Ever since the introduction of smartphone technology, there’s been a spirited debate over the appropriate age for children to have their first mobile device. A 2012 New York Times article notes that on average, American children are given their first mobile device at age 10(!) and in many cases much sooner. Recent research shows that by age 12, over 50% of kids social media accounts, suggesting regular access to mobile technology. While there is no general consensus, most experts agree that longer you wait to introduce children to mobile technology, the better. Notably, Bill Gates has publically acknowledged that he did not allow his kids access to smartphone technology until they were 14. The previously linked NYT article states that the general consensus among expters is somewhere between the ages 12-14.
As educators, this poses a bit of a problem. There’s a great deal of research showing that children of elementary school age can benefit greatly from mobile learning technology in the classroom. One study showed that kids in grades 4 and 5 reported a high level of interest in mobile learning technology, and that it was an effective tool in supporting a traditional Arts and Humanities curriculum. Other studies have shown similar results.
So if we can broadly agree it’s probably not appropriate for a child to have full-time access to mobile tech until their early teens, yet we also agree that the same technology can be a useful learning tool at a much earlier age, how do we square that as educators, and as parents? What do you think is the most appropriate grade to introduce mobile learning, and do you think that would also be an appropriate age to allow a child to have their own device?
I would be very interested to hear your thoughts in the comments below, particularly those of you who teach younger children or have kids yourselves. When did you allow your child to have their first smartphone? If you’re a teacher, have you used this technology in your classroom? Did you find that kids who had experience with the tech beforehand had a leg up on others? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Banning students from having access to mobile devices until their teens is both a futile and short sighted tact to take in my opinion. Children will inevitably be exposed to these devices through friends and the classroom and it is better to educate and regulate the usage as opposed to sticking our heads in the sand. Through providing reasonable limits, education, and a judicious amount of monitoring (transparent monitoring I might add to build trust) I believe we can teach our children how to view the devices as tools first and entertainment devices second.
I think kids need to be made aware of the capabilities of mobile devices at a young age, but heavily structured and supervised. I think if younger, elementary aged kids have access to a mobile device, learn how to use it and are aware of the potential for “scary” or inappropriate information then they are better able to manage their use as they get older.
If kids are taught young to “put the phone away” maybe they won’t be so addicted to it when they’re older? Something to research for sure …
This is an intriguing topic, Jordan. Thank you for bringing it up. Another aspect of my job position, along with online learning 8-12, I act as a district resource teacher for the learning at home program. What that means is that parents can choose between homeschooling and distributed learning for K-7. If they choose distributed learning, the school district provides all of the curriculum, resources, assessments and report cards, while the parent facilitates the learning from home. The parents do not need to create the resources; those are supplied. The reason I bring this up is that after grade 4, the programs are entirely online. The fifth-grade students are asked to log into the Moodle course and complete them entirely online. Moodle has an app, and the students are encouraged to complete them on their tablets.
If students don’t have tablets, one of the resources we provide is an iPad for them to complete. After going through the OER’s in this course, I have decided to use many of the apps that were shared to embed in the classes to make them more interactive and to produce more artifacts of their learning rather than just passively watching videos. I think the current programs lack the different aspects of mobile learning that can enrich the learning experience. There need to be more DIY, mobile game integration and construction of ideas. I think online education can easily fall into the trap of merely shifting from paper-based reading to text on a screen instead of utilizing all of the different aspects that mobile learning can provide.
I think, and have seen from my experience working as an early childhood educator that the most important consideration when introducing mobile technology to young learners is to regard it as a tool for a clear purpose. Like any tool, if used appropriately it can be powerful and useful, however what the device is being used for is a critical consideration.
I have used shared iPads in my preschool classroom to support phonics learning and support in-class activities and instruction, providing some students with additional practice while allowing other students to reach beyond our current focus. Another focused use was integrating Seesaw to capture student voice and share their learning with a broader audience (other teachers and parents), and teach students skills such as how to effectively record a video, audio or take a photo. The most powerful use I found was giving them the opportunity to record the books they wrote, as one of the challenges of cultivating a class full of authentic authors and illustrators is that you find yourself inundated in high quality pre-school literature without the capacity to be an authentic audience for it all! One quality of many examples of books written by early learners is that it is not always apparent to an outside observer what story is being told. By giving students authentic opportunities to record their voice and narrate their illustrations it gives them a platform to share the quite powerful thoughts and ideas they are working through at that age.
A second consideration is whether the task actually requires the use of a mobile device or not which is important in determining a clear purpose. From my personal experience, I have a daughter who is nearly three, and while we don’t intend to introduce screens until at least 4-5 years old, and she won’t have her own mobile device until much, much later (say 14-16?), we have used an iPhone as a tool to keep connected with her grandparents who live on the other side of the planet. We use Guided Access so that the screen is no longer interactive (not the focus of the activity!) and it’s a wonderful way for her to retain her connection to her grandparents. This usage of the screen is actually actively socializing and developing connections with others, contrary to the common perception of using mobile devices. Again, it’s all about the purpose.
So I would argue that it’s possible to integrate mobile devices as early as 4 years old, and I know from experience that many children (at least in Hong Kong) are exposed to, and even at times given far too much access to, mobile devices at home much earlier than that. I agree with what Jamie and Jordon have said about the importance of building skills, and scaffolding exposure to this tool, as it allows for guidance and mentoring as the child grows older and makes it hopefully a healthier dose of screen time than they would choose for themselves given unrestricted access.
The question of whether children who had been given more access had an advantage over others really depends on what that access looked like. I would certainly argue that children with scaffolded skill building, and clear guidance of the importance of viewing it as a tool would have a significant advantage over their peers, as they would hopefully be able to better manage the use of the device.
Sorry for being late to the party but better late than never. I made the mistake of giving my Grade 7 daughter a smartphone (IPhone 4S) without oversight. She was getting Youtube videos sent to her from one silly classmate all night. She got drowned in Snapchat in many ways including cyberbullying. Between not sleeping at nights and the mental damage from Snapchat she has never recovered. Sad to say, I have experienced the bad side of a Grade 7 student owning a smartphone.
Maybe times have changed and people are now smarter. Just sharing my experience.
Hey Jordan,
This is SUCH an important topic! Thanks for raising it. I was born in 93, for example, and my parents saw no reason for me to have a phone before I was 16. I ended up buying myself one with my saved pocket/birthday money at 13, much to the horror of my parents.
I think shared devices may be a good solution here. Essentially, there is no need for children under 12/14 to have their own devices, but having regulated/timed access to devices at school and at home may be a good middle ground. This assures a level of adult-interaction and supervision to help guide understandings of an online world that is filled with attention grabbing content, advertising, and (quite frankly) materials that are probably quite addictive to a growing mind. This is also a good slide transition into teens having their own devices: the novelty won’t be there as much, some basic digital literacy will be in place, and self-control methods will have been practiced and developed during their years of shared/regulated mobile device use.
That’s just my gut instinct reaction though, and I don’t have kids nor do I teach anymore, so I’d be really interested to hear the responses of others.
Thanks for sharing this!
Hi Jamie-
Thanks for the reply! I agree, I think shared devices in the classroom is probably the most appropriate middle ground. That way we can expose children to the technology at an early age without disrupting their personal habits at home and outside the classroom. Introducing these devices under proper adult supervision is a life lesson all in itself and I think responsible social media use will be a critical life skill moving forward. It seems appropriate for kids to develop these skills not just at home under the supervision of their parents, but in the classroom as well.
J
What does everyone think about parental controls? Or “dumber” devices like education-oriented tablets and laptops?
As we all know, mobile tech skills are more important than ever. With so many gadgets and devices out there, it’s no longer realistic to think that we can keep these away from children anymore. Digital literacy lessons should be built in as well. Interestingly, one of the most important messages about the internet has not changed — that you can’t believe everything you see…
Hi Lyon,
I think parental controls should be considered based on the age of the child as well as the level of independent access they will have to the device. I really like the analogy Kim John Payne made in his book “The Soul of Discipline” to parenting as a governor, gardener, guide. For the youngest children you are a governor, making decisions for them but always in their best interest. Then you become the gardener, generally allowing them freedom to make decisions but still stepping in when needed to “trim” and adjust. Finally in the teenage years you become the guide, offering support and insight where it is helpful but generally stepping back. I think this could also be applied with parental controls.
Another consideration is that as children get older you actually want them to be exposed to increasingly challenging situations, and you want to keep the dialogue open so that they will come to you to discuss and seek support. This way you can help them to navigate along the way, using parental controls for too long can actually provide too much shelter for children (I’m thinking teenage years now) and prevent them from learning how to manage some of the more challenging realities of the internet and social media.
That’s my perspective on it anyways.