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Your child's first smartphone:
Tips and rules
Children today grow up in a digitalised world. They want a smartphone so they can fit in. Parents, on the other hand, want to be able to reach their child anytime, anywhere. Safety is their top priority. So when does it make sense for a child to have a smartphone? And what do parents need to consider before and when choosing their child's first smartphone?
You will find the following topics on this page:
- When it comes to the right time for a child to get their first smartphone, age is secondary. The more important question is: Is your child ready for their own mobile phone?
- You should also ask yourself why your child needs a smartphone.
- We present tools for safe use.
- And we give you tips on how you can support your child.
The following media can be found on this page
How to help your child choose their first smartphone.
Topic
Is my child ready for their first smartphone?
Sooner or later, parents are confronted with this question: when should my child have their own mobile phone? Defining a rigid age limit as the answer makes little sense. Because it is not age that is decisive, but the maturity of the child.
‘The first smartphone for my child’ in the online parents' evening.
According to the KIM Study 2020(opens in new tab), children receive their first smartphone at an average age of 9. The MIKE Study 2019(opens in new tab) also cites 9 years and 11 months as the average age. Other studies, however, recommend 11 to 12 years as the recommended starting age.
When it comes to deciding when your child should get their first smartphone, age is secondary. It is more important that your child knows how to use their own smartphone safely.
Quick check: Is my child ready for their own mobile phone?
Discuss the questions below with your child. If you cannot answer a question with a clear ‘yes’, we have compiled some valuable tips and advice for you.
Does my child already have some experience with the internet, computers or tablets?
Accompany your child as they take their first steps with digital media. Would they like to play games on the tablet or listen to the Bibi Blocksberg audiobook of the month on YouTube? Hand your child the device and let them find their way around themselves while you sit next to them and answer their questions.
This will allow them to gain initial experience and learn how to overcome difficulties. What should they do if they accidentally click on a YouTube advert? How should they react if the volume suddenly drops or the game crashes?
Does my child know how to use a smartphone?
Phone calls, chatting, social networks: show your child how you use your smartphone. Don't forget your favourite apps, whether it's weather, football, games, digital newspapers or podcasts.
Ask your daughter or son what topic they find particularly exciting at the moment. Search for an app on Google Play or in the Apple App Store. Once you've found one, install the app and explore it together.
Is my child familiar with age-appropriate apps or websites such as the children's search engines “Blinde Kuh”, “fragFINN” or “seitenstark.de”?
What is your child interested in at the moment? Make a game of it: you use your smartphone, your child uses their tablet or computer.
Each of you chooses a different child-friendly search engine and spends 15 minutes gathering information on your chosen topic. Then compare your results and talk about what you both liked and didn't like about the child-friendly search engine.
Have we already discussed the topic of ‘online safety’? Does my child understand what private data is and where they should be careful when sending it?
Watch the report for children by Checker Tobi(opens in new tab) together, which also deals with data.
Do they know that not everything on the internet is ‘true’?
The earth is flat. Lena has spots on her back. Tobi ate ants. Explain to your child that anyone can claim something on the internet that is untrue. Just because a text, image or video is on the internet does not mean that the content is accurate. Texts can be invented, images and videos can be fake or taken out of context.
Does my child understand that everything posted online stays there forever?
The internet is like an ocean: in a vast sea of information, much of it eventually disappears into the depths. But a storm can bring something long forgotten back to the surface at any time. This comparison can help you explain to your child why it is so important to be mindful of their digital footprint and to handle their own data with care.
Does my child know that a smartphone incurs costs and what in-app or in-game purchases are?
Most free apps display advertisements within the app. If your child taps on the advertisement, which often happens accidentally, they will leave the app and, in most cases, a third-party website will open. It is best to show your child an example and check together exactly where the adverts are displayed.
Also take a look at games such as Candy Crush or Clash of Clans, where you can buy lives or powerful characters. Talk about how these in-game purchases are paid for with real money and how game companies earn a lot of money this way.
Can my child handle the device with the necessary care?
If your child does not treat their books, games and toys with care, you can challenge them to show you that they can do better. Assign them a household chore that they must carry out conscientiously, such as cleaning the bathroom mirror to remove toothpaste splashes.
Talk about why it is important to treat things with care and help them to put this into practice. A second-hand device is a good choice for their first mobile phone.
Topic
Why does my child need a smartphone?
Consider what you want the new smartphone to be used for. Do you want your child to be reachable by phone on their way to school or to be able to communicate with their classmates via messenger chats (such as WhatsApp)? Do they want to listen to music or make videos on the go?
Different devices are suitable depending on the purpose of the smartphone. Swisscom offers a selection of mobile phones for children(opens in new tab), including refurbished second-hand devices(opens in new tab).
Tip: Do you perhaps have an old mobile phone yourself that could serve the desired purpose? With a second-hand device, you save money and protect the environment at the same time.
Simple entry-level devices are generally more suitable as a first smartphone than exclusive multifunctional devices. We also recommend a protective case(opens in new tab) and protective films(opens in new tab) to extend the life of the device. You can keep your mobile phone clean with a cleaning cloth.
Topic
What tools are available to support safe use?
Technical support functions can be useful in teaching your child how to use a smartphone in a healthy and safe manner. Parents can use these functions to set a permitted screen time or determine their child's current location, for example.
The following technical aids are available:
- Apple offers ‘Parental Controls’(opens in new tab), while Android offers ‘Family Link’(opens in new tab), both of which are integrated child and youth protection functions.
- Both providers allow you to set and monitor screen time. But beware: children can be inventive when it comes to circumventing rules.
- Swisscom Security & Service S offers ‘Internet Security’, which, in addition to other security features, also allows you to restrict content.
- A device PIN is recommended for better data protection on a device.
- With a GPS tracker, you can determine your child's current location or check the current battery level.
Setting up screen time on the iPhone.
Setting up Family Link on an Android phone.
Important: Make sure you do not invade your child's privacy without asking. A good basis of trust and proactive communication are important so that your child comes to you with questions about devices, the internet or disturbing content and involves you.
Topic
What should parents know?
As parents or guardians, you can consciously support your child in learning how to use smartphones and the internet competently. Find out what you should pay attention to here.
We have put together some tips to help you support your child as they take their first steps with their own smartphone:
Guidance is better than prohibition
Accompanying is better than prohibiting: open discussions always work better than filter software.
Establish clear rules
Establish clear rules: When are quiet times when smartphones must remain switched off? What kind of apps is your child allowed to download? Should your child contribute to the costs?
Motivate your child to practise
Encourage your child to practise using their new smartphone mindfully.
Be a role model
Set an example: Do you want your child to put their mobile phone away at the table?
Remain attentive
Stay alert and communicate with your child. Ask questions and discuss values together.
Choose a suitable subscription or prepaid plan
Choose a suitable subscription or prepaid plan so that your child does not accidentally rack up high costs. From a legal perspective, mobile phone contracts can be taken out independently from the age of 18, and prepaid cards from the age of 16. Before that, you as a parent must sign the contract.
Topic
Which mobile service is suitable?
Choosing a suitable subscription depends on several factors: How old is your child? What do they mainly use their smartphone for? Should they have unlimited data? Should your child have a prepaid or monthly subscription?
With a prepaid offer, you as a parent or guardian always have cost certainty and protect yourself and your child from unpleasant surprises at the end of the month: an ideal introduction to the first smartphone from the age of 7. However, as this is a prepaid offer, it can only be used as long as there is credit available.
As your child gets older and becomes more responsible, a mobile subscription is a good solution. This means there is no risk of your child becoming unreachable because they have used up their credit.
This is important
- Your child's first smartphone is an important step. Before buying one, check whether your child is ready for it.
- Different devices are suitable depending on what your child needs the smartphone for. So think about what your child will mainly use the device for.
- Technical aids such as parental controls can help teach your child how to use their smartphone in a healthy and safe way.
- Set an example, establish clear rules and remain attentive. Find out here what else you as a parent can do to support your child.
Useful links
Further content
Would you like more information on the topic of smartphones for my child? We have compiled the most important blog posts and links here.
Videos
Setting up screen time on the iPhone
Setting up Family Link on an Android phone
Child protection on the Internet box
How to help your child with their first mobile phone
Other interesting topics
Ask Michael
Michael In Albon is Swisscom's Youth Media Protection Officer. He is available to answer any questions you may have about children and media.
Michael In Albon
Youth Media Protection Officer,
Head of Schulen ans Internet (SAI)