Online safety expert warns of 'digital jungle’s’ impact on children’s mental health

Digital safety expert Sue Atkins has warned parents and educators in Gibraltar about the growing dangers of excessive screen time for children, highlighting its impact on mental health, self-esteem and family life.

Speaking at one of a number events organised by GibSams and the Department of Education this week for Gibraltar Schools Mental Health Festival, she shared her insights with the Chronicle on “navigating the digital jungle”, a challenge she says is becoming more urgent as technology and artificial intelligence evolve at breakneck speed.

Ms Atkins, who has worked with families and schools across the UK and other countries, said there was a “jigsaw” of responsibility when it comes to smart phones and it includes parents, teachers, policymakers and tech companies.

“Tech is here to stay. It’s fantastic, but AI is escalating quicker and quicker. No guardrails, certainly from America, and parents don’t know what to do,” she said.

Ms Atkins outlined key challenges families with children face in the digital age, which include “cyber bullying, self-image, social media, struggling to find a balance.” Parents, she said, need to know “how to navigate some of this more safely and be aware.”

One focal point is the link between screen time and mental health.

“Some of it starts because of technology, with younger children, in terms of teens, the cyber bullying, constant comparison, never feeling good enough, sextortion and all these very big topics that we need to address, and parents don’t know where to go for help,” she said.

She recalled a conversation with a local father.

“A father came up to me last night at the talk and said, we’ve just moved from the UK to Gibraltar,” she said.

His child “is nagging and crying and begging for a smartphone, because all the other children have them, and she doesn’t, and he doesn’t want to give it to [them].”

He asked: “What do I do?”

Her advice was to nurture the child’s self-esteem, wrap them in family support and love, “and still not give in to the nagging, because you have the bigger picture.”

Ms Atkins praised the launch of “Smartphone Free Childhood Gibraltar,” a new initiative aimed at supporting parents who want to delay giving their children smartphones.

“That’s where you don’t give in, or you don’t give it early,” she said.

But she also cautioned against both extremes, total bans and total freedom.

Regarding children who already have smartphones and use them regularly, her advice is not to just outright ban them or get angry with the child, who understandably will not want to lose their device.
“Start conversations and start limiting the time spent on the device,” she said.

“Have a digital detox, like daily, just little bite-sized 15 minutes here and there, perhaps, or on Saturdays, tell them we are going to go and do this. This will be fun, and make it fun, and then you don’t bring the device out.”

Even adults, she noted, struggle with screen time.

“When I walk the dogs, I make a conscious effort to leave the phone at home,” she said.

While digital detoxing is one method to help, she said that open dialogue is also key.

“Conversations are important, no matter whether you haven’t given them one [a phone], or you have given them one. Navigate it openly, and if anything goes wrong, they can come and talk to you,” she said.

She also highlighted the need for critical thinking.

“The biggest superpower, I think, for young people these days, no matter how old they are, is critical thinking,” she said.

“Schools are trying to do it, but parents should back it up and ask some questions about, why do you think that? What do you think? Why are you looking at that and what’s going on underneath?”

But it’s not just smartphones.

Ms Atkins also spoke about the risks of gaming, television and even family influencers.

“Background TV is bad for toddlers… they’re not interacting. It’s distracting. They can’t concentrate. There’s too much noise… so children can’t process and so their language is being restricted,” she said.

On gaming, she warned: “Who are they talking to, the chat function? Parents don’t always think. ‘Oh, we thought we were keeping him safe. He was in the bedroom…’”

“But he was being manipulated, and all sorts of things were happening to him there.”

She highlighted Adolescence, the TV series that created a storm earlier this year as an example of how being online can have devastating consequences.

One sobering point she made was in relation to online exploitation and how she had read that “within five minutes of giving a child a new smartphone, it will pop up with a beheading or porn or something dangerous.”

Her advice to parents was clear.

“Put in parental controls, but I don’t call them that. I say privacy settings. Do it together, so they’re on board, you’re not doing it top down to them.”

Pornography and sextortion especially with AI is also a concern.

Innocent images are being “nudified” and posted on chats or online, with the viewer unaware the image is fake.
The consequences to young people are unquantifiable at present but can include pressuring a person into doing something they do not want to do and there being a lack of consent.

The rate at which relationships develop, especially with young people, thanks to smartphones is also alarming, she said.

The dopamine hit that is usually experienced when you first meet someone is increased due to how accessible each person is via their phone.

This illusion of an intense whole relationship leads to some young people doing things they would not usually do, such as sharing personal images, or doing them sooner they would otherwise have done.

This is another reason why Ms Atkins backs the group Smartphone Free Childhood Gibraltar.

This group has been set up by a number of parents on the Rock including Brenda Cuby and Nicholas Borge from GibSams, both were present at Ms Atkins event in the Calpe Rowing Club.

Speaking to the Chronicle about the launch of the new initiative which aims to provide a safe space for discussion and support, Mr Borge said: “We found, following last year’s school’s mental health festival... there were lots of like-minded parents and caregivers in Gibraltar that thought this was an important topic that we should all be exploring further as a community.”

The group, which is already gathering momentum on WhatsApp, is focused on the many challenges children face in the digital age.

“I don’t think there is one that stands out. I think every family and every student, every child going through this journey is experiencing different problems,” said Mr Borge. Issues such as bullying, addiction to devices, and reduced attention spans were all cited as concerns.

Parents and caregivers are encouraged to join the conversation.

“We encourage parents and caregivers to get involved, and work with us to find a way forward together,” he added.

Ms Cuby told the Chronicle that screens are addictive, and this is because companies have spent vast amounts of money on technology to ensure that users get hooked.

She believes, as does the science, that a reduction in screen time for young people and adults improves a person’s mental health.

It is not just about social media or gaming. She also noted that even 24-hour news channels can be addictive. Despite the newscaster repeating the same stories, people watch it non-stop.

"If you add up all your screen time, then actually, that figure is quite hard hitting,” she noted.

"If we can support people and create a community of like-minded people, then you don't feel so alone, you don't feel like you're struggling."

"We just need to get more people that are passionate about this,” she added.

On Page 5 of tomorrow’s print and e-edition the Chronicle has two stories, one on a study that posting on social media overnight linked to poor mental well-being and the other a UK survey concluded that nearly half of young people say TV and films have negative impact on well-being.