When to Give Your Child a Phone

It is not just about age

There is no universally correct age to give a child a phone. What matters more than their birthday is their maturity, the actual need, your family circumstances, and your ability to provide appropriate oversight. A responsible 11-year-old may be more ready than an impulsive 13-year-old.

Readiness checklist

Consider whether your child can:

• • Follow existing household rules consistently
• • Come to you when something worries them
• • Understand the concept of personal information and privacy
• • Manage their time without constant reminders
• • Show empathy and kindness in person (likely to extend online)
• • Understand that actions online have real consequences

Alternatives to a smartphone

If the primary need is communication (walking to school, after-school activities), consider a basic phone without internet access first. GPS watches designed for children offer location sharing and calling without social media. A family tablet with parental controls can provide internet access in a more supervised way.

The family conversation

Involve your child in the decision. Explain what getting a phone means: both the freedoms and the responsibilities. Create a family agreement together before the phone arrives. This collaborative approach builds more buy-in than simply imposing rules.

Setting up safely from day one

Set up parental controls, create a child account, and configure privacy settings before handing over the device. It is much harder to add restrictions after a child has been using an unrestricted device. See our device setup guides for step-by-step instructions.