What age should children get smartphones at?

With Black Friday out of the way the next stop is Christmas! I am sure that many children are adding smartphones to their wish list.

Image Source

But, when should children receive the first phone?

We know that smartphones and tablets can be addictive. There are many pieces of research that are showing that increasing amounts of screen time are damaging learning. On the flip side we also know that technology opens up new avenues for learning, we know that it can be used to collaborate and by having a phone we can also teach our children about using technology safely and respectfully.

Why do they need smartphones?

The majority of parents that I have spoken to about this primarily state safety as their main concern. Having a phone is a fantastic way to keep in touch with your child, to get updates from them and to use incase of emergency.

Image Source

Requiring a phone should then correlate with an increasing amount of independence. At a young age your child is very rarely far away from a known and responsible adult. I would suggest all the way to high school (around age 12) that children can safely live without a smartphone. After this, do the need a smartphone or a maybe just a brick phone will cover the bases of security and peace of mind.

Because my friends have one

This is the second most stated argument that I hear. Peer pressure is an ongoing battle for children. Really peer pressure equates to the adult version of 'keeping up the with Jones''. We should be discussing this openly with our children and encouraging them to become their own person, to be proud of their unique identity rather than chasing after their mates identity.

Image Source

A great solution to this type of want is to encourage your children to save up using their pocket money. They can then choose a phone that is within their price range. By purchasing it themselves they will take time to look after it and they will have begun the important journey into financial awareness.

Having ground rules

Whenever you do decide, as a a family, the best time to purchase a phone for your child then you need to agree ground rules. Parents should always be allowed access to their child's phone to check the content on it. The phone shouldn't be allowed in the bedroom after a certain time and agreement on calling and Internet credit.

Further consideration

• How responsible is your child with their other belongings?
• Will they follow the rules? What will help them to follow the rules?
• Will having a phone benefit them socially?
• Will a brick phone do the job?