The findings of a survey released yesterday show that 90 percent of the parents said that they have set out rules for their children to use smartphones properly, while the other 10 percent said that they don’t impose any rules as their children demonstrate a high level of self-discipline.
According to the findings, the rules set out by the parents include a maximum length of time that their children can use smartphones per day. In addition, the parents have also installed tools on their children’s smartphones to filter out content and websites they deem unsuitable for them.
The survey was carried out between May and August this year by the Sheng Kung Hui (SKH) Macau Social Services Coordination Office, which held a press conference yesterday to announce the survey’s findings.
The press conference was held at its Gambling Counselling and Family Wellness Centre in the peninsula’s Lam Mau Tong district.
Sheng Kung Hui is the official Cantonese name for the Anglican Church.
The survey collected 960 valid questionnaires from local parents who have children aged between 3 and 18.
According to the press conference, the survey’s findings also show that 45.4 percent of the respondents said that they started to allow their children to use smartphones when they were aged between 10 and 12, while 28.4 percent of the respondents said that they gave their children the first smartphones when they were aged between 13 and 15.
For this question, according to the findings, 16.4 percent of the respondents chose the answer “aged between seven and nine”, while 4.7 percent and 4.0 percent chose the answers “aged six or below” and “aged between 16 and 18”. The findings also show that 1.3 percent of the respondents said that they would only give their children their first smartphones when they are aged over 18.
Moreover, according to the findings, the top five factors that the survey’s respondents took into consideration when deciding whether to allow their children to use smartphones consisted of their children’s sense of responsibility and their level of self-discipline, their children’s age and their psychological maturity, the need to contact their children, the potentially adverse impact on their children’s academic performances, and the potentially adverse impact on their children’s eyesight, sleep and health in terms of all the other aspects.
The findings also show that the parents spend, on average, 3.47 hours a day in using smartphones, tablet computers and other digital devices for non-work purposes.
The findings of the survey also show that parents tend to have arguments with their children about their smartphone use more frequently as the latter get older.
Sheng Kung Hui representatives and those from other social service organisations pose for group photos during yesterday’s press conference. – Photo courtesy of TDM
