I am against banning anything except what clearly exploits the innocent and the naïve. Bans run counter to our much‑cherished and often‑invoked freedoms: freedom of choice, freedom of views, and freedom of speech. They also presume that someone else, imposing their views, knows better than you—something I’ve had more than enough of lately.
Which makes it all the more surprising that that supposed bastion of free speech and freedom of action, the Act Party, is proposing a ban on smartphones for children under 16.
Setting aside my belief that political parties have more pressing issues—such as reflection pools and building ballrooms—I cannot understand the rationale for depriving kids of their smartphones. Yes, a ban might be appropriate in schools, and it can certainly be argued (and often is) that children spend too much time on their phones. But beyond school, and for other aspects of their lives—why?
I am old-school, and I value archaic forms of communication such as snail mail (a misnomer in itself). But if kids prefer the immediacy of text and WhatsApp, what’s the problem? There is also a safety issue: if I had a child out in today’s world, I would want them to have some form of mobile communication. The technology exists and it fulfils a need, so why not make it available, instead of limiting it to those whom someone, somewhere—named Seymour—deems mature enough to use it?
I don’t know whether the proposed ban is part of Act’s policy heading into the election, but if it is, it is symptomatic of a wider malaise affecting—and infecting—politics in this country. On one side, the Left, we have no discernible policies from Labour, and we are still harbouring the forlorn hope that the Greens will get back down to Earth before they finalise theirs. But it is the other side that should worry us most. The right‑wing coalition—National, NZ First, and Act—presented us with hope after the disaster of the Ardern‑led Labour/Greens government.
Instead, there is, I think, a growing public perception that the Government has yet to achieve anything substantive and is too hesitant or too frightened to do so. Even more damaging is the belief that any changes needed to get New Zealand “back on track” would happen rapidly. That is another forlorn hope—and an impractical one—but it was frequently promoted in the last election campaign, particularly by National.
Instead, we have largely been offered minutiae, such as banning smartphones for kids. The Government is tinkering at the edges rather than addressing the major concerns affecting our country.
At least, that is the perception. I think the reality is different. I believe the Government is doing something and is putting the country on the right track. The problem is that it is not communicating its actions, at least not in a way that is palpable to the public.
That is not to say that they won’t win the next election and return to power. I think they will. But the sad thing is that it probably won’t be on their merit—more likely it will be a justified fear that the other lot will be worse.
So, by all means, fix the economy, sort out health, tackle crime, and repair the roads. But don’t do it so quietly and if the grand flagship policy is taking iPhones off 15‑year‑olds, we might as well admit we’re not being governed so much as lightly parented.
And frankly, if anyone’s losing their phone for bad behaviour, it should probably be Parliament.
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