‘Children under 10 should not own smartphones’

Survey finds that majority of parents believe that young children should not own smartphones

Children under the age of ten should not be allowed to own a smartphone, a majority of parents believe, according to a new survey

Internet Matters, a non-for-profit organisation working to keep the internet safe, found that 85 per cent of parents of primary school children want an age requirement enforced.

Currently, as many as 65 per cent of children aged between eight and 11 years old own a smartphone.

Newcastle has been nicknamed the “smartphone capital of Britain” – more than 90 per cent of eight to 11 year olds own a device.

Second is Nottingham at 90 per cent. London sees fewer young children owning smartphones at just 55 per cent. In Brighton just four out of 10 children in that age bracket own such a device.

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“With such a huge amount of young people owning smartphones and the acceptable age of doing so being 10, parents need to be more aware than ever of what their children are doing online,” Carolyn Bunting, General Manager at Internet Matters said.

That’s why we have launched our brand new online safety guide, so that parents remember these safety precautions in their back to school shopping list for their children.

“We would urge parents to ensure they have the conversation with their children about how to be responsible on their phones and ensure that the safety settings are in place across all their devices and search engines.”

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