Local Fianna Fáil TD Jackie Cahill has welcomed new resources to help support parents who wish to develop voluntary codes regarding smartphone use among primary school children.
Minister for Education Norma Foley has released new guidelines to all schools that are designed to help support parents amid concerns regarding primary school children’s potential exposure to cyberbullying and other online harms.
Deputy Cahill says “There are undoubtedly some positives to smartphones and social media but anyone who spends time on certain social media platforms knows how toxic they can be and added that children and teenagers can be exposed to content that is damaging their mental health and often parents can be left feeling powerless.”
A group of parents with children in primary school in Greystones County Wicklow are the inspiration for the new approach after they agreed collectively not to buy smartphones for their children whilst in primary school. These new guidelines introduced by Minister Norma Foley are designed to see similar initiatives being rolled out across other schools and contain practical advice and suggestions about devising voluntary agreements among parents concerning the use of smartphones for their primary school age children.The 11 page guide for parents and parents associations can be downloaded from here.
