[graemep]

So make a phone without all the things that make it so profitable? Limit what they can be sold? You would have to sell it at a premium for less functionality.

There are ways of locking down phones and apps, I think. I am pretty sure there are apps that will do most of what you want, but they do not have critical mass.

I did set up a Jitsi server for my daughter and her friends at one point when another parent was not keen on allowing kids access to chat and video apps.

You can give kids a basic phone instead of a smartphone.

[quantadev]

Right, I didn't mean it necessarily had to be on it's own hardware. I don't have any Android development experience, but it seems like android could have a version that's as locked down a this.

If I had kids I wouldn't even allow use of a smartphone. I think hardly any BigTech execs let their own kids use these dumpster fires called smartphones and social media. They know there's almost zero benefits to it. Just leads to brain damage, laziness, ADHD, psychological disorders like depression, life-threatening risk-taking, and even su*cicd.

[graemep]

Depends on age, individual, usage and circumstances. My kids had phones as teens, and they were useful to some extent. It also depends what they do - social media + doomscrolling is the worst thing.

There is Android support for locking things down for kids, but I do not know how effective it is - mine are adults of close to being an adult now.

Its also hard to do without. I would have to pay a lot more for my daughter's bus tickets to get to school if she did not use the bus company app (because that would mean daily tickets instead of monthly which are a lot cheaper). Its where a lot of kids not only discuss things and social, but organise things (although I encourage doing that at a desktop rather than a phone when possible) so kids without get left out.

[quantadev]

I agree with all that. Nowadays kids are so addicted to phones, the phone is like a toy (even like a baby pacifier) that they simply never outgrow even into adulthood. They can't sit at a stoplight without needing a "fix" like a junkie. It's so sad.

[graemep]

I somewhat agree, and it is very harmful, but adults who did not have phones as kids can be just as bad. I have even seen someone posting on social media (with a photo of what was happening) to complain about a child not putting their device down!

It is not just sad, it is harmful. "What is life if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare". It is the opposite of mindfulness.

[quantadev]

I dunno. My formative years were the 1970s, and I don't think anyone my age will have a genuine panic attack if denied access to their pacifier like today's kids (and adults) do.