SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
We see smartphones everywhere. In school hallways, at the family dinner table and plugged in at the bedside table.
But how young is too young to be constantly connected to the rest of the world through sleek apps, social media and video messaging?
One Colorado man has decided that age 13 seems like a good cutoff.
Tim Farnum is leading the charge on a proposed ballot initiative in Colorado that would be the first of its kind in the country. Farnum's proposal would ban the sale of smartphones to children younger than 13, or more likely, to parents who intend to give the smartphone to kids in that age bracket.
Farnum, a Denver-area anesthesiologist, is the founder of Parents Against Underage Smartphones, or PAUS, the nonprofit group pushing the proposal.
Source: Coloradoan.com
Also reported by: The Washington Post
Initial Fiscal Impact Statement: Colorado.gov [PDF]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Tuesday June 20 2017, @01:30AM (3 children)
Nobody drinks or smokes while underage.
Nobody's parents have ever given them the toy they want, just to get peace...
I wouldn't mind having the supplemental excuse of telling my future teenagers: "It's illegal until you're 18", but for now "You can't afford it" will have to do.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Tuesday June 20 2017, @01:48AM (1 child)
In the past these things required money to get and skills to repair or modify. Parents could just refrain from sponsoring any phone until they are old enough. And if they succeed to acquire the money needed and repair skills then maybe they are smart enough to handle the connectivity too. The only catch is they might miss out on (positive) social events among friends.
In fact give them a phone preinstalled with LineageOS and a Unix prompt with a 500 page paper manual ;)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 20 2017, @06:06AM
This type of government goes for more than just dictating who can use smartphones. It will also go to what you can use on your smartphones. And since it can't be controlled by the company, any independent OS is probably going to wind up impractical to run sooner or later (they're trying for just that with Android and it's already there with iPhone). Eventually it'll probably outright go to illegal for "security" reasons, which is where they'll start making sure you're only going to the "properly secured" websites and overriding that filter will be illegal...
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Tuesday June 20 2017, @07:42AM
Running over kids with their faces planted in a smartphone screen should also become a non-punishable offence too. Darwin will do the rest.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves