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family poll

Poll: What's the right age for a child to own a smartphone?

A thorny issue for many families.

THIS WEEK, MANY parents have been asking themselves that familiar question: what is the right age for children to begin using smartphones?

The issue has arisen again following reports of a horrifying case in which, a court heard, a Dublin man used Skype to coerce very young girls into explicit acts.

Research in 2016 suggested that the average age at which children get their first smartphone in the US is 10.3 years. Anecdotally, many parents know children who own one much earlier.

Many factors can make young children feel they need a smartphone – from the way they communicate with friends, to the pressure to maintain a presence on social media.

So today we’re asking: What do you think is the right age for a child to own a smartphone?


Poll Results:

Once they enter secondary school (363)
Once they hit 16 (201)
I don't know (82)
As soon as they ask for one (7)

More: 11 truly unexpected things I’ve learnt during my second pregnancy>

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