An Argentinian provincial official has raised concerns over the link between early smartphone access and rising exposure to online gambling among minors, warning that limited oversight is increasing risks across age groups.
Juan Pablo Bonino, Under-Secretary of Children, Adolescence and Family in La Pampa, described the issue as a growing public health and social concern, pointing to unsupervised use of mobile devices from an early age.
He said: “People two or three years old, who used to be given toys to keep them entertained, are now handed a cell phone.”
Bonino argued that parents often assume children are safe while using screens, overlooking the risks associated with constant connectivity. Alongside cyberbullying and online exploitation, he identified access to online gambling platforms as a key concern, particularly as minors grow older and gain more autonomy online.
The official also linked the issue to broader socioeconomic pressures, noting that unstable employment and changing family dynamics can reduce supervision and increase time spent online.
He said: “The social fabric is absolutely destroyed and this inevitably impacts children.”
From a regulatory perspective, Bonino’s remarks highlight ongoing challenges in Argentina’s online gambling framework. While the market has expanded across multiple provinces, enforcement of age verification and responsible gambling measures remains uneven.
With no unified federal approach, oversight largely falls on provincial regulators, creating inconsistencies in how underage gambling risks are addressed.
He described a “painful and everyday reality where families lose their formal jobs and must survive with odd jobs,” a situation which directly affects the healthy development of children in the middle of their formative years, a scenario where the provincial government is trying to increase efforts to support the most vulnerable sectors.
Juan Pablo Bonino took office in December 2019
