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The age at which you should give your child a smartphone is something that is constantly debated and contested by both parents and researchers alike. However, most of that is just nonsense because there really isn’t a special age that is suddenly a great choice for owning a phone. Instead, it’s really something that parents need to decide for themselves.
After all, a smartphone is an essential piece of equipment that virtually everyone needs to have. Introducing your child to tech early on can be really helpful because they can easily grasp the concepts and make use of it. However, there are also some valid concerns with giving your child access to the internet at such an early age. So what’s the suggested age to give your child a smartphone?
Concerns over the content that your child could be looking at
One of the biggest concerns that parents have is what their child might be looking at on the internet. Thankfully, monitoring software has become incredibly sophisticated and, as a result, it’s usually very easy for parents to keep an eye on their child’s activities on their smartphone.
We suggest taking a look at the Family Orbit home page and learning a bit more about their services to see how you can easily keep track of your child’s messages and history. This is a great way to see what kind of things they’re looking at, and it allows you to confront them if you notice them doing something questionable or worrying.
It’s an entertainment device, so it’s easy to get sucked in
Much like video games were stigmatized in the past, smartphones can also have a bit of a bad reputation because it has lots of games and entertainment-focused apps. While there are also plenty of educational apps and games, most kids will want to play video games and watch YouTube videos.
While keeping your kids entertained is important, you may want to consider limiting the amount of screen time they get because it helps ensure that they’re not neglecting their studies or other aspects of life. It’s incredibly easy to get sucked into using a smartphone all day, especially when it comes to social media. So it’s usually best to limit the amount of time they get with a smartphone or to encourage them to use more educational programs.
So what age is best? There’s no real answer
Unfortunately, there really isn’t a concrete answer for the title of this post. Ideally, you should be looking around early teenage years as a baseline. However, this can be tweaked depending on how your child acts with a smartphone.
If you think they’re going to be mature with it and aim to limit their screen time, then you can comfortably give them a smartphone earlier. However, if you’re still concerned about their safety, then there’s no problem with letting them use your smartphone and waiting an extra year or two before you can trust them with their own.
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