Doctors' collective: no smartphones for children under 14, no social media under 16

In a letter addressed to the cabinet, more than 1,400 doctors and scientists are calling for children under the age of 14 not to be given their own smartphones. Access to social media should preferably be prevented until the age of 16, given the negative effects on the young brain.

The open letter follows a pact made by parents of around 30,000 Dutch children not to give their children under the age of 14 their own smartphones. The idea behind this parental pact is to protect children from unlimited screen time and the dangers that this entails. This is not only about access to harmful content such as violence, but also about eye problems caused by prolonged viewing of a phone screen.

A collective of more than 1,400 doctors, scientists, and other experts have now joined this parental pact with an urgent letter to politicians in The Hague. They share parents' concerns about the normalization of smartphone ownership among young children and the impact this has on their development and safety. They are asking politicians to set the following minimum age limits:

• No smartphones until the age of 14
• No access to social media until the age of 16

Doctors, scientists, and practitioners can also sign the urgent letter on the Smartphonevrij Opgroeien website.

Phone ban in schools
Whether politicians in The Hague will actually set an age limit remains to be seen. However, since the 2024-2025 school year, a phone ban has been imposed on primary school classes and special (primary) education. In secondary schools, the use of smartphones has been prohibited since January 1, 2024. It is up to the schools themselves to further develop and enforce this policy.

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