Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

The Average Age For a Child Getting Their First Smartphone Is Now 10.3 Years (techcrunch.com)

Posted by msmash on from the is-this-normal? dept.

An anonymous reader writes: A TechCrunch article, citing a report on Influence Central, states that the average age for a child getting their smartphone is now 10.3 years. The report adds that 64% of kids have access to the Internet via their own laptop or tablet, compared to just 42% in 2012. Also, 39% of kids get a social media account at 11.4 years, and 11% get a social media account when they were younger than 10.

10 of 175 comments (clear)

  1. Where? Im guessing you're not talking about... by friesofdoom · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Zimbabwe, right?

  2. This worries me by tom229 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    My son is 3 and I have another on the way. This stuff really concerns me. When I was growing up I had to work a fast food job just to afford what we call a "dumb" phone now - at age 16. My sons will have, in their pocket, full access to the breadth of the internet by the age of 10, or be social outcasts for not. What does this mean for their generation? I like to be optimistic, but it can't be good.

    --
    If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
    1. Re:This worries me by AuMatar · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The exact same comment was made for TV, the car, the locomotive, and the music of Beethoven. I wouldn't be surprised if it was made for math and the written language as well. We somehow all survived.

      --
      I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?
    2. Re:This worries me by FlyHelicopters · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I have a 10 year old son right now, he will be 11 in a few months.

      He doesn't have a smart phone and isn't getting one until he is 16.

      He also doesn't have unlimited access to the Internet at home and for the time being, I can control that. In a few years it will be harder to control, but it has to come off at some point.

      Giving a 10 year old unlimited access to the Internet at 10 is beyond stupid, most kids can't handle it and it won't end well.

      Yes, there are exceptions, but they are the exceptions that prove the rule. Just remember that you're the Dad, not society, so do what you think is right for your kids, everyone else be dammed.

    3. Re:This worries me by wbr1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      There is an order of magnitude difference between TV. Or the works of Beethoven, and everything mankind has done or knows or lies about. The good and the bad. Beheadings, or Bartók, it's all there for good or ill. I won't guess what the net effect will be, but there is no substitute for parenting. Don't use the radio, or the TV, or the phone as a babysitter with no other input. THAT is the recipe for disaster.

      --
      Silence is a state of mime.
    4. Re:This worries me by sociocapitalist · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I have a 10 year old son right now, he will be 11 in a few months.

      He doesn't have a smart phone and isn't getting one until he is 16.

      He also doesn't have unlimited access to the Internet at home and for the time being, I can control that. In a few years it will be harder to control, but it has to come off at some point.

      Giving a 10 year old unlimited access to the Internet at 10 is beyond stupid, most kids can't handle it and it won't end well.

      Yes, there are exceptions, but they are the exceptions that prove the rule. Just remember that you're the Dad, not society, so do what you think is right for your kids, everyone else be dammed.

      You can't control what your 10 year old is going to have access to when he isn't home.

      I've chosen rather to discuss with my son what to expect and he is aware that there is a lot on the net that would upset him. As such he polices himself better than I ever could, regardless of where he is.

      --
      blindly antisocialist = antisocial
  3. *Facepalm* by eepok · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I will not trust my child with a private computer, digital camera, or cell phone until high school. And even then, it will be for very low values of "trust". I was young. I know what we would have done with those tools had we had them. I'm not letting my child's life get screwed up by such indiscretions.

    Want photos? Excellent. Here's a camera, film, and some batteries. Remember, these will have to be developed down the street.
    Want to use the computer. Fine. It's my computer. My lock down. And it's in the dining room.
    Want to use a phone to call someone? Cool. Here's the land line.
    *Need* a cell phone? Alright, here's one with three buttons: Mom, Dad, and Police.
    Oh, you bought one yourself? Neat! It's mine now.

    You hate me? I'm so very sad. No child has ever hated a parent before.

  4. The decay of society right there by damn_registrars · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Also, 39% of kids get a social media account at 11.4 years, and 11% get a social media account when they were younger than 10.

    We are letting the personal information of children be sold for profit. This is a more certain sign of the decay of society than most that I can think of. It doesn't matter how harmless some people may think this is, the bigger problem is that most people don't think of that problem at all. They sign little Johnnie up for a facebook account so that he can see Grandma's wall, and pretty soon Johnnie's personal events are being sold to every company you can think of.

    --
    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
  5. Re:Hmm..... by fluffernutter · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The issue is that a kid should be experiencing life a little bit before they learn to distract it away with a phone? I know if my kids had smartphones that would be the end of conversations in the car and at restaurants and I happen to like talking to my kids.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  6. My daughter got one at 2 by edcheevy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Now before I'm told how horrible a parent I am, let me explain. Like anything in life or parenting, I think it's about moderation and structure. We gave our daughter one of our older Android phones when she was about 2.5 years. We were embarking on a 5 hour flight with a toddler and a baby so yes, I was looking for distractions. I gave her a locked down phone (no dialing or data connection possible) with two educational apps and one simple drawing app. We play the apps with her and monitor her play. She can also take photos. That's it. It held her interest for a while, as did a number of other activities we brought with us on the plane, but with a limited amount of distraction available she eventually grew bored. She still has access to her phone at home now and she rarely uses it. We've taken it as a backup to many outings but find we only pull it out rarely (specifically dinner at a restaurant, close to or past bedtime, aka the witching hour).

    If you give a kid a phone with the entirety of the internet and app store available with no structure, sure they'll become overwhelmed or addicted. Same thing goes for most stuff we give kids as they get older (insert car analogy). But I also think it's important to have access to the tools, connectedness, and creativity that computers and smartphones can unlock. So as my kids get older and they demonstrate they are ready, I'll unlock more functionality. But if and when I do, they can expect a lesson in how to use that new functionality safely and responsibly. If they abuse it, they lose it. I think that's about the best you can do. Maybe I'll be singing a different song in 7 years.