“But all my friends have their own phone!”

If you have a tween in the house, this might be something you’re hearing a lot, especially now with your kids going back to school soon. If there ever was a modern parenting dilemma, this is it. After all, mobile phones becoming so commonplace is a very recent phenomenon. Most young parents today would not have owned their own smartphone, when they were the same age as their children are now. It is also an extremely loaded question. On one hand, there is the convenience factor and sense of independence your kid gets. On the other, smartphone addiction is a real thing. It’s a real conundrum, one we’re sure a lot of parents out there are facing right now. So we did the research to help you make a decision. Here’s what we found.

What are kids doing on phones anyway?

According to this study, there has been a rapid increase in media use among tweens (8 to 12 years) since 2019. The average daily screen time for this age comes in at five and a half hours, which is still thankfully lower than the eight and half hours teens are logging. A lot of the screen time is spent watching online videos, with YouTube being the preferred platform of choice. Other activities include playing video games and spending time on social media. Of course, social media is a much bigger pull for teens, with a lot of online platforms barring children under 13 from accessing it (and rightly so). This doesn’t mean there are zero tweens on social channels, though. It just means there are loopholes that can be exploited. On the plus side, there is a growing subset of tweens who use their devices as creative outlets, making art and music. A lot of children also spend their time reading and writing on their devices.

All the above data is irrespective of whether the child owns the device or not. Kids are exposed to screens far younger. There’s a reason why Baby Shark is so popular. Gen Alpha, for example, has only ever known the touch screen, so they instinctively swipe on any display, even if it’s an old-school CRT monitor. It’s only natural (and inevitable) that after a certain age, they’ll want their own device. But what age should that be? That is the question we need to answer. And for that, we need to understand just how much of an impact a smartphone has on a child’s development, especially one that’s all their own.

Will a smartphone impact my child’s mental health?

Sapien Labs published an international study examining the relationship between the first age of smartphone ownership and mental wellbeing, polling nearly 28,000 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 in early 2023. Results showed that respondents who received their first devices later in life displayed better mental wellbeing, especially among girls and young women. Their sense of self and self-worth was stronger as well. This tracks with the study suggesting that smartphones may hinder the development of social skills and bonds. The younger the child receives their first phone, the more time they substitute crucial face-to-face social learning with virtual interactions. Respondents who received their first phones later also reported lesser mental health problems, even in those without traumatic or adverse childhood experiences.

Of course, keep in mind what the study suggests is more correlation than causation. Nobody can definitely say that all of the above trends were caused by purely giving a smartphone to the respondents earlier. There are also instances of respondents in the same study who received their smartphones earlier, but not exhibiting any of the negative traits mentioned.

So what’s the end verdict? 

We would recommend waiting as long as possible to give your child their first smartphone. This is simply because the older the child is, the more emotional and intellectual maturity they will have to handle the repercussions of owning said device. Especially one that is connected to the internet. 

However, at the end of the day, you know what is best for your kid. Every child is different, so is every situation. There might be instances where your child requires a phone earlier than others. For example, you may need to coordinate pick-ups and drop-offs with them, or need a way to keep in touch when they are outside on their own. We should also not discount your kid’s original reason for asking for one. If all their friends are getting their own devices, not having their own device might lead to social exclusion, which, in turn, might impact their mental well-being and social development. 

Having their own device can also have positive impacts on the child. The sense of independence and freedom the child will feel is invaluable, just like the fact that you trust them enough to handle the responsibility that comes with it. If you think they are ready for their first smartphone, the next step is for you and your child to define boundaries together and learn about safe online behavior. The onus for this should never be purely on the child. If the both of you can navigate this together successfully, a smartphone in their life will only be a boon, not a bane.

When you decide it is time, we recommend making the fair choice and investing in a Fairphone for the young one. Better yet, buy a new Fairphone for yourself and give your old device a second life with the offspring. We offer extra-long warranty periods, easy DIY repairability, and extended support windows, because we believe electronic products should be designed to last. By choosing to support what we do, you will teach your child to always choose the fairer way of doing things. In the end, that’s what better for people and for the planet.