This Is The Age Kids Are Getting Smartphones These Days
They keep getting younger and younger.
MAYA LAB / Shutterstock While many have embraced technology as adults, there's still widespread debate about how to introduce kids to it without putting them at risk for developing mental health problems like addiction or attention disorders. It can be a powerful tool for learning and entertainment, but how do we decide what age is right for kids to begin using it?
As someone who was a teenager during the rise of smartphones, I've seen the drastic differences between how my peers and I turned out and how kids are growing up today. What we had in the early 2010s is still nothing compared to the supercomputers that elementary-age kids are walking around with in their pockets now.
A new study found that kids are getting their own smartphones between the ages of 11 and 12.
The study, conducted by the Pew Research Center, discovered that almost one in four (23%) parents said their child has a smartphone of their own. More than half of parents with 11-12-year-old kids said their child has a smartphone (57%), while the numbers were lower in the age groups of 8-10 (29%), 5-7 (12%), and even under 5 (8%).
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When parents were asked what they thought was the appropriate age for a child to have a smartphone, 68% agreed that kids should be at least 12 years old, regardless of whether their own children had phones.
This, however, varied by household income. Thirty-one percent of lower-income parents reported their child having a smartphone, compared to middle (20%) and upper-income (16%) parents. These findings suggest that it doesn't actually depend on a family's ability to afford a phone; rather, they indicate that it's about being able to contact a child in case of an emergency.
Many experts recommend not allowing kids to own smartphones until at least the age of 16.
Other studies have found that using smartphones and social media at certain ages can lead to lower life satisfaction later on. Puberty is a delicate time for a teenager, and social media can be especially detrimental to young women and girls.
Kara Alaimo, an author and professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University, said, "As I write in my new book, during this time, a typical girl’s confidence is plummeting and she is becoming fixated on her body image. So this is not an ideal time for her to be logging on to apps like Instagram, where she’s likely to be flooded with images of the so-called Instagram body, whose proportions are so unrealistic that attaining them usually requires surgery."
Basically, it's not so much the phone as access to social media that is the biggest issue. Alaimo suggested that "Parents can get their kids a 'dumbphone' — a flip phone that can be used for talking and texting but not social media use." She added, "That’s important, because social media is where kids can be exposed to incredibly toxic content and connect with adult predators."
Managing screen time is a major issue for young kids and teenagers.
Even if kids aren't using smartphones, they often have access to a myriad of other types of screens. The Pew Research Center study also found that parents reported their children aged 12 or under commonly using televisions (90%), tablets (68%), and gaming devices (50%).
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Four out of ten parents (42%) think that they're doing pretty good at managing their kids' screen time, but they could still be doing better. However, according to 58%, they're already doing the best they can. The relentless pressures of parenting often drive parents to rely on screens to entertain their kids when they're not able to.
They're also hoping that tech companies and lawmakers will do more to protect kids from the dangers of social media and online content. The American Psychological Association advised, "Like it or not, technology is an important part of our modern world. It won’t help your child if you set overly restrictive limits or send the message that technology is something to fear. Instead, focus on teaching healthy habits that will stay with your child for a lifetime."
Kayla Asbach is a writer currently working on her bachelor's degree at the University of Central Florida. She covers relationships, psychology, self-help, pop culture, and human interest topics.
