New phone for children has internet but no TikTok

Handset under development is a compromise between smartphone and ‘dumb’ version

The makers of Nokia are developing a phone for children with internet capabilities but no access to TikTok, Instagram or other social media.
HMD, which owns the brand, aims to bridge the gap between smartphones and “brick” phones, which are largely limited to calls and some texts.
The company is working with parents to develop a handset in the next year with features such as a locator, so that families know where their child is, messaging – and potentially some form of video link between parents and children.
Lars Silberbauer, HMD’s chief marketing officer, said: “We are not going to have a device where you can install Facebook, TikTok or social media platforms.
“I have two girls aged four and eight. What concerns me is the fact that almost half of parents say mobile phones have changed their children’s personalities. I think my children are good as they are.
“I don’t want them to have a personality change based on what some tech entrepreneur or Silicon Valley company has decided they need. I want them to have a device that empowers them, not one that takes away their personal attention and stops them living the real life.”
Ofcom, the online safety regulator, found in April that one quarter of three to seven year-olds have their own smartphones, up from a fifth the previous year. It rose to 59 per cent of eight to 11 year-olds and 95 per cent of 12 to 15 year-olds.
An international survey of 10,000 parents, including 2,000 in the UK, found that more than half regretted handing over a smartphone to their child. They felt it impeded family engagement, hindered children’s sleep, reduced their physical exercise and limited time socialising with their friends.
The Commons education committee in the last Parliament called for a ban on smartphones for children but Sir Keir Starmer has said he is not in favour of “simply banning” them.
Research for HMD showed parents wanted features such as educational apps (66 per cent), messaging apps (65 per cent), music (60 per cent), maps and navigation (55 per cent), entertainment (50 per cent), and video calling (50 per cent).
HMD is experimenting with different levels of messaging, from basic emojis and pre-written texts up to video links so parents can see their children. There could also be options for parents to limit messaging access to known friends.
Location tracking is in demand in cities and countries where there may be a higher risk to children travelling on their own – but there may be less call for the feature in safer regions. Options on the final phone could be tailored to the age of a child as well as reflecting those different geographical needs.
Mr Silberbauer said it would be important to have access to bus and timetables on the phone so children could get home. 
There could also be time restrictions so that a child’s phone was limited to being only an alarm clock between an evening watershed and dawn. 
“We are aiming for a phone with more of what they need and less of what they don’t need,” he added. “It is about a better life and more life.”