Mr. Seamus Mulconry:

Mobile telephones are a complex issue. As a society, we need to look at what age we give these devices to children. I am not sure banning them outright for young children would be a good idea. We might look at advising parents not to give them to children while they are still in primary school, however, and at working with the telecoms companies to create some kind of walled garden, which would create an online environment that is safe.

In such a scenario, a child who had a phone would not be exposed to bad material or to bad content. Some schools in the UK have a scheme whereby they basically provide one with an old Nokia. Parents can buy an old pre-smartphone in order that the child has all the benefits of having a phone such as contactability etc. but are not exposed to dangerous content or material. It also protects to some degree against bullying.