One school leader says that virtually ALL of the problems between pupils now start with mobile devices.

He felt parents should be very careful about when they let their child have a smartphone. Once your child has one, you won’t be able to get it back. There’s rising concern about this issue.

The Michaela secondary school in Wembley which has strict disciplinary policies also has a strong policy on mobile phones. The government is concerned about the effect they’re having. Perhaps you see this as an issue for older children? School inspectors now ask primary schools what they’re doing about e-safety. So you need to consider whether your son or daughter should have a phone at all while they’re in primary school.

How do you prepare for the day they get the phone? You need to start a long conversation. You want that conversation to start while they’re young. It should continue over the years as your child learns how to look after themselves.

You need to prepare in several ways Of course you’ll be thinking about what you’re going to tell your child and the right ages for the different subjects. You also need to prepare yourself for the conversation. Technology may be like a foreign country to you. If it is, think about what it’s like to live in or visit a foreign country. You don’t wait until you speak the language like a native. You do learn basic words and phrases. Even a very basic conversation is far more fun than making hand signals because you don’t speak a word of the language.

Get the Expert Involved

In your family, who’s likely to know most about the world of technology? Your child of course. They’ve grown up with it. Once you’ve got enough knowledge to have a basic conversation about tech, you can ask them about it. If you start young, they probably be very happy that you’re asking them to help you.

Technical knowledge alone won’t keep anyone safe. You’re wiser than your child about how the world works, and that’s what you’re need to share with them.