The ban is "not working"

according to the latest reports. Under 16s are still accessing social media.

Yes, of course they are. Did you really expect them to voluntarily give up such a large part of their lives? 

Last Saturday I was in the supermarket. Ahead of me there was a parent doing the weekly shop. In the child seat of the trolley there was a three year old. He was behaving very well indeed. He was quiet. He was not fidgeting. He was not pulling things from the shelves. He was not making any noise. He was apparently completely absorbed in playing a game. 

Not a problem? Yes, a big problem. It was a computer game. It was rewarding him each time he clicked on the "right" answer. It may have seemed like fun to him but it was teaching him to become addicted to such things. 

It was nice for his parent. They had a nice, quiet, well behaved child while they managed to get yet one more of the weekend chores out of the way. There was no attempt at all to communicate with the child or involve them in the food being bought or how it might be used.  It might be that the parent really did not have time to involve the child but it is much more likely that the parent simply did not see it as important. Their child was being "good" and that mattered more. 

Is it any wonder though that children grow up believing this is normal. that this is how you get entertained? Is it any wonder that they are addicted to the screen for entertainment? Should it surprise us that unless school based learning provides at least something approaching that level of entertainment then it is considered "boring"? 

Of course "Big Tech" will provide this sort of material. There is a lot of money to be made here but there is also a huge demand for it. It is not a demand driven solely by the companies providing it. It is also driven by parents who want their children to be entertained the easy way. The "oh, but that game is an educational one" is an excuse which is far too easy to use.  No, it is not "educational". It may teach something but at what cost? 

It is time to stop trying to make "Big Tech" entirely responsible for screen addiction. The addiction begins early and with the choices parents make for their children. They need to see it the way they would see alcohol and tobacco. Parents are making available something just as addictive and potentially dangerous. It is their responsibility first.