When should you get a child a phone? An expert shares the risks

An expert has revealed the dangers that can come with phone use in children and the conversations parents need to be having before school returns.

As thousands of young Aussies get ready to walk into school with their first phones this year, one expert has revealed the dangers parents need to know and the conversations they should be having with their kids.

Research shows the start of high school is the most popular time for kids to receive their first phone, with 47 per cent of kids being given their first mobile between the ages of 10 and 12.

However, for some, it’s years earlier.

Digital wellbeing researcher and author Dr Joanne Orlando told news.com.au five per cent of kids aged five years and under, and just under eight per cent of seven year olds have their own phones.

“Our smartphone habits develop very young, often two year olds are using their mum or dad’s phone,” she told news.com.au.

Dr Orlando said while mobile phones offer a range of safety and social benefits for children, they can come with risks, saying it’s “alarming” how many parents are skipping out on important conversations with their children.

“Conversations about online safety needs to start as soon as a child is using the internet, otherwise children can get into lots of hot water.”

47 per cent of kids being given their first phone between the ages of 10 and 12. Picture: iStock

Dr Orlando said most of the risks come from the downloaded apps themselves, some of which can allow kids to access inappropriate content or communicate with strangers.

“Many social apps such as TikTok opens access to other people that their parents might not know, people who are outside their families. So there is that risk of random contact.”

To prepare children, Dr Orlando suggested parents should have practical conversations about online safety and grooming from around the age of seven.

“You don’t need to be going into lots of inappropriate detail but parents should have discussions with their child about what happens when someone contacts you and they are being extra friendly and you don’t know them.

“Parents should give really practical advice like ‘come and show me the message’ and ‘don’t reply to them’. It’s pretty safe, easy advice that a child would be able to understand.”

Scams are another potential risk children should look out for.

Between January 1 and September 30, 2023 alone, Aussies reported receiving 234,672 scams, with impersonation scams making up over 70 per cent, according to Scamwatch.

“Online safety has really changed a lot. And now with AI generated content scams and people impersonating other people, it’s really stepped up,” Dr Orlando said.

“For a child to answer an unknown number, it’s pretty risky. Parents should be having conversations about practical measures that a child can do if they receive a message from an unknown number by asking them ‘what would you do? Do you answer?’

“They need to know how to react to those really practical situations that happen all the time that can be potentially dangerous.”

Dr Orlando said parents need to have practical conversations with kids about communicating with strangers online. Picture: iStock

For younger children under five, Dr Orlando said parental controls can go a long way in maintaining safety online.

“Five years old aren’t going to be aware of TikTok or things unless they’re being introduced to it. So you can really limit the kind of content and that they use by using controls and locking the phone down in a lot of ways.”

“But I still think we can’t underestimate what a five year old could do. Allowing them to be able to access any kind of social media or any camera or texting doesn’t mean they know how to do so safely. So I think we really need to be careful of that.”

As well as conversations and parental controls, Dr Orlando said there were a number of other ways parents can navigate online risks.

One being what she calls the “apprenticeship” method.

“When kids are starting high school, they’ll be using their phones a lot because they’ll be making so many new friends … But that doesn’t mean they know everything they need to know to use it in a healthy way,” she explained.

Instead, Dr Orlando recommends kids enter an “apprenticeship” period, ranging from a few weeks to six months, where parents can continuously check in and demonstrate safe habits online.

“You should do it together. You show them things and they can show you things. It’s an apprenticeship (period) where there’s lots of knowledge and lots of skills that are learned. I think there needs to be that kind of collaborative time.”

Dr Orlando said parents should pass on skills to help keep their kids safe online. Picture: iStock

Dr Orlando also suggests using online tools such as Optus’ Digital Thumbprint First Phone quiz, which helps parents determine how ‘smartphone ready’ their child is.

“Things like that really help,” she said. “There’s lots of aspects to think about in terms of how you guide your child and (the quiz) gives parents a broader up-to-date understanding of what they need to do and the impact phones can have, including social and cognitive.”

Optus managing director customer success Maurice McCarthy said the quiz “helps identify behaviours that will help keep children safer online and assist parents trying to work out the right time to buy a first phone for their child”.

“By answering a few key questions, parents will either receive a green light of readiness for their child or be directed to some credible advice and information that will quickly help them get to this point.”

Dr Orlando said there were a number of green flags to look out for when deciding if a child is ready for a phone, including their maturity, organisation and if they have good communication skills.

Regardless of the age, she said it’s important to teach good habits from day dot.

“A child doesn’t start their smartphone habits from the day they start owning the phone, they start from the time they start using someone else’s smartphone, and it’s often a parent’s,” she said.

“It’s good to start those healthy behaviours when they are young so by the time they’re 12 and getting their first phone for school, they would have already developed pretty healthy positive behaviours.”