In 2020, just under half (46%) of Australian children aged 6 to 13 used a mobile phone, up from 41% in 2015. Base: Australians aged 6 to 13, in the 12 months to June.
Two out of five Australian children own their own smartphone, according to research by Finder. Finder's 'Parenting Report 2023' surveyed 1033 Australian parents of children under 12, and found that 37% now have a smartphone — an increase from 35% in 2021, and 22% in 2018.
By the time kids are in middle school, the pressure from kids can be intense, and parents worry that their child will feel isolated if other kids have phones and they don't. According to Common Sense Media, 42 percent of kids have a phone by age 10. By age 12, it's 71 percent. By 14, it's 91 percent.
80 per cent of Aussie kids aged 12-13 have access to a mobile device. One quarter of Australian children aged 6-7 either own or have access to a phone.
In 2019 the vast majority of Australians (89.9%) own a mobile phone. This is up 0.7% points on a year ago and up 2.1% points from two years ago.
About 25% of children received phones by age 10.7, and 75% by age 12.6. Nearly all children had phones by age 15 years.
In December 2019, most active internet users who used smartphones for access were aged between 25 and 34; 3.68 million users were in this age bracket. Elsewhere, just over 2.3 million active internet users on smartphones were aged between 18 and 24.
What is the ideal age for a first phone? Your children could be ready for a smartphone or similar device anywhere from 10 to 14, or during middle school. A sixth-grader (typically 10 to 11 years old) could be a good start for considering a phone or a wearable.
The right age to give kids their first cellphone is really up to you. Age isn't as important as your kid's maturity level, ability to follow rules at home and school, and sense of responsibility as well as your own family's needs.
Lorraine Thomas, founder of the Parent Coaching Academy, says: “We see children being given phones at earlier and earlier ages. It's a major cause of stress in most families. “Mobiles bring many challenges, and seven is too young to give a child a phone unless you have a very specific reason to do so.
An iPhone is an especially good choice for a child if the rest of the family also uses Apple phones and devices. It's easy for the child to learn to use an operating system that the rest of the family uses as well, and using it is safe because parents can easily keep track of what their child is doing on their phone.
You have to enter your birth date to set up an account, but there's no age verification, so it's easy for kids under 13 to sign up. Common Sense Media rates Snapchat OK for teens 16 and up, mainly because of the exposure to age-inappropriate content and the marketing ploys, such as quizzes, that collect data.
KH: When it comes to whether a child is ready to have a boyfriend or girlfriend, parents should consider their child's maturity rather than a particular age. Typically, it's best for children under 13 not to engage in romantic relationships as they are still developing emotionally and cognitively.
As of January 2021, there are 22.77 million mobile subscriptions in Australia, with 98.82% of the population having access to coverage from a mobile phone network provider. Additionally, 95% of Australians own smartphones and 12.6GB is the average monthly data usage per person as reported by Telsyte in 2020.
According to data from Stanford University, almost a quarter of US children own a cell phone by age 11. That stat jumps up dramatically to two-thirds by the age of 12 and a half. For many parents, Middle School is a pivotal transition period for many families to introduce a cell phone into their children's lives.
Screen time statistics
This forms part of the wider picture of device use—a 2021 article from Australia's Tech Guide website claims that the average Australian spends 5.5 hours a day on their smartphone; however, this figure is based on the entire cross-section of society, including the silent generation.
How safe is TikTok? Using any social network can be risky, but it's possible for kids to safely use the app with adult supervision (and a private account). TikTok has different rules for different ages: Users under age 13 can't post videos or comment, and content is curated for a younger audience.
The experience of having a crush can begin as early as preschool, and crushes can continue to occur throughout one's life.
Here's what the experts have to say on age-by-age guidelines. Ages four to six The experts are unequivocal: Kids in this age group shouldn't be using smartphones (or other mobile devices), period.
Some pediatricians suggest that kids wait until they're 16 to start this kind of one-on-one dating. That's a good place to start the discussion, but every kid is different. Some are more emotionally mature than others. Some teens come from communities and families where one-on-one dating starts earlier or later.
Kids between 8 and 12 are called “tweens” because they are in between children and teenagers. It's very normal for kids this age to start to move from being very close to parents to wanting to be more independent.
Research shows there are 23.5 million old mobiles in Australia, and about 4.2 million of them are actually broken. Inside them are valuable components including metals such as gold, copper, silver and palladium.
the average Aussie also checks their phone on average 7.8 times an hour—that's almost every 8 minutes, the most popular apps Aussies say they spend the most time on are Facebook (28%), TikTok (17%) then Instagram (15%), And just over half of Aussies (50.65%) consider themselves addicted to their phones.