What Age Should A Child Have Their First Cellphone?

At what age should a child have their first cellphone? This question is becoming more relevant every day. With the changing times, children owning phones is on the rise. This is very rapidly becoming the norm.

Commom Sense Media says that “about three in 10 of all 8- and 9-year-olds have their own phones; among 12- to 13-year-olds, about seven in 10 do; and among those age 14 or older, about nine in 10 have their own phones”.

In my opinion, this question doesn’t necessarily have a clear answer of when it’s the “right time”. There is not a one-size-fits-all kind of answer, because there are a lot of things that a parent needs to consider before giving their child a cellphone.

Here are some things to consider

Can you afford an extra line?

Whether you believe your child is ready or not, this should be the first step to start from. Take a look at your finances to determine if you are able to afford an extra line and cover the cost of a new phone as well.

Phones nowadays have become very expensive. Even if you are not purchasing a top-of-the-line device, you are still in for spending a couple of hundred dollars. You don’t need to pay for it all at once, as most places will do a payment plan that will add the price of the phone to your monthly bill, until the amount has been completely paid off. But it is still an increase in expenses that would need to be covered every month.

Do they need a cellphone?

Sometimes there may be a need for the child to have their own cellphone.

For example: maybe they will need to be home alone for a little while on a regular basis. If that’s the case, you need to be able to check up on them and have a direct line of communication with your child. Or perhaps, they need to take public transportation to school, and you want to make sure they are arriving safely every day.

Depending on your circumstances, giving your child a phone might be a matter of necessity and safety.

Maturity

Is your child mature enough to have their own phone? This is a big question that needs serious thought. Once you place a phone in your child’s hands, they will be exposed to an infinite amount of information, since they will have direct access to the internet.

I know what you might be thinking: that’s what parental controls are for. Even though you are absolutely right, parental controls are not completely fool proof. There is content that will still slip through the cracks, and they will still be exposed to a lot of information that you might not approve of.

This is why they need to have a good level of maturity that will allow them to navigate through inappropriate things that might pop up.

Most kids nowadays have interactions in the internet, whether it is by leaving comments on videos, or interacting on other social media platforms. Once they have their own phone, they will probably be leaving comments more often. We need to make sure they are mature enough to comment responsibly, and handle any replies that may come their way.

Responsibility

Having a cellphone is a big responsibility. It might be the first item your child has had, that they need to keep on them, and be responsible of.

Ask yourself:

• Will my child be a responsible owner?
• Is my child unlikely to lose their phone or forget it somewhere?
• Does my child understand that a cellphone is not a toy and that they need to take care of it?
• Does my child understand that they can’t be on their phones while they are in class?

These are questions that need to be considered before your hand them their own phone. They need to understand that their phone is a way of keeping in touch with you. And that is also a method for their own safety. If they were to be in need of your help, you are a phone call away.

Do they understand the rules?

A lot of parents set rules for their children to follow in order to have a cellphone.

These are some rules parents put in place:

• They cannot take their phone to bed: Many parents have this rule. They take the phones at bed time and return them in the morning. This is a rule strongly enforced by many parents, even if their child is an older teen.
• No social media: Even though social media platforms require kids to be 13 years old in order to sign up for their own accounts, many parents choose to not allow their children to be on social media until they are much older.
• Must have access to their social media: Many parents allow their children to have their own social media. However, they must have the password to their accounts and/or be accepted as their friend in their profile.
• Random inspection: For lack of a better word, lol. Essentially, as part of the conditions for them to have a phone, parents reserve the right to look through their phones if they deem it necessary.
• Enabled location apps: Safety is one of the main reasons why parents give a cellphone to their children. Therefore, having access to their location at all times is a must.
• Parental controls: Parental controls are a great tool that many parents use to monitor and limit their kid’s activity in the internet, limit screen time, and much more.

These are some of the rules that many parents have established with their children as a condition for them to have their own cellphones. Every parent must make their own rules in accordance to their own views and specific circumstances. Therefore, children need to be aware that these rules are non-negotiable if they want to have a cellphone.

Do you trust them?

Having a phone opens a lot of doors for learning and keeping in touch with their friends. But it also is a double-edge sword. As much as it is a tool that can be used for positive things, it also opens the door for less desirable things.

Do you trust that your child will use their phone responsibly?

We will never be able to completely monitor everything they do; this is why it’s important to discern if your child is trustworthy and able to make good decisions.

To wrap up

When I was growing up, the need for a cellphone was non-existent. Most people were communicating with their friends through their landlines at home. When it came to an online presence, the most we were doing in the 90’s and early 2000’s, was chatting with our best friends on messenger or email (this was until mid 2003, when myspace first came out). A lot of teenagers got their first phones when they were around 15, and even so, not everyone had one.

Nowadays things are very different. Most homes do not have a landline anymore, creating more need for every individual in the house to have some form of communication. For most families, is cellphones.

My 10-year-old has a cellphone. He is not allowed to use it at school, and his access to it is limited. However, for our family, it’s a matter of safety. I need to be able to contact him (and vice versa) if the need were to arise. I never thought that he would have his own phone at this age, but times are changing, and sometimes we need to make some adjustments to stay on track.

So, what is the right age for a child to have their first cellphone? When you think that they are ready and/or your circumstances have deemed it a necessity.

Let me know in the comments below: At what age should a child have a cellphone?

And if your child already has one, at what age you felt it was the right time and why?

Psss… You might be interested in reading How To Keep Your Kids Safe Online.