Irish parents are more cautious then the UK in allowing their children access to technology

By Russell Davies

A new study has revealed that Irish parents are the most cautious of allowing their children access to technology such as mobile phones and social media.

The study, conducted by kids’ beds specialists Cuckooland, asked parents to state the age at which they felt it appropriate for children to reach various milestones including getting their own mobile phone and posting on social channels.

On average, parents in Ireland would make their children wait until the age of 12.2 to get their own mobile phone – almost two years after Scottish children would have one (with Scottish parents citing an appropriate age of 10.8).

Irish parents said 15 was the most appropriate age for children to post on their own social media accounts, which is almost two years older than kids in Yorkshire and a year older than the UK national average of 14 – in spite of many social media channels now allowing registration from age 11.

With that said, Irish parents were far less cautious about allowing their children to consume online media; on average, parents in Ireland said they would allow consumption of online media (such as YouTube videos) at age 10.3 (a year younger than the UK national average) and 15 rated content at age 12.2 (two years younger than the UK national average).

What makes us cautious of technology?

According to data from Ofcom, children as young as 11 are now signing up for and using social media channels – in spite of many of those channels having a 13+ policy. Concerns around security and safety are prevalent amongst parents, who fear that their children could be accessing information which is at best inappropriate and, at worst, harmful to them in some way.

At the same time, initiatives such as the recent UK porn restriction that went live earlier this month are being showcased as solutions to making the web safer – meaning parents should, in theory, feel better about allowing their kids to go online.

In spite of regulations and policies intended to keep our children safe online, many of us still prefer to limit such access in order to maintain control over what our children see and do on the internet.

But it’s not just safety concerns that make us cautious; there have been concerns over the effects of early use of technology such as mobile phones and laptops for some time, with many parents of the opinion that such early exposure can stunt learning and development – though experts have recently negated such claims.

Can technology be a positive influence on children?

While Irish parents in particular have shown caution toward technology, there are positive effects of allowing children access to tech as they grow.

1. Prepare for a technologically driven society

We can all agree that technology plays a huge role in our adult lives, so it makes sense to introduce this to your children as early as you consider appropriate, and to educate them accordingly.

2. Get creative

Technology can often facilitate creativity, especially if we’re talking about using it to create something new or to find inspiration from others. Our children can grow up with an additional channel for their creativity thanks to technology such as tablets, laptops and phones.

3. Encourage entrepreneurial thinking

With access to technology comes access to information. By allowing children to utilise tech such as laptops and phones, we enable them to access more information than we ever could at the same age, and therefore to broaden their horizons to new possibilities.

Monitoring technology use in children: what’s best?

With so much advice around for parents – much of which seeming to conflict – how do you know what’s ‘right’ and how much your children should be allowed to access technology?

The reality is that there’s not yet enough concrete evidence for experts to advise either way. But what we can do is, as parents, consider the implications of that technology by asking ourselves the following questions:

1. Is technology impacting on the quality time I would otherwise spend with my children?
2. Have I noticed a change in my child’s personality or attention span since allowing them access to technology?
3. Is the technology my child is accessing having a positive influence on them?

It’s important to consider not only ‘expert advice’ but also the individual impact of technology on your own child – all children are different so, to an extent, it’s up to you to decide what’s best.

Russell Davies is the Director at Cuckooland. As specialists in kids’ beds and quirky household furniture, Cuckooland regularly shares insights with parents. Find out more at https://www.cuckooland.com/ 

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