US group asks ban on sale of smartphones to under 13

8 years ago - Published in Finance, Fiscal & Legal

To bar kids from being addicted to the smartphones, a group in the US state of Colorado has sought ban on sale of the device to those below the age of 13. 

Tim Farnum, founder of the non-profit group Parents Against Underage Smartphones, or PAUS, is leading the charge on a proposed ballot initiative in Colorado that would be the first of its kind in the country, the USA Today reported on Monday. With around 80 percent of Americans now owning a device, the number of under 13s that have their own handset is also on the rise. 

The proposal would require retailers to submit reports to the state government verifying that they had inquired about who each sold smartphone was intended to be used by, and fine those that repeatedly sell phones to be used by young children and pre-teensm. It still needs 300,000 voters to sign up, but if it passes, it will be the first law of its kind anywhere in the US.
If Initiative 29 does go through, smartphone retailers in the state would have to ask customers if a purchased handset is intended for children under 13. They would also be required to submit monthly reports to the Colorado Department of Revenue that show they are adhering to the ban.

Retailers who sell a phone for use by a pre-teen would get a warning for the first offence, but may face fines from $ 500 to $ 20,000 for continued violations, the proposal said.

On its website, a statement said the group is comprised of "parents, grandparents and concerned citizens standing together arm in arm against the destructive force of continuous internet use on our children." He compared the impact of smartphones on kids to tobacco and alcohol.

And Fasrnum added he wanted to introduce the bill after watching the way his own children used smartphones. “They would get the phone and lock themselves in their room and change who they were,” he said.
The American Academy of Pediatrics’ recent guidelines states that children aged 2 to 5 should have their screen use limited to 1 hour per day of high-quality programs. Those 6 and older should have consistent limits on the time spent using media, while making sure it does not take the place of adequate sleep, physical activity and other behaviors essential to health.