by Dr Emma Stone, director of evidence and engagement at the Good Things Foundation; professor of Digital Culture at the University of Liverpool, Simeon Yates; and Dr Chloe Blackwell from the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University to look at what a minimal digital living standard might look like in practice.

Talking points:

• What goes into constructing a metric like the ‘minimal digital living standard’?
• Is grasping relative differences between groups the key to understanding digital inclusion and exclusion?
• How can – or how should – policymakers and organisations begin to use this benchmark in their work?

https://mdls.org.uk/publications/

Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.

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