Safeguarding in the Smartphone Age - What every leader needs to consider

Dear Leaders,

As we skip, crawl, or perhaps drag ourselves towards the end of Term Two, those of us at Smartphone Free Childhood New Zealand have been reflecting on an issue that parents are increasingly raising with us: the use of smartphones around children in spaces that should be focused on their care, safety and development.

Many of you will have seen reports from the UK of a school photograph being manipulated using artificial intelligence to create explicit deepfake images of children, followed by attempts to extort the school. Whilst this represents an extreme example, it highlights how rapidly the safeguarding landscape is changing and how new technologies can create risks that would have been unimaginable only a few years ago.

More commonly, parents tell us they feel uncomfortable seeing smartphones being used around children in playgrounds, waiting areas, youth groups, sports clubs and on school transport. The reality is that when someone is using a smartphone, those around them have no way of knowing whether they are checking a message, scrolling social media, taking photographs, recording video or live-streaming content.

Of course, the vast majority of adults would never misuse a device. Safeguarding has never been about assuming bad intentions. It is about creating environments where risks are minimised, expectations are clear, and children are protected.

There is, however, another aspect of safeguarding that deserves our attention.

Traditionally, safeguarding has focused on protecting children from adults.

Increasingly, schools and youth organisations are also having to address harms that occur between children themselves. We now know that most sexual abuse experienced by children is perpetrated by other children and young people, and organisations working in online safety report that around 90% of child sexual abuse images being identified are now self-generated by children, often through coercion, manipulation, peer pressure or a lack of understanding of the consequences.

This is not a reflection of "bad children". Rather, it reflects the reality that children are being given access to extraordinarily powerful technology long before they have the maturity, judgement and life experience to navigate it safely.

A smartphone is not simply a phone. It is a camera, a video recorder, a social media platform, a messaging service, an AI tool and the internet, all carried in a pocket. Most children use these tools responsibly most of the time, but the opportunities for impulsive decisions, cyberbullying, image sharing, exclusion and peer-on-peer harm are ever present.

At the same time, there is a quieter loss that receives far less attention.

Childhood has always contained moments of boredom, waiting, wondering and daydreaming. The bus journey to school. Waiting for Scouts to begin. Sitting beside a friend before a lesson. Kicking a ball around while waiting to be collected. These seemingly insignificant moments are where children learn to converse, negotiate friendships, observe the world around them, solve problems, tolerate discomfort and develop a sense of self.

When a screen fills every spare moment, those opportunities begin to disappear.

Children who are looking down at a device are less likely to notice the younger child who needs help, the friend who is struggling, the interesting conversation beside them, or the world passing outside the bus window. They are less likely to practise social confidence, independent thinking and emotional regulation. They are less likely to experience the spontaneous interactions and small adventures that have always been part of growing up.

The question for us is not simply whether smartphones introduce risks. It is also whether they quietly displace experiences that are essential for healthy development.

As adults entrusted with the care of children, we have a responsibility not only to protect children from harm, but also to protect the conditions in which childhood can flourish.

For this reason, we have developed the attached Smartphone-Free Spaces Policy and invite you to consider whether your organisation could benefit from creating spaces where children — and the adults around them — can be fully present, attentive and connected.

The safest childhoods are not only those free from harm. They are also those rich in conversation, play, curiosity, friendship and belonging.

Kind regards,

Smartphone Free Childhood New Zealand