According to research commissioned by eir, children in Ireland are using mobile phones for the first time at an average age of nine, which is more than three years before the parents’ desired age of twelve or thirteen, reports Breaking News.
Due mostly to safety concerns, 42% of parents give their kids a phone sooner than they would want, according to the research, which polled 522 parents nationwide. In spite of this, more than one-third of parents said they didn’t know how to use the integrated parental controls to keep an eye on and regulate their kids’ internet behaviour.
To assist parents manage smartphone capabilities, set up parental controls, and discover alternative options, eir has introduced its Smart Start program, a free in-store effort, reports Breaking News.
The initiative is currently being implemented across ten eir stores in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, and Offaly, including the eir store in The Bridge Shopping Centre, Tullamore, after a successful four-week experiment in December.
Parents and guardians may now attend drop-in sessions, which will be held at selected eir shops Monday through Saturday from 10.30 to 11.30 am. Trained personnel will be available to offer support and guidance, reports Breaking News.
In order to teach its employees on best practices for assisting parents in protecting their children’s smartphone use, Eir sought advice from CyberSafeKids, which approved the initiative and offered professional advice.
The study found a gap between parents’ perceptions of their ability to control their kids’ smartphone use and the actual conduct of kids online, reports Breaking News.
The results of the CyberSafeKids Left To Their Own Devices research point to a more nuanced reality, even while 71% of parents think their kid can self-manage their online behaviour and 80% feel their child would share unpleasant experiences.
They found that 55% of 8–12-year-olds did not notify a parent when they came across dangerous information, and 77% of them claim their parents cannot see what they are doing online, reports Breaking News.
The program was remarked upon by Susan Brady, managing director of eir consumer and small business: “At eir, we understand the difficult balancing act parents face when giving their child a smartphone.” Being parents ourselves, we understand the value of maintaining a relationship with our kids, and our research supports this idea, reports Breaking News.
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