Navigating the Decision: When Should Your Child Get a Smartphone?
Key Factors to Consider
Guiding Young Minds with Passion and Expertise: By Monica Gibson
When is the right time to get your child a smartphone? This is not a straightforward answer. There are a lot of factors to think about when making this decision for your family.
The first consideration should be your “why.”
Why does your child need a mobile phone? For adults, it has become an essential tool. We use our mobile devices for work and personal email, navigation, trip planning, recipes, ordering food and other home needs, reading, music and keeping in touch with friends and family. It’s our phone book, calendar and photo album. For most of us, it has also become our sole phone as landlines are becoming obsolete.
For young people, it’s more of a luxury item and should be viewed that way when making the choice to purchase one for your child. More and more studies are detailing the negatives of mobile devices and associated apps for children and teens so we have to think carefully about when and why we give our children this powerful technology.
Pros and Cons
Mobile devices are linked to low self esteem, deterrents to building social skills, inattentive behavior in school and poor sleep habits. Time spent playing on devices is taking the place of other activities that may be more beneficial to personal, physical and academic growth.
So, when it comes to getting your child a smartphone, what is your why?
Do they walk home independently or take public transportation?
Do they need to check their school or personal email?
Will it be an academic benefit or distraction?
Do they need a device for navigation to get from one place to another?
A common response when asking a parent why they are getting their child a mobile phone is that they want to be able to get in touch with the child. If that’s the case, consider when that actually requires a personal device.
At school, there are ways for your child or an adult to reach you. When they are on a playdate, the adult they are with can contact you. At what age will you drop your child at the movies or the mall, without adult supervision?
At what age will they be involved in a sport where they might need to reach out to you about a pick up time? Before that, do they really need the device? Or are we all buying into the narrative that everyone else is getting their child a mobile device and we don’t want our child to feel left out?
Make a phone plan
When you do decide it’s time to get your child a mobile device, have a plan in place for acceptable usage. Make a list of rules about when, where and how it should be used.
Rules to consider:
No phones at the table during family meals.
No phones while getting ready for school or other important events.
Never share personal information.
Phones should be charged in a central location at night, not in the bedroom.
Location sharing remains on at all times.
App purchases must be approved by parent.
Picture taking and sharing must always be appropriate and fully dressed.
Screen time: pick an amount of time and enforce it.
Know that rules will change with each year. Understand that the rules set in the beginning will lay the foundation for future rules regarding driving habits, attending parties and appropriate usage at jobs and even college.
As part of your plan, decide the consequences for misuse of the device. Make this clear and be ready to act upon misuse the very 1st time. This isn’t baseball and there shouldn’t be a 3 strike rule! Teenagers have been charged as sex offenders for forwarding inappropriate pictures via Snapchat and messaging. Setting firm rules and acting upon misuse is necessary so that your child will recognize this device is powerful and must be used responsibly.
Whatever you decide about the timing of when your child will get a smart phone, make sure it’s a decision that has been planned out and discussed with your child. Research the latest in parental controls and make sure your child understands that although the device is a lot of fun it must also be viewed as a powerful tool that requires responsibility.
About the Author:
Ms. Monica Gibson, a dedicated elementary school teacher with over three decades of experience, is known for her innovative teaching methods and her deep commitment to fostering a love of learning in her students. With a background in early childhood education, Ms. Gibson brings creativity, compassion, and a keen understanding of child development to her classroom. Her regular column offers insightful tips and advice for parents, tackling everything from educational strategies to navigating the challenges of modern parenting. Through her writing, Ms. Gibson aims to bridge the gap between home and school, ensuring every child has the support they need to succeed.
