My seven-year-old son boldly walked up to me sometime last month and asked, Mum, when are you going to buy me my own phone? Your own phone? I asked him, and he nodded in agreement. I was confused about where the question was coming from because I didn't promise him a phone, nor did I buy one for his elder brother of ten years, and then he came to request his own.
Upon further questions thrown to him, he told me that some of his classmates already own a smartphone of their own, NOT a kids' tablet , but Androids. He went further to tell me the reason, which is that they are googling their homework instead of disturbing their mummies when the need arises. What a reason! Grade two students, not up to ten years old, respectively. Of course you should know the answer I gave him by now.
A lot of things have changed! That's the reality. The world has gone digital, and children are not left behind either. Back then, you would hardly see a child of less than 18 years using phones, at least in this part of my world. I can't say it's the same for those in other countries, anyways . But in those days over here , children were more occupied with physical games and television , but now, even a two-year-old child plays with phones, and some children who don't even know their left from their right own phones, chat with their friends , and surprisingly create social media handles simply because their parents are well-to-do and can afford it. Is that not just interesting?
Smartphones are a nice tool , no doubt about their importance in the lives of our kids in our digital world today, especially if handled well, but the question is , at what age should a child own a phone ? , not borrow from Mummy or Daddy to do homework or whatever , but own it and own social media accounts?
I think there is no wrong or right answer here. It depends on what the parent thinks about their child; it also depends on how much mental maturity the child has. Of course every child is different, and sometimes it's not all about age to so many parents but what the child knows. His mental capacity , his level of self-discipline—what does this child know about social media and its effects? Have I done my job well enough to handle a smartphone for my child and allow him to own social media accounts? Every parent has a different age they deem fit to allow their kids to use a phone depending on several factors.
Personally , I should know my child very well , teach him what he should know , watch him closely, and be satisfied that indeed, he can handle a phone at this age no matter how much he needs a phone for academic activities. Remember, once you say, this is your phone, it becomes a different thing...it boils down to the child in question. Is he mentally ready? Have I done the needful, teaching him most things he should know? Even though I can't control everything ...or just give my child a phone because I can comfortably afford it?
As much as I wouldn't want my kids to feel left out with the social interactions that come with smartphones , I also wouldn't rush them into the world of social media, where even adults struggle to manage sometimes. Until all these factors I mentioned above are ascertained, I won't allow my child to own a smartphone and own social media accounts. It could be at any age I deem fit; they could even own one earlier , perhaps before the end of their secondary school or after, or before their adolescence age, but sincerely , I would prefer after their secondary education, until then, I will see to it, can't say much for now, anyways.
Ultimately, It's about their level of maturity. If not, they could face some issues such as exposure to harmful content, addictions , cyberbullying, etc., without the ability to handle it, and then it becomes a problem that could birth more problems.
This is my response to the #hivelearners community contest on the topic titled , Smartphone Age
Images were taken from canva