In a time when internet use has grown commonplace, smartphone addiction is a serious problem that can be challenging to overcome. So, it makes sense that parents are anxious about their kids owning smartphones and frequently ponder when a kid should have a smartphone. After all, unrestricted access to the internet and all of its benefits and drawbacks are provided by smartphones.
So, the difficult part for parents is figuring out when their children are old enough to reap the rewards while avoiding all the drawbacks. Even if the typical age at which kids get their first phones these days is about 10 years old, exposure to mobile devices often starts much earlier; it's becoming more common to see preschoolers zoning out in front of iPads at restaurants and toddlers holding their parents' cellphones in their strollers than seeing kids spending time at the park or playing with their kids outside on the streets.
Now, given the numerous benefits and disadvantages, allowing your children to have their first smartphone and when this should happen is entirely up to you, mama. However, there are some things you should consider or think over before you give them this kind of gift and freedom. In this article, we talk about what age your child should be before getting their first smartphones, the implications of giving them such gifts, how to know whether or not they’re even ready for their own phones and go into detail about parental controls. So, if you have kids you’re thinking of gifting some smartphones too, then read on to find out more!
What Age is Best?
In this digital age, having a smartphone at a young age can actually prove to be quite useful, especially since classes have been online since the pandemic, and kids practice or do their activities on several apps and programs that you can easily download on smartphones and tablet devices.
However, several parenting experts have seen that kids between the ages of 10 and 14, or children in middle school, are the kids that are more prepared for a smartphone or tablet.
There are good reasons to let your kids get their own smartphones at a younger age, such as allowing them to have a form of communication between you and the rest of the family during trips and commutes alone or if they need something to help them pass the time when they have nothing to do. However, there are also many other reasons to wait longer, reasons such as the fact that children are not developmentally mature enough to have their own phones or gadget.
Many children just want something to keep them interested, especially when the adults need them to be focused on something else. However, other children, especially the ones who do go out often without you, also find it helpful to have their own phones, albeit with certain restrictions, as this helps them learn more about applications, skills, and other lessons. While experts do agree that children under the ages of 4 to 9 should have limited screen time if none at all, many parenting and children studies experts do believe that allowing kids ages 10 to 12 is acceptable.
Why Give Young Kids A Smartphone?
While giving little kids may make most mamas cautious (or ambivalent), doing so actually proves to be quite helpful too. That’s because young kids are still very attached to and interested in their parent's presence. It’s at this age when they still like you being around enough to let you into their business and let you know what they do on their phones.
Unlike young kids, teens may be less receptive to parental advice and more likely to learn important lessons about manners and safety after they roll their eyes and learn the hard way.
That’s why the age range of 10 to 12 is ideal. Even if they look too young to hold a smartphone, now is the ideal moment to start educating them about technology and the internet. At their age, they will undoubtedly come into contact with phones and the internet. By exposing them to a smartphone and the wonders (and terrors) or the gadget early, you at least get to teach them yourself and limit their reach so you know they’re safely using it.
Are Your Kids Ready For A Phone Or Not?
Not all children are ready for a phone. Before allowing them to have one and before imposing new regulations and obligations, make sure they’re aware of your current rules and limits, and you may want to consider their emotional stability as well before you think about giving them a smartphone. Additionally, it’s helpful to look for the important or notable points in their lives. This may include the decisions they've made and the way these decisions demonstrate their capacity for self-reliance.
If you’re thinking of getting your little ones a smartphone but don’t know yet if they’re ready for one, then ask yourselves these questions:
- Do they know how to follow your rules and limits when it comes to other gadgets that they’re already allowed to use?
- Will they be able to agree and follow any rules you may set for them when it comes to using the smartphone you give them?
- Are they able to take the time to think before making decisions instead of doing things impulsively?
- Are there any issues or problems they could be experiencing or going through right now that might be made worse by a smartphone?
- Do they see you as a trustworthy pillar in their life who they can run to if they encounter any problems (whether or not they need help with them)?
- Can they handle conflicts without you?
After asking yourselves these questions think about the answers and whether or not they’re good enough to make you comfortable enough to allow your little one to get their own phone.
There are many perks to having a smartphone, and your little ones may know of them. Be sure to help them understand the benefits as well as the disadvantages of having one before you give them one so you can at least give them one knowing that they are prepared and responsible enough to have one.
Parental Controls
Having a phone is a great prize or gift for any child. After all, it’s great to be able to have a device that they can use to message family and friends, and ones that they can have fun times. However, having a smartphone doesn’t immediately mean that your kids can or should receive access to all the same apps that their friends and classmates are on. This applies especially to social media platforms, which are pretty popular apps for young kids these days, especially when they have their own mobile phone to tinker with.
Now, while they may be allowed to enjoy the freedom of using their own smartphones, as a mama, it’s completely acceptable and understandable if you go about setting restrictions and boundaries for their cellphone use. By starting small, you can also instruct them on how to use these apps and communicate with their peers. Just note, mamas, that these days, in a world fueled by technology that’s ever-changing, kids need to learn how to use this properly, and what better way to do this than by learning from you? It may be daunting, but learning to teach them about how to handle their own cellphones and by setting and maintaining any reasonable limitations with them will prove to be helpful and useful in the long run. After all, teaching kids about the proper (good) use of technology is actually now seen as a pivotal role of modern parenting.
Choosing The Right Phone
These days, we thankfully have several options to choose from when looking for the best phone for kids. They may not be happy with your initial choice, but it’s definitely a good stepping stone for them when it comes to their having their first smartphone. You can look through the best phone for kids options such as the following listed below:
Smartwatches
A smartwatch may not be a mobile phone, but it features texts and text responses as well as a contact list set up by the parent or guardians. This, however, doesn’t have any internet connection but it’s the ideal choice for your young kids who just need a way to reach you.
A Real Smartphone
This option is great for parents who allow their kids access to different game apps, social media apps, and video apps. If you opt for this choice, you may want to give your child an Android cellphone instead of an Apple mobile phone as Android typically tends to have a stricter and more functional parenting control feature. Apple, on the other hand, also has parenting control, but each Apple device has strict privacy policies that actually affect the effectiveness of parental controls.
Smartphone Dupes
Now, if neither a smartwatch nor a real smartphone are the options you want to go for, then you may want to try giving your kids a cellphone that looks like a smartphone. These are typically tailored for kids and look exactly like a smartphone but it comes with one very big limitation: they don’t allow the kids to download apps or watch any videos without first getting approval from a parent or guardian. There are some models that allow for internet access, while others do not. You’ll just have to check the model to see if they have this feature.
Having a smartphone has become an absolutely necessary gadget to have in this digital era. As such, we can already assume that smartphones will continue to impact our lives (and that of our kids) and the way we live as technology develops. Now, because of this change, technology and the use of smartphones, parenting styles are constantly altering and, these days, it forces parents to ask a very important question: “When should my child get a smartphone?”. While that decision rests on you at the end of the day, mama, it’s helpful to sit down with your kids and talk to them about smartphone use and the different perks and disadvantages that come with them. That way, you may get a better idea of whether or not they need one or if they’re even ready for one.
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