Colorado ballot initiative seeks to ban preteen smartphone sales

[froggyboy604]

A Colorado father has joined forces with a handful of medical professionals to form a non-profit group called Parents Against Underage Smartphones, PAUS for short. PAUS, apparently serious despite its difficult-to-take-seriously name, is proceeding with a ballot initiative in Colorado that seeks to ban smartphone sales to preteen children, citing their potentially addictive nature and possible health ramifications.

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I feel kids will buy small cheap tablets like the $50 Amazon Kindle Fire 7 tablet, laptops, or handheld game console like a Nintendo 3DS, and Switch if this ban gets approved by Colorado.

There is enough free wi-fi available at school, in the library, fast food restaurants, and the mall where you don't need cellular data plan to use Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook when away from home.

There are also non-smartphones like better flip phones and feature phones which has features like an MP3 player, FM Radio, video player, 2D games, simple apps, and a basic web browser which let users use the phone like a smartphone.

 

[Demon_Skeith]

I can get behind this, if a kid really needs a phone then a flip phone will fit the need.

 

[froggyboy604]

I can get behind this, if a kid really needs a phone then a flip phone will fit the need.

I agree most kids are fine with flip phones. Kids under 13 years old can't make an account on Google Play for Android, Apple iOS iTunes, and use most of the apps unless they are being untruthful and say they are 13.

I think most of the social networking apps for smartphones like Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, and more mature games like shooters require users to be over 13 years old.

 

[Demon_Skeith]

I agree most kids are fine with flip phones. Kids under 13 years old can't make an account on Google Play for Android, Apple iOS iTunes, and use most of the apps unless they are being untruthful and say they are 13.

I think most of the social networking apps for smartphones like Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, and more mature games like shooters require users to be over 13 years old.

at the same time though, makes them a bit uncool compared to other kids having a smartphone.

 

[froggyboy604]

at the same time though, makes them a bit uncool compared to other kids having a smartphone.

I guest, it can make kids uncool unless they have one of the better looking flip phones with a cool case design. They maybe cool with kids who are into older tech like classic game consoles, and pinball machines.

 

[OursIsTheFury]

They should; kids should have their own phones. For games, sure, but there are lots of stuff that a phone can be used for. It also I think would limit the amount of entitlement that some rich kids have when they have new stuff while their classmates or friends don't have them. I dunno, but growing up poor those kids always annoyed me to no end.