Cell phones are incredibly useful, but many parents struggle with finding the right age to give a phone to their children. It might seem shocking to some parents that on average, children first receive a cell phone at the age of 10.In this article, we’ll give you some tips that can help you decide when your child is ready for their first phone.
Is Safety an Issue?
If your child needs a cell phone to be safe, they should have a cell phone. One example is if your ten-year-old is regularly unsupervised and needs the constant ability to contact a parent. However, we offerthe tip that you wait until your children are a little older than the average age of 10 before they take on the responsibility of a phone, as they will probably have a parent or guardian nearby at all times at age 10. As your children get older and start to have more freedom, like the middle school years, they might make plans to hang out after school unsupervised, in which case adding a phone to their lives might make them safer.
Be Wary of Peer Pressure
We think it’s a good idea to wait until your kids are closer to 13 years old, or entering high school, because they might think they need a phone due to social pressure. If they want a phone just to fit in with classmates or to have new ways of connecting with their peers, they might not need a cell phone, but are merely being pressured to get involved with what’s popular. Even older teens struggle to make great decisions because their brainsare heavily influenced by peers. We don’t advise that your children get cell phones just because their classmates have them because it teaches them to follow peer pressure instead of critically thinking about what they actually need.
A Phone Could Hinder Social Development
The next factor to keep in mind is that children need to learn the value of face-to-face communication. If they start to rely on cell phone apps to stay in touch with their friends before learning how to socialize in person, they could miss out on social growth opportunities such as how to read a person’s emotions or resolve conflict. Studies show that more and more children are “hanging out” with friends in virtual environments instead of in person, so having a cell phone or regular computer access during the middle school years could inhibit the development of their social skills as they miss out on face-to-face experiences.
Are They Responsible for Expensive Items?
Before you get your child a cell phone, think about their ability to keep track of their things. If your child is constantly forgetting important items, they might not be ready to carry around an expensive device like a cell phone. If your child demonstrates they can be responsible and remember their belongings without a reminder, that could hint at their readiness for a cell phone.
Will They Respond When You Need to Reach Them?
The most important test for a child’s readiness is whether or not they will pick up the phone when you call them. As they get older, socialize in new ways, and go out on their own after school, you might need to start knowing their location and need constant coordination of plansto parent them from a distance. If they cannot answer your calls and check in with you when you need information, they aren’t ready for a cell phone, or perhaps even the freedom of going out on their own.
Teach Them to Have Limits
We have some tips on introducing your child to cell phone, while teaching them the importance of setting limits. For example, you could try giving them a basic phone before a smartphone, or consider limiting time allowed on their phone through parental controls to prevent over-use. Cell phones are new, exciting, and highly stimulating, so you might need to take these precautionary measures to make sure it doesn’t take over too much of their life.
It’s Not About Age, It’s About Maturity
We hope you find value in these metrics to test if your child is ready for a cellphone. As demonstrated through these tips, there is not a perfect age to get your child a phone. Though, we recommend you wait until they are older than the average age of 10 to get a phone because they will likely be more mature and able to handle the responsibilities of a phone in the teen years.
Many parents struggle to find the right age to give a phone to their children. Here are 6 tips that can help you gauge your child’s readiness.
Author Bio:
Andy Earle is a researcher who studies parent-teen communication and adolescent risk behaviors. He is the co-founder of talkingtoteens.com and host of the Talking to Teens podcast, a free weekly talk show for parents of teenagers.
