Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

Colorado Dad Wants to Ban Smartphone Sales to Children

posted by n1 on Monday June 19 2017, @11:13PM   Printer-friendly
from the think-of-the-children dept.

takyon writes:

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]

Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Colorado Dad Wants to Ban Smartphone Sales to Children | Log In/Create an Account | Top | 67 comments | Search Discussion
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

  • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Tuesday June 20 2017, @07:31AM (2 children)

    by FatPhil (863) <reversethis-{if.fdsa} {ta} {tnelyos-cp}> on Tuesday June 20 2017, @07:31AM (#528363) Homepage
    How can any 13 year old ever by a smartphone? Don't phones come with connection contracts with service providers in the USA? Even if they don't, much of the functionality, such as cellular data, aren't available without a connection contract. Aren't services used before they're billed - that's credit?

    How can a 13 year old get credit and enter into a contract, it makes no sense.
    --
    Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  
    Total Score:   2  

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 20 2017, @07:37AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 20 2017, @07:37AM (#528365)

    There are phones without contracts, and you can buy them (and minutes and service time cards) with cash. Some of them are pretty cheap. Even smartphones.

    But there are plenty of things a child could get that a parent may not want them to have. Check up on them occasionally and don't be too paranoid.

  • (Score: 2) by TheRaven on Tuesday June 20 2017, @08:48AM

    by TheRaven (270) on Tuesday June 20 2017, @08:48AM (#528387) Journal
    Not sure about the USA, but in the UK it's been a long time since you got the best deal going for a contract vs pre-pay for anything other than the highest volume users. I pay 3p/minute for calls, 2p/text, and 1p/MB for data. Most of my data use is via WiFi so I don't run up much of a bill through that. I used to make most calls via a SIP provider, but now my mobile provider is cheaper for anything other than international calls.
    --
    sudo mod me up