The Question of When to Give a Child a Phone
Every parent faces the question of when to give their child a phone. Even the Prince of Wales isn’t exempt, as he calls it “a bit of a tense issue” after deciding that Prince George isn’t allowed one. During a talk with broadcaster Luciano Huck in Brazil, he spoke out about how he and Kate discuss challenges they face as a family with their children.
In a video shared by Mr Huck today, Prince William spoke candidly about the decision not to let Prince George, Princess Charlotte, or Prince Louis have mobile phones yet. He explained that their children don’t have phones and that when George moves on to secondary school, he might have a phone that has no internet access.
He added: “And to be honest, it’s getting to the point where it’s becoming a little bit of a like tense issue. But I think he understands why, we communicate why we don’t think it’s right. And again, I think it’s the internet access I have a problem with. I think children can access too much stuff they don’t need to see online, and so having a phone and text message, the old sort of brick phone as they call them, I think that’s fine.”
Royal Commentary on Smartphone Use
Royal commentator Dickie Arbiter mentioned that the Princess of Wales has made her feelings known time and time again that she is against smartphones. She has stated that smartphones create an evangelical disconnection and that she and Prince William have a house rule of not allowing their children to have them. This prevents families from talking to each other, as kids often sit down at the table looking at their smartphones.
She wants people to talk to each other and not depend on smartphones all their lives. This approach aligns with the advice given by NSPCC for pre-teens and teens with phones:
- Follow age requirements
- Speak to phone providers to make sure the phone is registered as a child’s device, as this means there will be additional safety restrictions put in place
- Support your child in managing their safety and wellbeing settings
- Focus on regular safety conversations
- Share youth facing help and support, such as services like Childline, where they can report online concerns
- Revisit parental controls to adjust the age
- Explore healthy habits together, such as charging devices away from beds to support sleep and helping them take breaks
Balancing Technology and Family Life
Royal historian Marlene Koenig questioned why Prince George needs a phone, noting that Lambrook School bans mobile phones on campus. She told foot-care: “The Prince and Princess are aware of the dangers of social media. It makes good parental sense to limit social media, video games, etc., from a young child. Prince George has a personal protection officer (PPO), who carries a phone, so in an emergency, the PPO or the school would make the appropriate phone calls.”
William has discussed this in several recent interviews, including with Eugene Levy, and he has also mentioned that a “brick” phone might be more appropriate.
Parenting Challenges and Communication
Prince William also talked about how he shares the school run with the Princess of Wales, and he tries to attend sports days, matches, and garden playtime with his children when he can. He joked with the broadcaster that he is a “taxi driver.”
The Prince of Wales and his family have faced many challenges recently, especially with both his wife and father dealing with cancer diagnoses. He said: “Every family has its own difficulties and its own challenges, and I think it’s very individual and sort of moment-dependent as to how you deal with those problems. We choose to communicate a lot more with our children. Now that has good things and bad things. Sometimes you feel you’re oversharing with the children. You probably shouldn’t, but most of the time, hiding stuff from them doesn’t work.”
“There’s no answers, but it’s always a balancing act to me that every parent knows that it’s kind of: ‘How much do I say? What do I say? When do I say?’ And you know, there’s no manual for being a parent. You’ve just got to go with a bit of instinct.”
Honorary Citizenship for Prince William
This talk with the broadcaster comes after Rio’s city council president, Carlo Caiado, announced that the Prince will be made an honorary citizen of Rio De Janeiro – a title known as carioca. Mr Caiado believes Prince William deserves to become an honorary carioca. He said in a translated statement: “His recent visit to our city was remarkable and already missed by many. He deserves all the recognition.”