Isn't social media the real issue, not smartphones?

[.style-intro]Smartphones are the gateway to the digital world, opening doors to social media, addictive algorithms, and harmful content. While social media gets much of the blame, it’s the smartphone that gives these platforms 24/7 access to our kids. Delaying smartphones helps protect your child’s mental health and development by giving them more time to grow at their own pace.[.style-intro]

Smartphones: the the gateway to it all

Social media is one of the most toxic parts of the online world. It's where kids fall into comparison traps, where their attention is hijacked, and where they can stumble across content that no child should have to see. But here's the thing: social media doesn't just float in the air. It needs a vehicle. And that vehicle – the one that gives these platforms 24/7 access to our children – is the smartphone.

Smartphones aren't neutral tools. They're portals to a digital ecosystem designed not with children in mind, but with profit. Once your child has their own smartphone, they're stepping into a world carefully engineered by companies whose primary aim is to harvest data, not support healthy development or protect childhood.

It's not just social media

Smartphones don't just sit quietly in a drawer. They go everywhere – in pockets, backpacks, and bedrooms. They buzz with notifications. They're available 24/7. Even without social media apps, a smartphone means the entire internet – often unfiltered and unsupervised – is in a child's hands. That means:

Pornography – A simple "Yes, I'm over 18" click is all it takes to access content that can seriously distort a child's understanding of sex, relationships, consent and body image.

Extreme content – From incel forums to pro-anorexia websites to self-harm communities, there are dark corners online – and smartphones and tablets make them incredibly easy to stumble into.

Endless dopamine hits – Games, autoplay videos, pop-up ads, notifications… all designed to keep young brains hooked and craving more.

The keys to a commercially-driven kingdom

Think of smartphones as keys to a commercially-driven kingdom. One where everything is built to keep your child inside – watching, scrolling, swiping. Their wellbeing is not the priority. Even without social media, these devices open the door to a digital world that's shaped by commercial algorithms and persuasive design.

The more time your child spends on their device, the more data is collected, the more ads they see, and the more money is made. When you delay smartphones, you delay the entire industry's ability to monetise your child's attention – and influence their development – before they're ready.

Cutting the problem off at the source

A lot of the debate around kids’ online safety understandably centres on social media platforms – and for good reason. We’ve seen the harm that social media can do to children’s mental health, self-esteem, and development. However, the regulation of social media platforms is a complicated and slow-moving process that could take years to yield meaningful results.

We don’t have the luxury of waiting for policymakers to catch up. Our kids are growing up now, and by the time regulation is in place, they could be well into their teenage years or beyond.

Fortunately, there’s an immediate step we can take to protect our kids: delaying smartphones. It’s one of the most straightforward and impactful ways to tackle the issue at its root – the device itself.

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It starts with the device

So yes – social media is a huge part of the problem. But if we're serious about helping kids grow up free from addictive algorithms, harmful content, and relentless digital pressure, we have to start with the thing that makes it all so accessible: the smartphone itself.

Delaying smartphones is one of the simplest, most powerful ways to support your child's mental health, attention and wellbeing. You're not cutting them off. You're giving them more time – for play, for connection and for growing up at their own pace.