What is the Right Age to Get a Smartphone for Your Child?

Many parents are faced with the dilemma of when to allow their children access to smartphones. What is the right age to get a smartphone for your child?

The Age of Smartphones

In recent years, there have been various headlines that have shown the impact of mobile phones. Negative headlines associated with social media may greatly influence your decision on the right age to get a smartphone for your child. Even Madonna was once quoted saying that she regrets giving her children phones when they were 13 years of age. She said she would never do it if she had the chance to.

Essential Tools in Our Daily Lives

Nonetheless, smartphones have turned out to be essential tools in our day-to-day lives. They are used for easier communication, shopping, educational purposes and so much more.

Several questions remain unanswered on what the long-term effects of smartphones are on children and teenagers.

However, a sizeable number of experts agree that there are important factors to consider when deciding when is the right age to get a smartphone for your child.

How Smartphones Affect Children

It is not yet clear what the long-term effects of smartphones on children are. Newborn kids to the age of 8 have an inadequate perception of online risks. Therefore, parents have an influential authority as role models.

Therefore, it is only through openness and dialogue that parents can deal with the use of smartphones among kids. They need to talk about what they are seeing and experiencing online.

It is advised that parents be particularly keen when dealing with kids between the ages of 9-15. During these teenage years, the brain of kids change tremendously and any negative impact of smartphones can influence their future and growth.

Various research on this topic only gives you food for thought. At the end of the day, it all boils down to you the parent on what is the right age to get a smartphone for your child. It is a practical decision.