Parenting Resources

What is the right age to give your kids their own device?

Delaney Ruston, MD
January 10, 2017

TECH TALK TUESDAY #49:WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GIVE YOUR KIDS THEIR OWN DEVICE?

2 young children in prams with 2 women

Yesterday I was talking to a mom in San Francisco who saw Screenagers this fall and she told me that she was dissapointed that I gave Tessa a phone in the end. She had seen my struggle with the issue through the movie but was really hoping I wouldn't cave. This mom has a 14-year old and has been very resolute about not giving her daughter a phone. Her daughter takes the public bus around the city and walks all over town by herself but she doesn't have a phone. She asked me, "Why not just say 'no'?"

I've had this question from other parents and thought about this issue while I was making the film. This mom has seen the benefits of holding out on giving her daughter a phone. She told me she looks out the window on bus rides and she engages directly with her friends when she wants to connect. Her daughter recently was at a cafe and noticed everyone was looking down and then she told her mom that she was so happy that she had not given her a phone yet. However, the mom does wonder about the effects this rule has on her daughter’s social life. She knows she is missing out on group chats with the volleyball team and that she is left out of some social functions. The mom has had a lot of backlash from her daughter's friends parents who feel judged by her because they gave their children a phone.

My feeling is that it is great to hold off as long as possible, but the key is when, or if, you do decide to hand them their own device that you have successfully practiced setting limits. The other thing is that you have to weigh in on what the impact is of this battle -- how is it affecting your relationship with your child? During the tween and teen years it is developmentally appropriate for our kids to connect to a new tribe and many are deepening these relationships online.

I was fascinated by a new study that looked at kids from 0 to age 4 that found 75% of them own their own device such as an iPad, but 7% already own a cellphone.

This week for Tech Talk Tuesday let’s talk about what we think is a good age for kids to get a device. Even if they have a device this is a great conversation to help get them thinking about these issues.

  • What are the pros and cons of kids and teens having smartphones?
  • What age do you think a kid or teen should get their own smartphone? Tablet or computer?
  • What do you think about toddlers using an iPad or smartphone?

As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel

Join
443
others who have made the pledge!
Thank you for making the pledge!
Please try again
Book page button

Available now - Parenting in the Screen Age, from Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD

Order Here
Find A screening Button

Find a Screening - Find a screening of our movies in your local community

Learn More

Screenagers Podcast - Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for the latest Podcast

Learn More
Book page button

Available now - Parenting in the Screen Age, from Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD

Learn More
Host a Screening Button

Community Screenings - Learn more about hosting your own Screenagers community screening event!

Learn More
Parenting In The Screen Age Book Cover

Free Book Preview - Download a free preview of "Parenting In The Screen Age" by Delaney Ruston, MD

Learn More

Join Today - Members can screen and view our movies year-round, access new lesson plans, resources and much more!

Learn More
Screenagers Under The Influence Banner

Our New Movie - Learn more about the third movie in the Screenagers Trilogy

Learn More

The Screenagers YouTube Channel - Subscribe for new videos and content from our team weekly!

Learn More
Host a Screening Button

Community Screenings - Learn more about hosting your own Screenagers community screening event!

Learn More
Find A screening Button

Find a Screening - Find a screening of our movies in your local community

Learn More
Screenagers Podcast

Screenagers Podcast - Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for the latest Podcast

Learn More
Book page button

Available now - Parenting in the Screen Age, from Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD

Learn More
Host a Screening Button

Community Screenings - Learn more about hosting your own Screenagers community screening event!

Learn More
Parenting In The Screen Age Book Cover

Free Book Preview - Download a free preview of "Parenting In The Screen Age" by Delaney Ruston, MD

Learn More

Join Today - Members can screen and view our movies year-round, access new lesson plans, resources and much more!

Learn More
Screenagers Under The Influence Banner

Our New Movie - Learn more about the third movie in the Screenagers Trilogy

Learn More

The Screenagers YouTube Channel - Subscribe for new videos and content from our team weekly!

Learn More
Book page button

Available now - Parenting in the Screen Age, from Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD

Order Here
Find A screening Button

Find a Screening - Find a screening of our movies in your local community

Learn More

Screenagers Podcast - Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for the latest Podcast

Learn More
Book page button

Available now - Parenting in the Screen Age, from Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD

Learn More
Host a Screening Button

Community Screenings - Learn more about hosting your own Screenagers community screening event!

Learn More
Parenting In The Screen Age Book Cover

Free Book Preview - Download a free preview of "Parenting In The Screen Age" by Delaney Ruston, MD

Learn More

Join Today - Members can screen and view our movies year-round, access new lesson plans, resources and much more!

Learn More
Screenagers Under The Influence Banner

Our New Movie - Learn more about the third movie in the Screenagers Trilogy

Learn More

The Screenagers YouTube Channel - Subscribe for new videos and content from our team weekly!

Learn More
Host a Screening Button

Community Screenings - Learn more about hosting your own Screenagers community screening event!

Learn More
Find A screening Button

Find a Screening - Find a screening of our movies in your local community

Learn More

Screenagers Podcast - Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for the latest Podcast

Learn More
Book page button

Available now - Parenting in the Screen Age, from Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD

Learn More
Host a Screening Button

Community Screenings - Learn more about hosting your own Screenagers community screening event!

Learn More
Parenting In The Screen Age Book Cover

Free Book Preview - Download a free preview of "Parenting In The Screen Age" by Delaney Ruston, MD

Learn More

Join Today - Members can screen and view our movies year-round, access new lesson plans, resources and much more!

Learn More
Screenagers Under The Influence Banner

Our New Movie - Learn more about the latest movie in the Screenagers Trilogy

Learn More

The Screenagers YouTube Channel - Subscribe for new videos and content from our team weekly!

Learn More
Parenting Resources

What is the right age to give your kids their own device?

Delaney Ruston, MD
January 10, 2017

TECH TALK TUESDAY #49:WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GIVE YOUR KIDS THEIR OWN DEVICE?

2 young children in prams with 2 women

Yesterday I was talking to a mom in San Francisco who saw Screenagers this fall and she told me that she was dissapointed that I gave Tessa a phone in the end. She had seen my struggle with the issue through the movie but was really hoping I wouldn't cave. This mom has a 14-year old and has been very resolute about not giving her daughter a phone. Her daughter takes the public bus around the city and walks all over town by herself but she doesn't have a phone. She asked me, "Why not just say 'no'?"

I've had this question from other parents and thought about this issue while I was making the film. This mom has seen the benefits of holding out on giving her daughter a phone. She told me she looks out the window on bus rides and she engages directly with her friends when she wants to connect. Her daughter recently was at a cafe and noticed everyone was looking down and then she told her mom that she was so happy that she had not given her a phone yet. However, the mom does wonder about the effects this rule has on her daughter’s social life. She knows she is missing out on group chats with the volleyball team and that she is left out of some social functions. The mom has had a lot of backlash from her daughter's friends parents who feel judged by her because they gave their children a phone.

My feeling is that it is great to hold off as long as possible, but the key is when, or if, you do decide to hand them their own device that you have successfully practiced setting limits. The other thing is that you have to weigh in on what the impact is of this battle -- how is it affecting your relationship with your child? During the tween and teen years it is developmentally appropriate for our kids to connect to a new tribe and many are deepening these relationships online.

I was fascinated by a new study that looked at kids from 0 to age 4 that found 75% of them own their own device such as an iPad, but 7% already own a cellphone.

This week for Tech Talk Tuesday let’s talk about what we think is a good age for kids to get a device. Even if they have a device this is a great conversation to help get them thinking about these issues.

  • What are the pros and cons of kids and teens having smartphones?
  • What age do you think a kid or teen should get their own smartphone? Tablet or computer?
  • What do you think about toddlers using an iPad or smartphone?

As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel

More Like This

The Power of Self-Compassion: A Strategy for Smoother Parenting
February 27, 2024
Parenting Resources

The Power of Self-Compassion: A Strategy for Smoother Parenting

Some months ago, I got back into therapy, and I remember the first day back, the therapist asked me, “Do you do a self-compassion practice?” I remember the moment because I had one of those little head-scratching kind of moments. My therapist's question about a self-compassion practice made me want to understand what I might be missing and, most importantly, how self-compassion could help me as a parent and all parents.

READ MORE >
How to Address The Hardest Screen Time Parenting Dilemmas
February 6, 2024
Parenting Resources

How to Address The Hardest Screen Time Parenting Dilemmas

I just released a new Screenagers’ Podcast episode featuring a lively and productive interview with Charlie Appelstein, a social worker and the author of “No Such Thing As A Bad Kid,” who has worked with youth and parents for over four decades. He is full of wisdom about helping youth with behavior management. Having seen his parenting workshops, I can personally attest to the remarkable insights and impactful strategies he shares. In the podcast, we address challenging scenarios, including how to determine appropriate consequences for lying and managing rude behavior from our children and teenagers, among many other topics. Read today’s blog for a sampling of some screen time dilemmas and strategies for addressing them that we tackle on the podcast

READ MORE >
Introducing Screenagers Bites on YouTube!
November 14, 2023
Parenting Resources

Introducing Screenagers Bites on YouTube!

We recently launched the Screenagers YouTube Channel where we will be uploading a range of new content and resources each week, such as movie clips, podcasts and other original content. I wanted this week to introduce you to the first regular feature on the channel - Screenagers Bites!

READ MORE >

parenting in the screen age

for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.  

ORDER HERE
Parenting in the Screen Age book cover