[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.