So I have not long come back from a meeting with my daughter’s teachers. She has not been happy and has had problems on-and-off with one girl in particular; a troubled girl who has been projecting her own unhappiness onto Cady. A recent spout in school had continued on iMessage as soon as the girls returned home. Texts in angry CAPS, back and forth.

It got so heated and personal that Cady came to me in tears and I was made aware of the situation. I eventually rang the girl’s mother; a warm, lovely and hardworking professional. She in turn rang the school to inform them of some concerning issues with the use of social media and text messaging. I hasten to add that our daughters are 9 years old.

Yes I am responsible for giving my daughter access to the iPad. I tried to delay it for as long as possible but the majority of peers in her class had their own and I was repeatedly hounded. Initially she used it for games as I refused her an Instagram account until again, peer pressure prevailed. There are now group chats in iMessage so they can all stay connected outside of school. She’s now asking for a mobile phone; an iPhone no less. She is not having one … for now at least. Most have their own in the year above, aged 10-11.

The iPad has been our friend. Cady is an only child, she gets lonely. I, like so many other parents, am tied to work, making ends meet, slaving in front of the laptop all day. Being self-employed, it has bled into the night at times too. Exhausted, letting her use the iPad is just easier. It is a technology that absorbs her, stimulating her mind, keeping her ‘company’.

But asking her to come off the iPad is more exhausting; just like an addict, she causes hell when her ‘drug’ is taken away when it’s time to do homework, practice on her drums, or have a shower. At night she’ll sneak the thing into her room or wake up extra early to spend time with it.

I have banned the iPad many a time. The longest lasted a week. We’d replaced it with board games, DVDs, walks and quality family time. The iPad would eventually phase back in though. Peer pressure and an easier life – a 9 year old can be very relentless.

I am not alone in this. I hear the same stories from many other parents. They try banning these devices and they start seeing the child they once were again. But this smart technology has become such a large part of our social culture, that it is inevitable to be drawn back in again.