Most kids are getting smartphones at much younger ages than many experts recommend, according to new research.
A majority of parents of kids ages 11 to 12 said their child has a smartphone, a Pew Research Center survey published October 8 found. However, many experts, myself included, recommend holding off on allowing kids to use social media — which having a smartphone enables — until age 16.
The most-cited reason for letting kids have phones is so parents can get in contact with them, according to the survey conducted in May of over 3,000 parents of children ages 12 and younger.
Smartphones aren’t the only thing kids are using at a young age. Overall screen time also is an issue, with 85% of parents saying their children watch YouTube, including more parents of children younger than age 2 than in 2020.
The findings shed new light on “just how prevalent tech use is for kids today, including for some of the youngest kids,” said Colleen McClain, senior researcher at the Pew Research Center and the study’s lead author. “The degree to which screens start young is a very striking finding.”
While most parents — 86% — said ensuring their children’s screen time is reasonable is a daily priority for them, 47% of parents of 8- to 12-year-olds said they could do a better job handling their kids’ screen time.
Part of the problem seems to be parents sticking to the rules they set for their kids. While 86% of parents said they had rules about their children’s screen use, just 19% always enforce them.
Parents don’t seem happy about how things are going, with 80% saying the harms outweigh the benefits their kids get from social media.
While McClain said one limitation of the survey is that it queried parents (not kids), the research suggests it’s worth rethinking our approaches to children’s technology use.
Here’s how to do it — while still staying connected to your children and even keeping them happy.
Consider other ways of staying in contact
As a mom, I too want to stay in touch with my daughter so if she gets hurt or feels uncomfortable on a playdate, she can call me. That’s why when I speak to parent groups about how to handle kids’ social media use, I remind everyone that there are ways to stay in contact without giving children smartphones.
Parents can get their kids a “dumbphone” — a flip phone that can be used for talking and texting but not social media use. That’s important, because social media is where kids can be exposed to incredibly toxic content and connect with adult predators.
You can also consider getting your kids a watch that allows them to call, text and even track their real-time locations.
In my home, I have a “family device” that I give my oldest child to take when she goes to an activity without parents so she can reach us. But it doesn’t officially belong to her, and she uses it only to stay in contact with family members.
