"When should I get my child a smartphone?" is the parenting question of the decade. Everyone has an opinion. The school says by Year 6. Their friends all have one already. You're not sure. You're right to be not sure.
What does the research actually say?
Researchers have been studying this since the first iPhones landed in kids' pockets around 2012. The picture that's emerged is fairly consistent: earlier smartphone access correlates with worse mental health outcomes, particularly for girls, and particularly around the onset of social media use.
Jonathan Haidt's 2024 book 'The Anxious Generation' summarised years of research with a simple prescription: no smartphones before high school, no social media before 16. He's not alone — similar recommendations have come from the UK Chief Medical Officer, the American Psychological Association, and a growing coalition of paediatricians.
"The smartphone is not just a communication device. It's a portal to a social world that's been optimised to be addictive, and children's brains are not equipped to navigate it." — Dr Jean Twenge, psychologist
Signs your child might genuinely be ready
- They are 13 or older and have shown consistent good judgement offline
- They have a genuine practical need (travelling alone, after-school activities with no supervision)
- You have a working parental control setup and clear, agreed-upon rules
- They understand what social media is and why it's designed to be engaging
- You're prepared for ongoing monitoring and conversation — not a one-time setup
Signs they're probably not ready
- The main reason is "everyone else has one"
- They struggle to manage screen time on existing devices
- They don't yet have a solid group of real-world friendships
- They're under 11 — full stop
- You're hoping the phone will make them more independent (it usually doesn't)
A better question to ask
Instead of 'When should I give my child a smartphone?', try asking: 'What does my child actually need right now, and what's the simplest tool that serves that need?'
If they need to be able to call home from their bedroom, a Granny Phone does that without the risks. If they need to be reachable when they're out, a basic call-and-text mobile does that. If they're 15 and genuinely need email and maps for independence, a smartphone with clear rules might be the right call.
The smartphone is the right tool eventually. It's just almost certainly not the right tool right now. And 'eventually' is later than most parents think.