Parent and school organizations are generally positive about the outgoing cabinet’s advice to not allow children under fifteen on social media and to only allow smartphones from eighth grade. However, critics argue that the cabinet places too much responsibility on parents.
The advice is a welcome boost for parents, says Janneke van Bockel. Nevertheless, the psychologist from platform Ouders.nl would like the cabinet to do more.
“This guideline is now easily thrown over the fence to parents,” says Van Bockel. “But will the cabinet also better enforce the age rules that already apply to the use of social media by children?”
The minimum age for smartphones is a good idea, says Robbert Hoving from online expertise center Offlimits. But he thinks it’s too late to come into contact with social media for the first time at the age of fifteen.
“An age limit of fifteen for social media is, according to what we understand from our network, too high,” Hoving explains. “Children are then too old to learn anything about the online world and will find a way to get on it anyway.”
Schools want more attention for social media in learning objectives
Acquiring digital skills is important, emphasizes the PO Council on behalf of the primary schools. The umbrella organization calls the role of schools “essential” in this regard. That is why the PO Council wants to discuss the implementation of the plans in the ‘Healthy Screen Use’ guideline with the cabinet.
According to research, the telephone ban in the classroom contributes positively to the “learning climate” of secondary school students, says the VO Council. The umbrella organization for secondary education feels a shared responsibility with parents regarding the new guideline.
Both the VO Council and the PO Council hope that smartphone use and social media will receive a lot of attention in the new learning objectives. The cabinet is currently shaping these.
‘Cabinet must take further action with legislation’
The cabinet must go further than just a guideline, according to the Netherlands Youth Institute (NJI). The guideline offers guidance to a large group of parents, but that is insufficient, says Marielle Balledux on behalf of the knowledge center. “Parents and children cannot single-handedly resist the addictive elements of social media.”
That is why the cabinet must take further action with legislation and regulations against algorithms in social media, says Balledux. The NJI, like the school umbrella organizations, believes that children should learn how to use social media safely. “Just like we teach children to be safe in traffic.”
Terre des Hommes also says that the cabinet will not succeed with just guidelines for parents. “The solution lies in holding tech companies accountable,” says Monique Demenint, expert in online sexual abuse at the children’s rights organization. “Because proper regulations for a safer internet are lacking, children are now the victims. That is the wrong way around.”
The cabinet is committed to European legislation to limit the dangers of social media, said outgoing State Secretary Vincent Karremans (Youth, Prevention and Sport). If it is up to him, the age standards will be aligned throughout the European Union.