What Age Should a Child Get a Phone? A Parent's Guide
What Age Should a Child Get a Phone? A Practical Guide for Parents
There's no perfect age, but there is a sensible order: a basic phone first, a smartphone later, social media last. Signs your child is ready, and rules that make the first phone go well.
By Jaswanth Nalluri, Co-founder of Bookstaken31 October 20266 min read
"Everyone in my class has one." Sooner or later, most parents hear it. And most aren't sure what the right answer is.
There is no official age for a first phone. But there is a sensible way to decide, and a sensible order to do it in.
In short
No single right age. Decide by your child's needs and maturity, not their birthday.
Separate three steps: a phone for calls and texts, a smartphone, and social media. They don't have to come together.
Many families now wait for a smartphone until about 13 or 14, and for social media until 16.
Most social media apps set 13 as their minimum age, and some countries set it higher.
Start with rules agreed before the phone arrives: where it lives at night, which apps, and when it's put away.
How old are children when they get a phone?
Earlier than most parents expect. In US data from Common Sense Media, about 42% of children had a phone by age 10, 71% by 12 and 91% by 14.
That doesn't make 10 the right age. It explains why your child feels left out, and why it helps to talk to other parents in their class.
Three steps, not one
1. A phone for calls and texts. A basic phone or a kids' smartwatch lets your child reach you and you reach them. It's often what a child actually needs for walking to school, a bus journey or after-school activities.
2. A smartphone. This adds the internet, apps, games and group chats. It's a much bigger step, because it brings the whole online world into their pocket.
3. Social media. Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube accounts of their own. Most platforms require users to be at least 13, and Australia has set a minimum age of 16 for major platforms since December 2025.
Thinking in steps makes the decision easier. "Yes to a phone, not yet to a smartphone" is a real answer.
What parents' movements recommend
Wait Until 8th (US): families pledge to hold off on smartphones until at least 8th grade, around age 13 or 14. Basic phones are fine.
Smartphone Free Childhood (UK, now in many countries): parents agree no smartphone before 14 and no social media before 16.
Both work best when several families in a class agree together, so no child is the only one without.
The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't name an age. It recommends a family media plan instead: agreed rules for when, where and how everyone uses devices, parents included.
Signs your child is ready
They need to reach you on their own: walking to school, travelling, activities.
They follow screen-time limits now without long battles.
They look after their things, like a watch or a bag, without losing them.
They tell you when something online upsets or confuses them.
They can explain what they'd do if a stranger messaged them.
If most of these aren't true yet, a basic phone and another year is a fair answer.
Rules for the first phone
Agree these before the phone arrives. Rules set at the start are much easier than rules added later.
The phone sleeps outside the bedroom. Charge it overnight in a shared room. It protects sleep more than any other rule.
You know the passcode. Not to read every message, but so you can check if something worries you.
New apps need a yes. Start with a few, and add more as trust grows.
No phones at meals or in the hour before bed, parents included.
Tell me, and you won't be in trouble. If something online scares or upsets them, they show you. Make this the most important promise.
Use the built-in controls. Apple Screen Time and Google Family Link can set app limits, a bedtime shut-off and content filters.
Write the rules down together and review them every few months. Our guide to how much screen time is too much has limits by age.
Fill the time the phone would take
A phone takes time from something: sleep, play, friends, books. The families who manage phones best plan what those hours are for.
Reading is one of the best swaps, especially when the book is one your child chose. Our free book hunt suggests books matched to your child's interests, and our guide to reducing screen time without daily fights covers the routine.
Our 1:1 online reading classes give children an hour each session with a real book picked for their interests and a trained college mentor to talk it through with. For ages 6–14 who can already read; the first 60-minute session is free.
Frequently asked questions
What is the right age for a child's first phone?
There's no single right age. Many families give a basic phone or smartwatch around 10 to 12, when children start travelling on their own, and wait for a smartphone until about 13 or 14.
What age should a child get a smartphone?
Many parents' groups and experts suggest waiting until at least 13 or 14. Decide by maturity: can your child follow limits, look after the phone and tell you when something goes wrong online?
What is the Wait Until 8th pledge?
A US campaign where parents agree to wait until at least 8th grade, around age 13 or 14, before giving a smartphone. Families can still give a basic phone for calls and texts.
What age is allowed on social media?
Most platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, require users to be at least 13. Some countries set higher ages: Australia's minimum age for major platforms is 16.
Should a 10-year-old have a phone?
A 10-year-old may need a way to reach you, and a basic phone or kids' smartwatch usually covers it. A smartphone with apps and the internet is a bigger step that most experts suggest delaying.
Sources
Common Sense Media survey data on phone ownership by age, as reported by the Child Mind Institute, "When should you get your kid a phone?"
Wait Until 8th, waituntil8th.org; Smartphone Free Childhood, smartphonefreechildhood.co.uk.
American Academy of Pediatrics, Family Media Plan.
Australian Government, Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024.
How do I say no when all their friends have phones?
Explain your reasons, offer a basic phone if they need to reach you, and agree a time when you'll talk about it again. Talking with other parents in the class helps, since children feel left out less when several families wait together.
