"Just take it and go away," Jaclyn Maroney tells her 10-year-old-son. Subscribe now for unlimited access . $ 0 / (min cost $ 0 ) Login or signup to continue reading Continue with Email Continue with Google Continue with Apple See subscription options We're on the phone discussing her kids' use of social media.
Her oldest two kids are home from school and asking to use the tablet. She's already had to fend off three demands for the tablet and the phone in the last five minutes. "He's already on the phone to his friends from school," she sighs, as the sounds of her son Owen speaking echo in the background.
Of course, he's not actually "on the phone": Owen is using Messenger Kids, a Facebook app that allows parents to control who their kids contact. Her oldest son, 12-year-old Elliot, is playing a video game with his friends. Limiting her kids' time on their devices is a never-ending battle, Maroney says.
"They're definitely addicted," she says. Jaclyn Maroney with her sons Owen, 10, and Elliot, 12. Picture by Elesa Kurtz "I have enough problems with their device addictions as it stands without them getting more platforms to use, I'm not excited about them moving on to social media.
" Social media again in the spotlight Jaclyn Maroney and her kids are at the centre of a national debate about the place of social media in the lives of Aussie kids. This week the Queensland government announced its support for raising the minimum age for social media accounts to 14, saying younger ch.
