My kid wants a smartphone — are they ready for the responsibility?
2/22/2024 by Sushmitha Srinivasan, M.B.B.S.
Many parents wonder at what age they should provide their child with a phone. Smartphones offer access to the internet and social media. Media in all forms can affect how children think, feel and behave.
COVID-19 and smartphones: Positives and negatives
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the positives of using smartphones included virtually talking or playing with friends during isolation at home. But the pandemic also showed negatives of more time spent online, including age-inappropriate videos and encounters with online sexual predators.
Is your child ready for a smartphone?
These tips can help you decide if your child is ready for the responsibility of carrying a smartphone. Be sure to set guidelines for its use.
- Does your child have a reason for needing a smartphone? It's common for children to want a phone — because all their friends have one. Some teens have said they regret getting a smartphone early. If children need phones only for communication, such as calling parents, then a flip phone may be a better option. This option avoids all the distractions associated with using a smartphone (such as social media).
- Will your child follow rules around smartphone use? The American Academy of Pediatrics has developed a Family Media Plan tool, which can help ensure that you and your child are on the same page. You'll also want to protect your child and ensure they're sticking to the rules:
- Set parental controls for things such as apps, privacy restrictions, etc.
- Monitor text, video and social media posting.
- Do you have time to check in with your children regarding digital life? You can help your children have a positive experience using digital media by checking in with them regularly and mentoring their needs. Car rides and mealtimes could be a great window to check in with your child and find out how life is going — generally and online.
- Have a plan for when rules get broken. As a parent, your first reaction may be to take the phone away. In this situation, it's helpful to have set agreed-upon rules and the consequences for breaking them. You may want to consider consequences of varying severity based on the infraction. For example:
- First-time offense.
- Your child tells you about it (before you discover it).
- Repeat offense.
My child is not ready yet …
It's okay if you and your child determine they are not yet ready to use a smartphone. This conversation can be an opportunity for you to help your child hone skills related to developing responsibility and impulse control. You can find additional practical tips and recommendations on Common Sense Media's website and the American Academy of Pediatrics' website.
Sushmitha Srinivasan, M.B.B.S., is a pediatric resident at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and practices general pediatrics in the Baldwin building.