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31st July 2024
12:10pm BST
The study by Human Mobile Devices (HMD) found that parents are beginning to see the dangers of phones.
According to research, 11 is the average age that a child gets their first phone.
However, many parents say that they wished they'd waited longer given the impact phones have had on family life.
More than half of the 10,000 parents interviewed said that their child's phone use is a cause of arguments.
64% believe that the phones are causing poor sleep in their children, and 61% think that it decreases their child's activity levels.
Many parents were also concerned with the potential risk of social media.
According to the survey, almost 75% of parents were scared that their children are exposed to internet dangers.
More than 50% said they don't know what their children are doing on their phones.
HMD have said that they understand the concerns, and are currently looking for an alternative solution.
Better Phone Project is a journey to discovering a variety of solutions that tackle digital overload, providing choice and balance," Lars Silberbauer, CMO of HMD, said.
"Our goal is to collaborate with parents and experts to develop solutions that truly meet people’s needs, driving innovation in this space.”
They plan to collaborate with Smartphone Free Childhood to find an effective way to tackle the issue.
Joe Ryrie, co-founder of Smartphone Free Childhood, said: "We either give our children access to a device they might not be ready for, or choose not to and risk alienating them from their peers.
“It’s an issue that the 100,000+ parents who’ve joined our community since February are battling with on a daily basis, and we know that solving it requires a collaborative effort between parents, children, government and tech companies."
It's certainly a tough one.
The older children get, the more important it is to have regular contact with them. However, exposing them to social media and smartphones too young is a risk.
What age should we start introducing them to phones at?
