Lurie Children’s Hospital’s latest report — based on a nationwide survey — on smartphone use among children and teens found 84% of children ages 10+ have a cell phone and 77% of parents worry about the impact of phone use on their child’s mental health.
In fact, 14% of parents say their child’s mental health declined after getting a phone and 37% think their child got their first phone too early. Here are some highlights from the report:
- 1 in 5 think 12 years old is the youngest appropriate age to get a cell phone
- 30% think children should be allowed to have social media at 16 years old
- 76% support banning smartphones during the school day
- 1 in 3 parents admit to not modeling appropriate phone use to their children
“The conversation should not stop once your child has started using a cell phone – it is important to check in regularly about what’s working and not working,” says Dr. Alyssa Cohen, pediatrician and health services researcher at Lurie Children’s.
