Few devices are as heavily used as smartphones. These compact computers are used by people from all walks of life and in every corner of the globe.
Smartphone usage has reached record numbers in recent years. The Pew Research Center reports the vast majority of Americans, around 98 percent, now own cellphones of some kind, and 91 percent of those devices are smartphones. Worldwide, as many as 6.7 billion people own a smartphone, making up roughly 60 to 83 percent of the global population. According to Common Sense Media, 51 percent of children ages eight and younger now have their own mobile devices, up from 45 percent in 2017.
While the average child gets their first phone between the ages of 10 and 12, when to give a child a phone depends on a number of variables unique to each youngster. Age is a poor proxy for emotional maturity, impulse control and personal responsibility, say experts. Instead, parents should evaluate whether their children have the foundational habits necessary to navigate a digital world. Here are some readiness indicators parents and caregivers can use.
