Parents urged not to give their children smartphones

South Wales Argus

18-07-2025

Telecoms expert Juliet Moran is warning parents that smartphones are wiring permanent addiction pathways in children's brains and can be just as harmful as giving them cigarettes or alcohol.
Dumbphones, also known as 'feature phones', have no internet access, no social media apps, and no endless scrolling.
They're seeing a comeback too, with the total global market projected to bring in £8.5 billion in revenue this year. Yet despite the risks, Ofcom figures show 97% of children own a smartphone by the age of 12, and nearly a quarter of children as young as five to seven already have one.
Juliet, who is director of TelephoneSystems.Cloud, says: 'Smartphones are designed to be addictive and they give children access to the entire world. We don't let children smoke or drink for good reason, yet we give them smartphones which have severe consequences and can be just as addictive.
'There's no need for children so young to own a smartphone. Endless scrolling feeds content addiction by triggering dopamine hits and with children's brains still developing, excessive smartphone use can wire addictive behaviours into young minds permanently.'
Juliet is also warning that parental controls may not be as reliable as many hope. With smartphone companies profiting from increased screen time , there's little incentive for them to make these controls as strict or effective as they truly need to be.
'Controls can help but they're not strict enough," she says. "These phone companies want us to be glued to our phones because it benefits them. The best thing you can do for your child is not give them a smartphone until they are at least 13.
'Children need to be outside and dumbphones give them the freedom to do this while allowing parents to stay in touch with them through calls and text messages. This keeps them away from harmful group chats and social media.'
Juliet plans to get her own daughter a dumbphone for her next birthday so she can keep in touch when she's out with her friends, but stay free from the dangers of smartphones.
'I want her to be able to play outside and do physical activities rather than be stuck in her room scrolling through content all night,' she says.
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Over 90% of schools in England have banned mobile phones, with academic research suggesting they not only affect pupils' educational attainment, but contribute to problems such as bullying.
Dumbphones help tackle these issues by removing access to messaging apps and features like Emojis, which have been used for covert bullying - a problem highlighted in this year's Netflix show Adolescence.
Campaign groups like Smartphone Free Childhood - now with over 150,000 members - also advise that a child's first phone should only allow calls and texts.