Blog
Smartphones for school-age children
Parenting: How to
01 October 2024
Solihull Approach
Research by Ofcom suggests that nine in 10 children own a mobile phone by the time they reach the age of 11, and there is increasingly a blurred boundary between life online and the ‘real world’ for children*.
When is the right time to give your child a phone, and how can you ensure that they are safe from harm when you do?
Mark Mitchell, Head Teacher at Balsall Common Primary, suggests setting early boundaries is key. He says: ‘The smartphone isn’t theirs. They didn’t buy it. They’re not able to run the contract on it, but you can be very generous and lend it to them. That means that it remains your property, so you know the passwords, and you know there are times when they should have their phone and when it’s time for them not to have their phone.
” Stay in control. Think about how you’re going to give that device because once you’ve given it and you’ve set those things in place, it’s quite hard to retreat to a different viewpoint.
Mr Mitchell also talks about setting positive examples and recognising how children can mirror parents’ behaviour on phones – of course, this can both be positive and negative!
‘Obviously, smartphones open up a whole new realm of access to our time and one of the things that causes anxiety, in my experience with children, is the fear of missing out. That’s why social media can become so invasive, and it’s really important to have times, therefore, where that goes away.
There is a time to put it aside. Of course, perhaps we need to model that to them – and that can be hard!’
For many parents who didn’t have their own smartphone until an older age, this can be a complex and worrying area. Therefore, it can be helpful to take time to reflect on the advantages and risks of phones and opening up access to online platforms.
Our suggestions for further research include:
- Parental controls & privacy settings guides | Internet Matters
- Keeping your child safe on their smartphone | Barnardo's (barnardos.org.uk)
- School advice: Contact your child’s school for additional advice, resources and information about online safety and local policies
To learn more about children’s emotional health and how you can support them as a parent or grandparent, you can follow online courses tailored to age and accessible through our course library. The following might be particularly helpful:
Solihull Approach
The Solihull Approach is about emotional health and wellbeing for all children, their parents, carers and grandparents. We are passionate about sensitive relationships, early years support and understanding brain development to help nurture kind, emotionally aware children as they grow.