Vodafone and children’s charity NSPCC have teamed up to develop an online platform to provide parents with resources for buying their child’s first phone and set parental controls.
Vodafone has done research that indicates choosing when to give a child their first mobile phone is “one of the hardest decisions a parent will make, with 36% saying it ranked equally as hard as choosing which school their children should go to”
Around 10 per cent of parents surveyed spend five months or more discussing when to buy their child their first phone with many finding it it hard to know which mobile phone to choose. Parents also lack confidence in setting up safety features on apps that children use.
The NSPC says around, 10 per cent of calls to its Helpline are about safety concerns about mobile phones and online platforms
The study by Vodafone also found that parents felt a phone was important to have when a child goes to secondary school and to keep them safe when travelling to and from school and to know where they are, when they’re out on their own..
“We’re supporting NSPCC with more practical resources and tips to give them the tools and confidence they need when their children step into the online world with their first phone,” said Vodafone Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer Nicki Lyons.
Lyons: supporting NSPCC with more practical resources