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How do children and parents feel about the impact of smartphones and social media?

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For many young people being online and using technology is just a part of life. Schools give out homework that has to be submitted on an app, extracurricular activities are managed on WhatsApp groups, and spending time with friends means keeping up a steady Snapchat exchange. But stories about the risks of smartphones and social media are in the news every week. How do children and parents feel about balancing being online with legitimate concerns about safety and wellbeing? 

Owning a smartphone

What children and young people told us

We asked our Voice of Online Youth and Young People’s Board for Change to share their thoughts on smartphones, social media and getting your first phone.

  • Children felt they should be able to access the online world before they become adults, so they can learn how to use smartphones and digital experiences safely.
  • They felt smartphones played an important role in their lives, allowing them to stay connected, check travel times and have fun. One said, ‘if something happens, I'll probably know about it by looking at my phone and checking for a message, not by someone coming and telling it to me.’
  • Phones felt crucial for their safety, allowing them to contact family in emergency situations and when travelling independently. Some shared ‘My phone is my safety.’
  • They felt banning devices wasn’t a suitable solution to managing the risks as it would just encourage secrecy. One said ‘you would create an entire black market for phones. I have a laptop I can access any social media platform on there.’
  • Some felt that children would benefit from having phones with limited capability before owning smartphones.
  • Children reflected that they did find it helpful when their parent/carer put restrictions on their first phone such as by adding parental controls and preventing access to age- inappropriate games or apps, even if they hadn’t felt this way at the time.
  • Some autistic children shared that it can be easier to communicate by text. One shared ‘I like pause and stutter and do weird things. You don’t have to do that through texts.’

What parents told us

We spoke to parents and carers though our community work and polled parents on topical online safety issues.

  • Parents saw the value phones have in their children’s lives, letting them stay in contact and find information online.
  • Parents tell us that they feel torn between keeping their children safe and wanting to give them some independence with their first phone. They struggle to find a balance that works for their family.
  • Some parents felt that ‘even if you take them away, they will still see things from their peers.’
  • Parents were particularly worried about smartphones being used to livestream, meet new people, and create and share content.
  • Most of the parents thought children should be able to use smartphones to get advice from professionals, helplines and support services.
  • Some of the parents found smartphones helpful for their children to stay connected sharing they felt ‘safer when they’re out with their phone.’
  • Some of the parents felt that ‘taking away phones is a cop out’ and that more should be put on the tech companies to make them safer.

Access to social media

What children and young people told us

We asked our Voice of Online Youth and Young People’s Board for Change to share their thoughts on smartphones, social media and getting your first phone.

  • Children felt that the current world ‘revolves around social media and being online.’ This meant they would miss out on opportunities, including learning, if they were not given access.
  • They felt ‘social media plays a huge role in communication and that it’s essential for young people to be able to connect, build and nurture relationships.’
  • Children felt that the world had changed and is not like it was when their parents were young. With everything being online, they felt limiting access would be hard to enforce.
  • Children recognised that not all content they see on social media was good and described some as ‘brain rot’ content which holds no value to them.
  • Children shared concerns about online hate accounts and forums targeting individuals and sharing racial slurs and emojis.
  • Young people shared feeling disappointed when they report to platforms and no action is taken. One said ‘we’ve reported it, we’re handed it to you on a plate…it’s your responsibility to make sure this kind of stuff doesn’t happen on your platform’.

What parents told us

We asked our Voice of Online Youth and Young People’s Board for Change to share their thoughts on smartphones, social media and getting your first phone.

  • Parents reported feeling comfortable with their children using some aspects of social media, like messaging people they already know or checking the news. However, they worry about other ways that social media can be used, like live streaming and meeting new people.
  • Having parental controls or parental supervision increases the range of activities that the parents were happy for their children to engage in on social media.
  • Some of the parents shared concerns about the lack of critical thinking particularly with short form content. They worry that this is reinforcing unsafe or controlling behaviours.
  • Parents shared concerns about misinformation and hateful content including racism and misogynistic content being shared on social media and seen by their children.

Impact of technology on mental health and wellbeing

What children and young people told us

We asked our Voice of Online Youth and Young People’s Board for Change to share their thoughts on smartphones, social media and getting your first phone.

  • Children felt this was a growing issue but didn’t feel social media was always the root cause. One said, ‘it’s the other people on social media that exacerbates the issues you already have.’
  • Young people felt that social media and online advertising can impact on how they feel about themselves and what choices they make. They are concerned about the pressure it puts on girls in particular to look a certain way but also recognised pressure created by, for example, online skin care tutorials promoting damaging products.
  • Some autistic young people told us that being online is often the only thing to do. One said, ‘the area I live doesn’t have much…so I’m stuck inside with not much to do except play games and go on the internet.’
  • Some children felt the online world was ‘too important to deny access to for children’ and felt that ‘safety concerns can be handled and prevented.’

What parents told us

  • Parents told us the impact on mental health was a real worry for them where they wanted more support.
  • Parents were worried about how long their child is spending online and the impact that might have. Many of the parents were not sure how long is ok to let their child spend online.
  • Parents told us they worry about the addictive design features that can mean children spend longer online than they would like.
  • Some parents were worried about something big happening online that would impact on their child’s future. For some this was concerns about the content they see but for others it was that what their child shares online could be misinterpreted and impact negatively on them.
  • Parents were worried there is not enough critical thinking for young people when they are viewing content online.

What does current research and evidence tell us?

The impact of smartphones
  • Several studies show benefits for students academic performance when smartphone use is restricted, especially for less advantaged children or children whose performance is suboptimal. Overall, there are too few studies to be able to recommend an approach that works for all students as a whole or for children of different ages. This is according to The London School of Economics (LSE), which published a review of evidence into smartphone policies in schools (2024). 
  • It can be challenging for young people to separate problematic use from functional and enjoyable use. ‘Particularly in an era when smartphones are embedded so deeply in modern life.’ According to Northumbria University which carried out research in 2021 into British teens views and experiences of problematic smartphone use and smartphone etiquette. 

The impact of social media
  • There is not conclusive evidence that social media use reduces mental health and wellbeing in children and young people1. Some studies have found an association between high levels of social media use and poor mental health.
  • Some studies have found that moderate use of social media can be associated with higher wellbeing including increased connections, identity development and social support. Very minimal or very excessive use is most strongly associated with negative wellbeing.
  • The 'right' age to start using social media is still widely debated. Some studies have reported a stronger link between social media use and worse mental health for younger users, whilst others have found ‘no significant age effect’2.
  • The American Academy of Pediatrics reported that, ‘some symptoms of poor mental health, like feelings of sadness or isolation, might drive you to use social media more, which in turn shapes how you engage with content online. Social media’s effects on well-being will depend on the balance of negative and positive interactions and content that you experience on these platforms.’

The impact of being online on mental health and wellbeing
  • 63% of parents believe time online negatively impacts their children’s health. Whereas 65% of children say spending time online makes them feel mostly happy. This is according to Internet Matter’s Children’s Digital Wellbeing Index.
  • The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) have said ‘there is not enough evidence to confirm that screen time is in itself harmful to child health at any age, making it impossible to recommend age-appropriate time limits.’
  • Youth Skills, a European project (2020-23), carried out research with 12-17s exploring how children’s digital skills benefit their well-being. They found that digital skills can benefit children’s overall communication skills and can mean children feel more supported by their friends. They also found that spending more time online might make them feel lonelier. When looking at the impact on a young person’s physical health, they found there wasn’t a link between children’s digital skills and how much they move around physically, but did recognise that spending more time on the internet could mean being less active.

3 steps the NSPCC is taking to help make the online world safer for children

We believe children have a right to be safe and happy online and that online platforms and services should be designed with their safety in mind. Currently this isn’t happening across all services resulting in unacceptable levels of harm and abuse. This is something we are working hard to change.

  1. We are continuing to campaign for the online world to be designed with children’s safety in mind and pressing tech companies to take urgent action to deal with the avoidable harms taking place on their platforms. We are also actively engaging with Ofcom to support them in their new role as the online regulator, responding to their consultations and providing insights from our work with children and young people.
  2. We are working with children and young people to understand what they need from online platforms and services and working to share these insights with the technology sector.
  3. We are continuing to educate children and young people, provide awareness raising sessions for parents and carers and training for professionals on the risks and benefits of the online world.

The bottom line

Every family is different, and every child will develop their own take on social media and smartphones. As parents and carers, it’s important to stay aware of the risks and challenges that being online and using the latest technology pose. For more ideas about how to be confidently online as a family, check out our online safety information and advice.

References

  1. 1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X21001500

  2. 2. https://mental.jmir.org/2022/4/e33450