Firefly mobile phone for kids causes concern

by Staff, Brand Republic 24-Jun-09, 13:00

LONDON - A new mobile handset designed for children as young as four is causing a stink in the media ahead of its UK launch.

Firefly already has two handsets available in the US.

The phones have the ability to take pictures, record videos, listen to MP3 files and play games, but it also lets parents put controls on the phone.

Parents can restrict who can be called from the phone, who can call the phone and control how much is spent.

Although figures show that more than half of children in the UK aged from five to nine years old already have mobiles, the launch of Firefly has spurred criticism from those worried about the erosion of childhood, as well as the health implications.

The phones will be distributed in the UK by Kevin and Frances Crean. The couple say on their website, fireflymobile.ie, that they were inspired to find a handset suitable for their children after a health scare involving their daughter when she was away at camp.

The UK government advises parents to avoid giving phones to under 16s.