‘My parents didn’t have a clue’: why many digital natives would not give their kids smartphones

Online bullying, violence and paedophilia have made young people sceptical of unfettered access to technology

In 2019, when Sophie* was 12, her classmates sent her extreme and traumatising" videos that included an al-Qaida beheading, pornography and bestiality. She recalls an adult player in an online game persuading her to meet in person. Although her dad worked in IT, looking back she thinks: My parents' generation simply didn't have a clue."

Now aged 18 and a student at the University of Edinburgh, she wouldn't allow her children to have a smartphone until they're adults. As a teen I would have been the biggest advocate on everyone having a phone, but I've 100% changed my opinion," she said.