Smartphones on Santa’s hit list this Christmas

Aussie kids are on the nice list this festive season, with new research commissioned by Telstra[1] revealing almost one quarter (23%) of parents are planning to gift their child a smartphone this Christmas.

The majority of surveyed Australian parents believe 12 is the appropriate age to purchase their child’s first phone; 1 in 10 parents were comfortable for children under 10 to receive their first mobile device.

The research found safety is the primary reason for parents choosing to buy their child a smartphone, with 62% believing it’s important for their safety. But parents admit to being swayed by social pressure, with 45% stating they’d buy their kids a phone because they’ve asked for one, while 24% say they don’t want their kids to miss out because all their friends have one.

The decision to purchase a smartphone doesn’t come without apprehension, with parents wary about cyber safety and usage behaviour. Spending too much time on the device was the top concern for parents (63%), closely followed by cyber bullying concerns (61%) and exposure to inappropriate content (61%).

Head of the Telstra Foundation, Jackie Coates says; “As a mother of two, I understand how difficult the decision is when weighing up whether to give a child their first phone.”

“The truth is there is no ‘right’ age for a smartphone – it really comes down to whether a child is able to demonstrate trust and responsibility by following agreed rules and handling the phone sensibly.”

“Before handing over a child’s first phone, it’s important to use the opportunity wisely to have the discussion with your child and lay out expectations on how your family uses mobiles and technology. It’s really great to see from our research that the majority of parents are prioritising having this conversation with their kids.”

“Using a guide like My First Mobile Agreement can be a great way to guide the discussion and get on the same page. The Telstra Foundation’s Smartphone Safety Hub is a great resource for parents looking to buy their kids their first smartphone with access to guides and the free downloadable agreement.”

Other key findings from the research:

Managing usage: Parents plan on managing their child’s phone usage with methods like parental controls to limit screen time and access to certain sites (45%), and having access to their social media accounts (29%)
Agreed expectations: 73% of parents would only gift their child a smartphone if they had discussed safety and agreed on expectations of their usage
Preference for prepaid: Pre-paid remains the most popular option for a first phone (37%), with a quarter of parents (25%) willing to spend between $100 to $200 on a phone for their child, while 34% consider a phone case and screen protector essential.
Monitoring social media: a third (34%) of parents plan on restricting access to social media sites, while 29% of parents plan on having access to their accounts

The Telstra Foundation’s top smartphone safety tips for parents:

Set the bar: One of the simplest ways to make sure children have a healthy relationship with their digital devices is to involve them in setting boundaries around acceptable screen time, and deciding together. Download Telstra’s Christmas First Smartphone Agreement
Thrive or skive: Not all screen time is created equal. Allocate screen time with your kids, where an activity is more valuable for their development, the more time they can spend doing it.
Be a good role model: Lead by example, if you want the dinner table to be a device-free zone. That means the same rules apply to you too. Children are happier to follow rules if they feel like everyone is playing by them.
Clock off: You can’t be looking over your children’s shoulders at all hours of the day. There are a range of parental control tools to help families become more mindful about screen-time habits. One of these is Telstra Mobile Protect– a free service with controls including time restrictions.
Do some eLearning: It’s important for parents to do some research and familiarise themselves with their child’s favourite sites or apps and take the time to understand how they work.
Lock it down: It’s worth teaching kids from a young age not to share passwords with others or across different sites and accounts, and get them in the habit of using passphrases so they’re hard to guess but easy to remember.
Stay involved: There’s no need to be overbearing, but encourage kids to use their devices in communal areas of the home. That way if they do come across something they weren’t looking for, they can let an adult know straight away.
Keep up to date: The Telstra Foundation’s Smartphone Safety Hubwith tips, tools and advice, including downloadable Christmas First Mobile Agreement, can be found at https://tel.st/smartphonesafetyhub.