NOT long ago, many parents wondered at what age they should
give their child full access to the car keys. Nowadays, parents face a trickier
question: At what age should a child own a smartphone?
The smartphone, after all, is the key to unfettered access
to the internet and the many benefits and dangers that come with it. But unlike
driving a car, which is legal in some states starting at the age of 16, there
is no legal guideline for a parent to determine when a child may be ready for a
smartphone.
The topic is being increasingly debated as children get
smartphones at an ever younger age. On average, children are getting their
first smartphones around age 10, according to the research firm Influence
Central, down from age 12 in 2012. For some children, smartphone ownership
starts even sooner — including second graders as young as 7, according to
internet safety experts.
“I think that age is going to trend even younger, because
parents are getting tired of handing their smartphones to their kids,” said
Stacy DeBroff, chief executive of Influence Central.
How do you determine the right time? To come up with some
guidelines, I interviewed internet safety experts and combed through studies on
smartphone use among children. I also asked for parents’ advice on regulating
smartphone use and keeping children safe.
The takeaway will not please smartphone makers: The longer
you wait to give your children a smartphone, the better. Some experts said 12
was the ideal age, while others said 14. All agreed later was safer because
smartphones can be addictive distractions that detract from schoolwork while
exposing children to issues like online bullies, child predators or sexting.
“The longer you keep Pandora’s box shut, the better off you
are,” said Jesse Weinberger, an internet safety speaker based in Ohio who gives
presentations to parents, schools and law enforcement officials. “There’s no
connection to the dark side without the device.”
Let’s start with some of the data. Ms. Weinberger, who wrote
the smartphone and internet safety book “The Boogeyman Exists: And He’s in Your
Child’s Back Pocket,” said she had surveyed 70,000 children in the last 18
months and found that, on average, sexting began in the fifth grade,
pornography consumption began when children turned 8, and pornography addiction
began around age 11.
In a separate study published this year, Common Sense Media
polled 1,240 parents and children and found 50 percent of the children
admitted that they were addicted to their smartphones. It also found that 66
percent of parents felt their children used mobile devices too much, and 52
percent of children agreed. About 36 percent of parents said they argued with
their children daily about device use.
There is also biology to consider. The prefrontal cortex, a
part of the brain that controls impulse, finishes developing in the mid-20s. In
other words, parents should not be surprised if younger children with
smartphones lack impulse control.
When you decide that it’s time to bestow a smartphone on
your child, there are ways to set limits. To help parents enforce rules
consistently, Ms. Weinberger has published a family contract listing the rules
of smartphone use, which includes promises never to take nude selfies and never
to try to meet strangers from the internet in real life. Parents state what the
consequences are for breaking the rules, and the child must sign the contract
before receiving a smartphone.
Click on the photograph below if you want to read the Family
Contract
