[henchard]

There really is little hope for the human race. I think I'm living on the wrong planet whilst 2 million children die from malnutrition every year.


http://www.uswitch.com/media-centre/2013/08/more-than-a-million-british-kids-get-first-mobile-phone-by-the-time-theyre-five/

Is it just me finds this an appalling statistic?

[john and helen]

No..i agree, we live in a mad world

[Bionic]

Well I've never had kids so perhaps I am biased but I think its ridiculous

[Backinwellies]

I think a compulsory trip for everyone to a rural area in Africa or India might just bring this consumer focused first world ,blinkered society to reality............   sorry Henchard you just got me on my soapbox!

[doganjo]

I have kids, and grandkids and there is no way they'd be allowed to have phones that young.  But for the sake of their safety and communication due to living a long way from school, my grandson got one at 10, and the younger granddaughter may do too.

However, that said, comparing our kids to the children dying and in appalling conditions it is disgusting.  But what do you do?  Take all the phones away, sell them and give the money to charity?  Wouldn't work even if you could  .

[henchard]

Presumably the only reason a child of 5 has a mobile phone is because it is a digital 'dummy' so their parents don't have to talk, play and interact with them?

[Backinwellies]

I disagree  Doganjo ..............  no we cant save the world  nor can we all sell everything we have to send .......... but  a mosquito net costs less than £5  and saves many lives a year........ we could all do that!

  £14 a month sponsores a child through a Christian charity..... supporting it's whole family and community in some cases ...... that is half what most people pay on phone contract

[Fowgill Farm]

Well I've never had kids so perhaps I am biased but I think its ridiculous

Ditto, makes me mad when i hear parents on the telly saying they're living in poverty and can't feed their kids but have the latest smart phone, a stonking big telly & sky
don't get me started...................
mandy

[bigchicken]

That's the modern world for you, materialistic selfishness personified. There use to be a saying ( Its nice to be nice ) not anymore.

[plumseverywhere]

5 is ridiculous (in my opinion!!) My girls have phones when they start middle school, ie. when they have to start walking a couple of miles on their own each day. Having said that, they either have an old and very cheap pass down from me or, when they have proved they can look after a phone they will then save up for their own and I will give them a bit of money towards it. My 11 yr old bought a blackberry, second hand, from ebay for £60 - she's never lost it and respects how it was paid for. Some of her friends in stark contrast have the top i-phones, samsungs etc and one even stamped on hers the other day so "I can get a new one if its smashed, this is 6 months old now so crap" - my daughter was mortified (thank goodness!!)

[doganjo]

I disagree  Doganjo ..............  no we cant save the world  nor can we all sell everything we have to send .......... but  a mosquito net costs less than £5  and saves many lives a year........ we could all do that!

  £14 a month sponsores a child through a Christian charity..... supporting it's whole family and community in some cases ...... that is half what most people pay on phone contract

I would happily spare some of my pension doing that but I'm afraid I may be cynical as I do not believe the money sent to charities gets to where it is needed.  I am not advocating not doing anything - I just don't know how to do it without my money being misappropriated. - look at the RSPCA and Oxfam!

[HallePalomino]

I'm dubious about a report that had an online reply of 1,420 parents, when how many families are there in the UK? I'm not saying there will be no children at the age of 5 with a mobile phone (sadly I have seen a few and that makes me rather sad!) but I don't think the statistics here can be wholly taken seriously.

I agree with Dojango, sadly as much 'stuff' as we have, there's not a whole lot of impact we can have by taking the stuff away.

Backinwellies, I doubt even the most frivolous of parents will have their child on a contract, sim phone is more likely and may not be as much as you could donate to charity a month. Most of us have tvs, cable, internet (obviously, as we're here) and these are far more expensive but the parents would be unlikely to think twice about them.

Unfortunately this is today's reality, and it is indeed a sad prospect - not only that kids have these things, but that parents feel it is necessary for them to have them

[Backinwellies]

Doganjo/ HallePalomino

I do agree about big companies but this is not a reason not to do anything


I have been to africa 3 times on Christian build projects with a small organisation which only employed 2people  and made no profit     all money went to the projects (unfortunately after 20 years the resession has closed it at the end of this year )  ............. without going into detail no I didn't have big income .... I fundraised about a third of the money each time any paid for the flights myself.   


. I have direct contact with people in the areas I visited ........ and have directly supported individuals and projects.  and have a calling to continue to do this.

Please dont let media stories of money going into the wrong hands a reason not to do something.    You just never know what future affect your small difference will make.

[ZaktheLad]

Makes me wonder how I managed as a kid without all these gadgets and gizmos.  Would hate to be a child in this day and age with the huge pressure surrounding having all the latest fads in fashion and technology.  The age of internet bullying, constant playing of electronic games, vast arrays of junk food and the need to have everything even if you can't afford it, is more than frightening.  It's very sad when parents of a 5 year old feel it necessary to supply their offspring with a mobile phone, but I was also reading the other day about the parents of a 3 year old who thought it a great idea to have their child spend hours a day on a i-pad netbook thing (as you can tell I am very up with the latest technology terms  ) as it meant she was quiet and didn't need playing with, giving her mother more time to herself!  How awful is that? 

[shygirl]

my 7 and 10 yr old got one each as a present from someone recently (£20 each) but it drives me nuts, where ever we are they are on the fones, but they dont have credit or anything, they use them for games and to listen to the radio, camera and self-record. if we are walking the dogs somewhere gorgeous, they are walking watching their fones, and even go to bed with them. im waiting for the novelty to wear off but it hasnt - so restrictions will have to be made shortly.
im quite a novice in IT (laptop is fine but anything else i dont have a clue) so atleast they are learning, theres not many jobs around that dont require IT knowledge, the way fones are nowadays, they are really mini computers.