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What is the right age for children to have a cell phone?

2022-10-14 19:53:40Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA BBC
What is the right age for children to have a cell phone?
What is the right age for children to have a cell phone?

It's a recent dilemma: Should you buy your child a cell phone, or keep them away from these devices as long as possible? As a parent, you'd be forgiven for thinking of your smartphone as a kind of "Pandora's Box" that has the ability to unleash all the evils of the world into your child's healthy life.

A series of bombastic media headlines about the potential impact of children's cell phone and social media use is enough to make any parent shy away from such an idea. Even VIPs are not immune to this modern problem.

Thus, the famous singer Madonna has recently stated that she regretted giving her children mobile phones at the age of 13, and that she would not make such a mistake again. On the other hand, you yourself consider your mobile phone an essential tool for everyday life, from email and online shopping to video calls and family photo albums.

There are still many unanswered questions about the long-term effects of smartphones and social media on children and teenagers. But existing research provides some evidence of their main risks and benefits. While there is no comprehensive evidence that owning a phone or using social media is harmful to children's well-being in general, it may not tell the full story.

Most studies to date focus on adolescents rather than younger age groups. And new evidence suggests there may be specific developmental stages where children are most at risk of adverse effects. Additionally, experts agree on some key factors to consider when deciding if your child is ready for a smartphone, and what to do once they have one.

What is the right age for children to have a cell phone?

Data from Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, shows that the vast majority of children over the age of 11 own a smartphone. In the US, 37 percent of parents of 9-11 year olds say their child has their own smartphone.

And a study in 19 European countries found that 80 percent of children aged 9-16 used a smartphone to surf the Internet every day or almost every day. Candice Oxhers, professor of psychological science at the University of California, USA, says that young people have a limited or poor perception of the dangers on the Internet.

Oxhers analyzed 6 meta-analyses, analyzing the link between digital technology use and mental health in children and adolescents, as well as other large-scale studies. She found no consistent relationship between teens' technology use and their psychological well-being.

Yet another review by Emi Orben, an experimental psychologist at the University of Cambridge in Britain, found inconclusive evidence. She concluded that it is impossible to know whether technology was causing the decline in well-being or vice versa.

Because most of the research in this area is not of a very high quality. Experts say communication and honesty are key when it comes to how parents approach young people's smartphone use, including discussions about what they're seeing and experiencing online.

On the other hand, for some young people, a mobile phone can become a lifeline, to find a new form of access and social networks, as in the case of a person with disabilities, or a place to seek answers to emergency health questions.

But for the most part, when children use their phones to communicate, they talk to friends and family. While smartphones are often blamed for children spending less time outdoors playing, a Danish study of 11–15-year-olds found some evidence that phones actually give children independent mobility, increasing parents' sense of security, and helping them navigate unfamiliar environments.

Children said the phones enhanced their outdoor experience listening to music and keeping in touch with parents and friends. Of course, the ability to be in almost constant communication with peers is not without its risks. In a study published earlier this year, Orben and her colleagues discovered a "window of developmental vulnerability" where social media use is associated with a later period of lower life satisfaction — at specific ages during adolescence.

Analyzing data from over 17,000 participants aged 10–21, researchers found that higher social media use at ages 11–13 for girls and 14–15 for boys predicted lower life satisfaction a year later. The opposite was also true: less social media use at that age predicted higher life satisfaction the following year.

This is also consistent with the fact that girls tend to go through puberty earlier than boys, the researchers say, although there is not enough evidence to say that this is the cause of the timing difference. For many parents, buying a smartphone for a child is a practical decision.

"In many cases, it's parents who want younger children to have phones so they can keep in touch throughout the day and coordinate picking them up from school," says Oxhers. But it can also be seen as a milestone on the road to adulthood.

What is the right age for children to have a cell phone?

"I think for children it gives them a sense of independence and responsibility. This is definitely something that parents should consider: Are their children at a stage where they are responsible enough to have their own phone?", says Anja Stevič, researcher in the communication department at the University of Vienna, Austria.

One factor that parents should not overlook is how comfortable they feel when their child has a smartphone. A study by Stevič and colleagues found that when parents felt they had a lack of control over their children's smartphone use, both parents and children reported more conflict over the issue.

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