A reflection on a conversation between Parents across the Divide, regarding social media bans, school smartphone policies, and wide range of other issues
Online safety for children is now a daily parenting challenge
If you’re a parent in 2026, chances are you’re worried about online safety for children. Smartphones, social media, gaming platforms and now artificial intelligence are part of everyday life, and most families are trying to work out how to keep up without getting overwhelmed. We talk a lot about banning devices, banning apps, or banning platforms, but far less about what actually works when it comes to protecting children online in the real world.
That’s why a recent conversation between Aaran and Mashood, captured in The Guardian, felt so important. You can read the article here:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/feb/15/dining-across-the-divide-kids-smartphones
It wasn’t a shouting match or a culture war headline. It was a proper discussion between two parents who both care deeply about their children, but come at the problem from different angles. Aaran represents what many families feel today, concerned about the impact of smartphones and social media on kids. Mashood comes at it both as a parent and as someone who works in technology and broadband, building tools focused on parental controls and a safer internet for families.
This article is not about winning an argument. It’s about what online safety for children actually looks like in practice. It’s about why smartphones are not the real enemy, why content and access matter more than devices, why blanket bans often fail, and how parents can use practical tools, education and support to create a safer internet at home. It also looks at the role of AI and parenting, not as something to fear, but as something that can help parents make better decisions if it’s used with purpose.
If you’re trying to work out how to protect your kids online without turning your home into a digital prison, this is for you.
Smartphones and kids. Why content matters more than devices
We started with smartphones. Aaran talked about his children’s school restricting phone use, which is something many parents recognise as sensible and necessary. His concerns came from a very real place, the everyday experience of trying to raise children in a world where screens, apps and social media are everywhere. Like many parents, he was asking a simple and reasonable question. Are we doing enough to protect our kids, and if not, what should change?
I agreed that phones can be a huge distraction in classrooms. I’m opposed to pouches, believing they are a waste of money for schools, my children’s school just has a form tray behind reception, and children have deposited their phones for several years in this way, without fuss or hassle. I’m also opposed to brick phones, as they are a bit of a fad, and to make a smartphone less smart is easy – by just providing the child with a data free sim, that is low cost, and without internet access the smartness of the phone, and access to dangerous apps is restricted. But I also added a broader perspective from my work in broadband and online safety. Smartphones themselves are not the core problem hat banning them in schools will resolve the issues. The bigger issue is the content children can access and how easily that access moves from one device to another, and that the phone is still being used at home, where parents have little grasp of the issues children are facing: https://www.gigabitiq.com/why-smartphones-arent-the-real-problem-in-schools/.
Children can reach the same apps and the same harmful material on tablets, laptops and gaming consoles. Focusing on one device does not solve the underlying issue. Schools are already heavily regulated through safeguarding rules like Keeping Children Safe in Education. In reality, most online harm does not happen in school. It happens at home, in bedrooms, on personal devices, often when parents are tired, busy and overwhelmed.
Aaran’s perspective reflects what many parents feel today. There is a genuine sense of concern about how fast technology is moving and how hard it is to keep up. From my side, both as a parent and as someone who builds safety tools, I see the same concern but from a different angle. We both want the same outcome. We just start from different experiences and ask slightly different questions about how to get there.. I believe that responsibility cannot be outsourced. If we rely on government bans or blanket rules, we give ourselves a false sense of security. Children will always try to find workarounds, whether that is through VPNs, new platforms or apps that sit outside regulation.
Social media bans and why they do not really solve the problem
When we talked about bans and policy, Aaran raised a view that many parents share. If something is causing harm, surely the government should step in and do something decisive. That is not an unreasonable instinct. It comes from wanting clarity, protection and certainty in a very uncertain digital world. Where I added a different perspective was on how these ideas work in practice on the internet today, especially when it comes to enforcement, workarounds and unintended consequences.
In practice, bans are extremely difficult to enforce on an open internet. Children already use VPNs. Age verification can be bypassed. Many of the places where harm actually happens, such as messaging apps and online games with chat, are not easily controlled by simple rules.
We talked about the smoking analogy, which comes up a lot in these debates. I actually think it is useful, but only if it is understood properly. Smoking did not become safer because of one single ban. It became safer because the whole system changed. Children could not buy cigarettes in shops. They could not buy them online. Advertising was restricted. Packaging and placement were controlled. Access was designed out of the system.
Parental controls and safer internet tools that actually work
Digital policy often does the opposite. It targets a few platforms or a slice of content, while most of the ecosystem stays the same. If we really want a smoking style approach to online harm, it has to be system wide, not selective. Just as cigarettes are kept behind the counter, certain types of content need to be gated at the network level too. That is where internet providers can help by giving parents practical tools to protect their homes, like the Safer Internet features we provide at Gigabit IQ:
https://www.gigabitiq.com/safer-internet
My concerns are not just technical. They are also about values. The internet is a shared space. There is no clear split between a children’s internet and an adults’ internet. If we move too far towards broad state control of content, we start drifting towards a censored model of the internet. There is an important difference between blocking clearly illegal material and trying to police everyday lawful content. Most people in the UK would be uncomfortable with that line being crossed.
AI – What should parents be concerned about?
When we moved on to AI, Aaran raised thoughtful concerns about jobs, opportunity and what kind of future young people are being prepared for. These are serious questions, and they are the same ones being asked by parents, teachers and employers everywhere. What made the conversation useful was that we were not talking past each other. We were trying to understand how to balance risk, opportunity and responsibility in a world that is changing very quickly. That is a real concern. But I also shared the other side of the story. My own children, who are now at university, are building with AI. We recently created an AI support platform for parents, and they were involved in that work. What used to take years can now be built in months.
When I explained it, Aaran described it perfectly as “Childline for parents”. And that really stuck with me. Parents are not careless. They are overwhelmed. There are too many apps, too many devices and too many risks to keep up with. Used properly, AI can support parents rather than replace them. It can explain things in plain language and help families make better decisions. If you want to see what we are building in this space, you can find it here:
https://parentline.ai
Aaran made a really important point here. He said that purpose has to be met with purpose. In other words, reacting out of fear or panic rarely leads to good outcomes. I added something that I think is just as important. The question is not just the value of AI itself. It is the value created by AI. Productivity, creativity, problem solving and long term competitiveness matter more than the technology label.
If countries like the UK respond to AI mainly with fear, heavy handed restrictions or avoidance, we do not remove risk. We risk falling behind. Other countries will teach their children how to use AI responsibly, creatively and effectively. They will not just give access. They will build capability. That is how you end up uncompetitive.
We also touched on the bigger philosophical question. Humans have argued about ethics for centuries, so who decides what values AI should follow. We joked about films like iRobot, but the point is serious. The internet itself gives us a clue. It is globally connected, but it works because there are shared standards layered on top of national rules. AI will probably need something similar.
By the end of the evening, what stood out was not disagreement. It was how much common ground there actually was. Aaran speaks for many families who are worried, tired and trying to make sense of a fast changing world. I come at it as a parent too, but also with the perspective of building systems and tools that try to deal with these problems in the real world.
We are both parents. We both care about our children. We both want them to be safe and to have a future.
When you strip away the headlines, the panic and the politics, the question is actually very simple. How do we deliver online safety for children in a way that works in real homes, with real families, and real technology?
The answer is not one ban, one law or one headline. It is parental controls, better education, practical tools and honest conversations. It is building a safer internet for families rather than pretending the internet can be neatly divided into safe and unsafe worlds. It is using technology, including AI, to support parents rather than overwhelm them.
Both Aaran and Mashood want the same thing. We want our children to grow up safe, confident and capable. And that is really the point. Online safety for children is not about choosing sides. It is about choosing what actually works.
Frequently Asked Questions about Online Safety for Children
Q: What is the best way to protect children online?
A: The best approach combines parental controls, education, open conversations and network level filtering rather than relying only on device bans.
Q: Are smartphones dangerous for children?
A: Smartphones are not the core problem. The real risk comes from unfiltered access to harmful content, apps and platforms.
Q: Do social media bans actually work?
A: In practice, bans are hard to enforce. Children often use VPNs or move to other platforms, which is why practical parental controls work better.
Q: How can AI help parents keep children safe online?
A: AI can support parents by explaining risks, guiding settings and helping families make better decisions, as long as it is used ethically and responsibly.
Q: What is a safer internet for families?
A: A safer internet means combining technology, education and parental tools to reduce exposure to harmful content while keeping the internet open and useful.
Why Smartphones Aren’t the Only Problem in Schools — And What We Must Fix Instead
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