What age, how many hours, what schools are doing. The numbers, with sources.
At what age do kids get a phone? In Italy, 7 in 10 have a smartphone by 11 (a survey of 20,000 pupils). In the US, the Common Sense census found phones arrive around 10 and screens take about 8 hours a day. The Netherlands and Pennsylvania are taking phones out of the school day, and Australia banned social media for under-16s. Every story below links to its sources.
A new law bans chatbots from claiming to be human, flirting with children or telling them to keep secrets from mum and dad. Here's what it says, and what you can do at home today.
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A survey of 20,000 Italian pupils shows how early the phone arrives, and how hard it is to put down. Here's what it means for your 10-year-old.
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The biggest US survey of how 9 to 17-year-olds spend their free time is out. The hours are huge. The surprise is how little of it the kids actually enjoy.
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In August, OpenAI launched a special ChatGPT for teenagers, with parent alerts and a homework mode. A big US kids' safety group tested it with more than 4,000 messages and gave it its worst rating: "unacceptable risk".
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The world's first big ban started in December. Three months later, most teens hadn't gone anywhere. The surprising reason? Many apps never even asked how old they were.
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A new survey in France asked kids and their parents the same questions. The answers didn't match. Here's the gap, why it matters, and how to close it without a fight.
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The Netherlands and Pennsylvania both want phones gone from the school day, from the first bell to the last. Here's what changes, what doesn't, and the bit every parent asks first: “but how do I reach my kid?”
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In one year, AI apps went from 4 in 10 kids' phones to more than half. The homework helpers aren't the worry. The AI “friends” are. Here's what's going on, and five minutes of homework for parents.
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