Colman Noctor: We need to compete with online world by creating offline alternatives 

Children have migrated online, where they primarily interact, socialise and communicate 

We need to have alternatives to screentime

IT'S obvious that children need to be protected from the online world but knowing what to do about their smartphone ownership is not so straightforward. And it's particularly problematic for parents of young children who insist on having a phone to connect to their friends. 

According to a recent CyberSafeKids survey, 93% of eight to 12-year-olds in Ireland own a smart device.