Sometimes it seems like parenting is just a never-ending string of decisions, and the more technology advances, the more those decisions center on screens. Our parents had to decide when to limit television access. For parents today, the more concerning decisions center on internet and smartphone access.
As pressure increases, more parents are allowing their kids to access these devices at younger ages. In fact, most kids have used or interacted with a smartphone and/or tablet by age 4.
The newest research suggests we should wait to hand kids their own smartphone until they are at least three times that age.
Twelve Years Old Is A Good Checkpoint, But Not The Only Line
A study published this month in the journal Pediatrics finds that when kids don’t have their own smartphone by the age of twelve, they’re at lower risk for obesity, depression, and insufficient sleep.
These risk factors were shown to increase further among kids who acquired their smartphones at younger ages, suggesting that delaying smartphone access for as long as possible may reduce risks.
However, the benefits of delaying the gift of a smartphone don’t stop at 12.
The study then examined what happened among kids who received their first smartphone between the ages of 12 and 13.
“At age 13 years, among 3486 youth who did not own a smartphone at age 12 years, those who had acquired a smartphone in the past year had greater odds of reporting clinical-level psychopathology and insufficient sleep compared with those who had not after controlling for baseline mental health and sleep.”
Kids Are Starting To Access Cell Phones & Other Devices Very Young
In this study, among a total of 10,588 participants, 3,849 kids did not have a smartphone by age 12. That’s about a third, though almost half of those kids did have one by age 13.
Kids are using and accessing smartphones and other devices even earlier than this, though. A 2020 Pew Research survey (side note: early 2020, March, before the pandemic and school closures were likely to have had any effect on the numbers) examined screen time data among kids under 12.
In that survey, 62% of parents said their children aged 3 to 5 had used a smartphone, and 49% said their children under two had done so. At that time, 17% of parents said their child under age 12 had a smartphone of their own, and of those, almost half had a phone by age 9.
A majority of parents said they bought their kids a smartphone for easy contact, though most also said keeping their kids entertained was a reason, and almost a third said their kids wanted a smartphone because their classmates and friends had their own.
Here’s What We Don’t Know
As always, there’s still more to uncover about the effects of smartphone use and access.
This newest study did not examine how kids used their smartphones, for instance. We don’t have data on whether the kids in this study had access to social media or whether parental controls were installed. We don’t know if their parents limited screen time or if any participants’ phones were taken away at bedtime each night.
That means there’s no data (from this study) on whether imposing limits, supervision, and controls would mitigate any of these factors.
However, we do know from other studies that social media has adverse effects on mental health and self-esteem, and we know that age requirements set by these sites don’t actually stop kids from accessing them. We also know that bedroom lights (even a cell phone plugged in across the room) can have harmful effects on sleep.
What Should Parents Take From This?
While more study is needed, parents should make decisions now that best suit their children’s needs and well-being.
The data show that delaying smartphone ownership reduces multiple health risks for kids, including mental health, sleep, and at least one physical health factor (obesity). While other factors may come into play, studies continue to show a strong correlation between early smartphone ownership and these adverse outcomes.
If your child needs a phone for contact purposes, consider delaying a smartphone and offering a flip phone or another basic device that supports calls, texts, and perhaps even emails, but doesn’t open the world of apps and social media.
That said, if you do choose to buy your younger child a smartphone, consider implementing rules and/or parental controls to help limit the potential for harm. Keeping your child off social media, limiting the time they spend on the device, and not allowing it into the bedroom can all help keep your child a bit safer.