Should New Zealand ban smartphones for under-16s?

In a world where technology is king, kids are owning smartphones younger.

In the UK, for example, 91% of children own a smartphone by the age of 11, according to data from the country’s communications regulator, Ofcom. Recent survey data suggests that 42% of US children have a smartphone by age 10, with 91% owning one by age 14.

In New York, the mayor has declared social media a public health hazard, and in the UK, MPs have urged the next government to consider a total ban on smartphones for under 16-year-olds — as well as a statutory ban on mobile phone use in schools.

New Zealand's coalition Government's ban on student mobile phones in New Zealand schools came into effect in May.

So, should New Zealand follow suit and ban smartphones for under-16s? Seven Sharp spoke to Auckland University senior researcher Dr Samantha Marsh.

"I think they're probably worse than most people and most parents think. There's really good research now linking smartphone use to a whole raft of negative outcomes in our kids — anxiety, depression, self-harm, low self-esteem, poor physical health... all things parents don't want for their children."

"Delaying access to a device that has been shown to be harmful to kids is a really good idea. I see the impact of smartphones on youth as a public health problem which requires public health solutions," said Marsh.

"We tend to concentrate on the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, so that's psychologists, psychiatrists — all the people that are dealing with our kids when they're under stress.

"What we want is to stop harming our kids in the first place, and that's where I see a smartphone ban come in — that's a public health response to a public health issue."

"One hundred percent. I think, for most people, remembering their days at high school, they weren't great times and we don't want to add to that distress in our kids ourselves. We tend to give them things even if it's harmful," explained Marsh.

"Something like a smartphone ban is really empowering for parents. First, the government acknowledges that they know this stuff is harmful and is doing something to protect our kids.

"It also gives parents the opportunity to rely on that, to point to the smartphone ban as the reason why they're not giving the stuff to their kids," added Marsh.

"I think we've reached the stage where, if we don't do something as parents, or the government doesn't do something about the issue, in 10-15 years, we're going to have some serious conversations with our kids when they're adults.

"And they are wondering why, when we had this knowledge that we do now of the harm these devices cause, we still gave them to them."

"Parental control has a place; that's all about content control. If your kid doesn't find a way to work around them, and if [the controls] don't fail, which they frequently do.

"While parental controls do have a place, they're certainly not going to be the answer to this issue."