With their 11-year-old son entering secondary school in September, Giovanna and Tom Fletcher made the decision to provide him with a phone. However, they understood the importance of having conversations with each other and with their son before taking this step.
Giovanna, aged 40, expressed concerns about the vast access smartphones offer and emphasized the need for parents to manage and ensure their children’s safety online. She highlighted the prevalence of inappropriate content exposure and mental health issues among children, underscoring the necessity of empowering children through open communication.
Thousands of children received smartphones during the Christmas season, leading families to navigate the challenges and benefits associated with this technology. To support families in addressing online device usage, a campaign called The Family Chat has been launched in collaboration with Tesco Mobile. The initiative aims to encourage conversations about digital devices within families at all stages, offering resources such as Tesco Mobile’s age-specific toolkits for parents and children.
Giovanna, alongside her husband Tom, a member of the band McFly and a children’s author, have three sons aged seven, nine, and eleven. The younger sons use tablets for messaging and online activities, while the eldest has a restricted smartphone for communication purposes. The couple emphasizes the importance of setting limits on device usage and maintaining an open dialogue with their children to ensure understanding and safety.
In addition to addressing children’s online safety, Giovanna emphasized the importance of adults also being mindful of their screen time habits. The family enforces rules such as no phones in the bedroom or at the dinner table to promote quality family time and limit screen distractions.
Providing tips for parents to keep their children safe online, the guidance includes setting up child accounts, ensuring correct age registration, activating safety filters, utilizing parental controls, and maintaining ongoing conversations about online activities and smartphone usage. Dr. Rebecca Whittington, an online safety editor, stresses the importance of prioritizing the safe setup of new devices to prevent potential online risks and vulnerabilities.
