When should teens get cell phones?

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Smartphones are powerful tools—but for tweens and teens, they also come with some unique risks. From disrupting critical sleep cycles and fueling constant notification overload to exposure to harmful online content, phones can take a toll on kids’ mental health. Read the full story on Health Lab.

For more on this story and for others like it, visit the Health Lab website where you can subscribe to our Health Lab newsletters to receive the latest in health research and information to your inbox each week.

Transcript

Host:

Welcome to Health Lab, your destination for news and stories about the future of healthcare. 

Today: We’re talking about the things to consider when deciding when your teen should get a cell phone; including safety, screentime and mental health.

Smartphones are powerful tools—but for tweens and teens, they also come with unique risks.

From disrupting critical sleep cycles and fueling constant notification overload, to exposure to harmful online content, smartphones can take a toll on the mental health of kids.

As more children get their first smartphones at younger ages, experts say it’s important for parents to make sure their child is ready before they get one. 

Dr. Jenny Radesky, division director of developmental behavioral pediatrics at University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children's Hospital says that, “About 40% of two-year-olds today have their own tablet, and about a quarter of eight-year-olds have their own phones.” She goes on, "Determining the right time to get a cell phone depends on the child and family and while age can be a factor, it’s not the only one. Parents should consider a child’s maturity, their ability to follow rules and whether they’re prepared to handle situations that come with this level of connectivity.”

Dr. Radesky offers these five factors parents need to consider before getting their child a phone:

1. Create safety settings

Safety concerns can be categorized in three ways: contact from strangers, mature content and compulsive usage that interferes with other activities or sleep.

Parents can set up youth accounts so their children and teens cannot be contacted by strangers or access mature content online.

Another parental control option is a setting to prompt parental approval before apps can be downloaded or purchased on the device.

Dr. Radesky says, “Children are curious, and they will often search for things and stumble upon inappropriate content.” These could include “...violence, problematic apps, scary news or pornography” to name a few.

2. Establish Screentime limits

Create boundaries around when and for how long technology can be used.

“These devices are so fun,” Dr. Radesky says. “They’re engineered to grab our attention and hold onto it, so if you don’t create boundaries the tech can take over.”

Dr. Radesky recommends outlining times when phones will not be used, such as car rides or mealtimes.

Parents should especially be cautious about cell phone usage amongst teens that may disrupt sleep. Sleep helps with focus, regulating emotions and physical health.

Protecting sleep can look like keeping phones out of bedrooms and setting curfews for phone use, Dr. Radesky says.

3. Delay social media access

Starting a social media account too early (under age 13) has been linked to negative mental health outcomes. The legal age requirement for social media is 13, but many teens benefit from waiting longer.

Risks may include more problematic media use, increased body dissatisfaction and negative social comparison.

Tweens and adolescents are especially sensitive to their peers’ opinions, Dr. Radesky notes, which may lead them to seek feedback by focusing on likes and reactions online.

“Middle school is one of the trickiest times to manage media use because many kids want social media, but they are not mature enough for it,” Dr. Radesky says. “They don’t have the impulse control to limit posting and usage of social media accounts.”

Dr. Radesky says that parents should emphasize to their kids that just because they have a phone, it doesn’t mean they also get social media access.

4. Make sure phones aren’t replacing in-person opportunities

Teens need in-person interaction with other kids their age, Dr. Radesky says. These interactions contain important learning moments that cannot be attained online.

Face-to-face interactions can be found through sports teams, after-school clubs or volunteering opportunities, among others.

It’s important to find a balance between in-person and online conversations, Dr. Radesky says, and parents should be monitoring these interactions.

“When it comes to online communication, we recommend texting or Facetiming with family or friends, as opposed to talking through social media,” she says.

5. Consider alternatives to smartphones 

If a child isn’t ready for a smartphone, parents should consider an alternative option.

Some companies offer starter phones, for example, which have fewer features than smartphones. Look for a device that has only the necessary features - like basic texting, making calls and location-sharing apps.

Additionally, many carriers offer flip phones, which can be good starter devices.

Smart watches are another option. While they are not free of distractions, they are less engaging than most cell phones.

Most importantly, Dr. Radesky says, parents should keep an eye on how phone and device use is affecting tweens and teens and their emotional and behavioral health.

“Phones themselves are not problematic, but it’s important to pay attention to how your child is using their phone, and whether it’s interfering with their health, school or relationships,” Dr. Radesky says. She goes on, “Parents should regularly check in with their kids about how they’re feeling in relation to their devices. Family sharing settings on phones cannot replace sitting down and talking to your kids.”

A reminder that all Health Lab content including health news, best practices and research insights are for informational purposes only, and are not a substitute for professional medical guidance. Always seek the advice of a health care provider for questions about your health and treatment options.

For more on this story and for others like it, visit michiganmedicine.org/health-lab where you can also subscribe to our Health Lab newsletters to receive the latest in health, wellness and medical research information to your inbox each week. Health Lab is a part of the Michigan Medicine Podcast Network, and is produced by the Michigan Medicine Department of Communication. You can subscribe to Health Lab wherever you listen to podcasts.