Appropriate Age to Introduce a Mobile Device

Question: What is an appropriate age to introduce a phone or other type of communication devices, like a watch with texting capabilities, to children/adolescents? Most of what I have heard is to wait as long as possible, and I know it is different based on individual child and family. But what would you recommend? 

Answer: Giving your child their first smartphone is a decision that requires some planning and conversation. Smartphones provide access to greater independence and communication with friends, but also to a wide range of apps and websites that aren’t intended for children and teens. With a good combination of expectations, conversations and phone settings, families can avoid some of the pitfalls of a first phone. 

What do teens think? 

Overall, research doesn’t point to one perfect age when kids are ready for a smart phone. When teens were interviewed about this topic, they agreed that there's no single perfect age to get a phone. They thought that smartphone readiness has more to do with their own levels of responsibility and whether their parents were ready to help them create rules and navigate their relationship with the phone. In another survey of 765 teens and young adults, participants recommended that children receive their first phone between 12 and 13 years of age, when it becomes a necessity for independence from parents.  

Another study in California followed 263 Latinx children for 5 years, finding that the average age of getting a phone was 11.6 years. Compared to kids who got a phone when older, those who got a phone younger than 11.6 years did not have higher rates of sleep problems, school problems or worse depression symptoms. While this doesn’t mean that some children don't struggle with getting a phone at a younger age, it tells us that phones were not the major force driving problems with school, sleep or mood in these children. We know that things like positive family and friend relationships, predictable home routines and appropriate school supports are major driving forces of wellbeing.  

What are some signs of phone readiness?  

Check out the AAP Phone Ready Quiz for a list, which includes: 

• Is your child responsible about things like homework?  
• Do they say sorry if they hurt a friend’s feelings? 
• How well do they follow other tech rules?  
• Are you as a parent ready to help support them? 

If you don’t think your child is ready for a smartphone, but do want them to be able to communicate with you and their friends, see if your phone carrier has a flip phone model that allows call and texts only. There are also smart watches or starter-smartphones that don’t allow access to certain apps or features but these may be more expensive. Think about getting a device that aligns with your family’s needs.  

To learn more about the signs of readiness, please see this article by Dr. Jenny Radesky. 

Before you hand over the phone, be sure to:  

• Talk with your child about your family’s rules and expectations. Some families use a phone agreement/contract to set expectations for when, where and how the phone can be used. Kids agree to be respectful/responsible. This might include an agreement that parents know the password and will occasionally check on texts to check for any bullying or other concerns. 
• Remind kids that getting a cell phone does not equal getting social media. Make decisions about each app separately.  
• Set expectations about phone use/disuse in the bedroom, at the dinner table and during homework time. Ideally both parents and kids will keep their agreed-upon boundaries.  
• Set privacy, content, contact, download and downtime settings and explain to kids why this is important to avoid running into creepy or inappropriate content. 
• Talk about how it’s going every few weeks. If kids are struggling with the phone getting in the way of sleep or contributing to arguments, problem-solve with kids about what needs to change.   

Additional Resources:  

For more information about determining phone readiness, we recommend viewing these previous portal responses and resources: 

• A previous portal response on social media and sleep, including tips for parents to ensure digital devices aren’t getting in the way of sleep for children and teens. 
• A previous portal response on online safety plans that offer parenting strategies to promote better teen self-regulation.  
• AT&T Phone Ready Quiz – A free tool to help families determine a child’s cell phone readiness and create healthy media use habits. 
• Your child’s first phone: are they ready? A Healthychildren.org article by Dr. Jenny Radesky.  
• Smartphone alternatives – This resource provides information on basic communication device options and factors to consider before getting your child a smartphone. 
• First Phone: A Child’s Guide to Digital Responsibility, Safety, and Etiquette – This guide provides information on how to cultivate thinking and responsibility skills around smartphones, designed to be easily understood by kids and teens. 

References 

• Beyens, I., Pouwels, J. L., Van Driel, I. I., Keijsers, L., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2020). The effect of social media on well-being differs from adolescent to adolescent. Scientific Reports, 10(1).
• Charmaraman, L., Lynch, A. D., Richer, A. M., & Grossman, J. M. (2022). Associations of early social media initiation on digital behaviors and the moderating role of limiting use. Computers in human behavior, 127, 107053.   
• Moreno, M. A., Binger, K., Zhao, Q., Eickhoff, J., Minich, M., & Uhls, Y. T. (2022). Digital Technology and Media Use by Adolescents: Latent Class Analysis. JMIR pediatrics and parenting, 5(2), e35540.  
• Moreno, M. A., Kerr, B. R., Jenkins, M., Lam, E., & Malik, F. S. (2019). Perspectives on Smartphone Ownership and Use by Early Adolescents. The Journal of adolescent health: official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 64(4), 437–442.   
• Orben, A., Przybylski, A. K., Blakemore, S. J., & Kievit, R. A. (2022). Windows of developmental sensitivity to social media. Nature communications, 13(1), 1649.   
• Richter, A., Adkins, V., & Selkie, E. (2022). Youth Perspectives on the Recommended Age of Mobile Phone Adoption: Survey Study. JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting, 5(4), e40704.   
• Sun, X., Haydel, K. F., Matheson, D., Desai, M., & Robinson, T. N. (2023). Are mobile phone ownership and age of acquisition associated with child adjustment? A 5‐year prospective study among low‐income Latinx children. Child Development, 94(1), 303–314.   

Age: 8-14 

Topics: Age, phone ready, individual child, social media initiation, smartphone ownership, age of acquisition 

Role: Parent