What Age Should You Buy Your Child a Smartphone?

When there may be a lot know-how in our lives, it is not simple to determine when and learn how to let your youngsters begin utilizing it. Do you go early and provides them gadgets from a younger age? Or do you maintain off and train them about duty first?

For many, it is someplace within the center, but it surely begs the query: at what age ought to your youngsters get a smartphone?

What Age Ought to You Give Your Children a Smartphone?

Unsurprisingly, there isn’t a set age that oldsters agree upon in the case of giving a baby their first smartphone. There is not a lot clear info from the tech trade both, although there are many research, opinions, and insights from tech leaders, educators, authorities places of work, and far more.

Famously, Invoice Gates mentioned none of his youngsters have been allowed a smartphone till age 14, which really places them in the direction of the upper finish of the size and virtually definitely lagging behind their friends.

So, at what age do you have to give your child their first smartphone?

For many dad and mom, someday between the ages of 10 and 12 seems to be the suitable time to bestow the primary smartphone on their offspring. The timeframe is sensible as between these years, most youngsters are leaping from elementary or major college to a center college or junior excessive and starting to search out some correct independence from dad and mom and parental supervision.

The speed of smartphone possession between these ages continues to develop, too. A 2019 Widespread Sense Media research discovered that round 69% of 12-year-olds owned a smartphone (up from 41% in 2015), whereas some 36% of 10-year-olds owned a smartphone (up from 19% in 2015).

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common sense media smartphone ownership percentages chart
Picture Credit score: Widespread Sense Media

It would not be a stretch to think about that the quantity is now increased, given the consequences of COVID-19-related lockdowns on social lives, education, and extra. Certainly, a more moderen research carried out by Childwise within the UK discovered that 90% of 11-year-olds have their very own system and that after youngsters hit secondary college (age 11 within the UK), smartphone possession is ubiquitous.

Smartphone Possession by Age

The center floor of smartphone possession for teenagers definitely falls across the ages of 10-14 However there are extremes, too. A Statista research discovered that children as younger as one or two are given a smartphone, whereas some youngsters have to attend till their late teenagers to obtain their first smartphone.



statista chart smartphone ownership children
Picture Credit score: Statista

Referring again to the Widespread Sense Media chart within the earlier part and the Childwise research, smartphone possession for teenagers will increase with age (as you’d count on).

Why Do Kids Want a Smartphone?

A part of the difficulty for folks deciding on when to present their offspring a shiny smartphone is wants. Why does your little one want a smartphone? When does your little one want a smartphone? It is easy for outsiders or critics to say, “that is parenting within the trendy age,” however the reasoning carries extra nuance. There are various the explanation why youngsters want a smartphone (although the necessity does change with age), together with:

  • Touring to and from college, as a method of communication if something goes incorrect/change of plans/and so on.
  • Contact family and friends
  • To entry homework portals/class set work
  • Easy accessibility to on-line assets, analysis, and different instructional apps (typically college prescribed)
  • To show duty and possession, and to assist construct belief
  • Leisure


These are all legitimate causes for a kid to personal a smartphone. Rolling with the instances, digital gadgets like smartphones are deeply built-in into every day life, and utilizing these gadgets in a helpful and accountable method is worth it (particularly educating youngsters in regards to the duty of possession and the belief that comes with it.) Apparently, many dad and mom consider that their youngsters are in all probability utilizing their smartphone the way it was supposed. No less than, more often than not.

Kaspersky’s 2021 research on the “smartphone technology” discovered that many dad and mom purchased a smartphone for his or her little one for instructional wants and that largely, that is what occurs. Clearly, there may be some gaming, YouTubing, and speaking with family and friends, however 46% of fogeys are assured that their youngsters use their smartphones as supposed. The research discovered that simply 1% of fogeys consider their youngsters are undoubtedly not utilizing them as supposed in any respect.



kaspersky smartphone study actual usage of devices chart
Picture Credit score: Kaspersky

However clearly, at instances, wants should. Taking a child on a protracted street journey or flight is far simpler lately with the assistance of leisure apps, making us surprise what we did previously!

Communication Is Key to Accountable Smartphone Possession for Children

Probably the most necessary issues any mum or dad can do with their little one is speak brazenly about smartphone possession and duty. Which means, discussing what you have purchased the smartphone for, how you’ll count on them to make use of it, and the belief that comes with it.

The dialogue of well being digital habits does not must focus solely on the smartphone, both. The broader dialogue concerning smartphones and different gadgets might open the door to selling more healthy digital habits for the entire household, dad and mom included. Modeling digital behavior conduct is not all the time simple, particularly when so many individuals are nonetheless working from dwelling or reliant on digital gadgets to finish work.


Kasperky’s research (together with many others) discovered that there’s a sturdy correlation between parental system time (not restricted to smartphones, thoughts) and the period of time their youngsters spend on their gadgets.


kaspersky smartphone study modeling behaviour for kids
Picture Credit score: Kaspersky

In that, making small adjustments can result in massive variations. Switching off telephones at mealtimes, ensuring you are current and within the second when discussing issues or engaged on homework issues, placing the smartphone apart when visiting family and friends, and different comparable adjustments will add up in the long term.

5 Issues to Think about Earlier than Shopping for Your Little one a Smartphone

Earlier than biting the bullet and shopping for a smartphone on your toddler, there are just a few necessary issues to contemplate.

  1. Machine Price: Price is available in two areas. First, how a lot are you going to spend on a smartphone on your little one figuring out that there’s a increased likelihood of loss, injury, theft, or in any other case? A second-hand smartphone is usually a significantly better starter system for a teenager, nonetheless educating them about possession whereas reducing the financial loss if one thing occurs.
  2. Plan Price: Second, what kind of plan are you going to place your little one on? Pay-as-you-go? An ongoing contract?
  3. Distractions: The leisure worth of a smartphone is good, however what occurs while you want the gaming or YouTube movies to finish? Having a smartphone undoubtedly makes it simpler to entry all method of content material.
  4. Safeguarding: By extension, you need to ensure that to implement correct content material filters on your little one, or on the very least try to supervise what they’re as much as on their smartphone. It isn’t simple and is at instances a thankless activity, however there may be undoubtedly content material on the market that you just will not need your little one interacting with.
  5. Homework: Sure, your little one can use their system to do their homework. It is one of many essential causes dad and mom purchase a separate smartphone for his or her youngsters. Nonetheless, for homework and different varieties of studying to be absolutely helpful, it is necessary to verify they are not simply copying solutions verbatim, as this massively reduces info retention and recall (as per the Academic Psychology journal).


The underside line is that, as a mum or dad, you are greatest positioned to evaluate when your little one wants a smartphone. All youngsters react in another way to the liberty and pleasure a smartphone brings, so there isn’t a higher particular person to make that call than you, it doesn’t matter what their age is.


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