Many families buy their children their first mobile phone at a certain point in time, for example when they start secondary school. However, it is more important that the child is truly ready for their own smartphone. Parents should answer a few questions to determine whether their child is ready:
- Can the child control their behaviour independently? Can they recognise when they should stop gaming? Are they capable of deciding that they should do their homework now instead of consuming TikTok?
- Does your child understand the risks of using a smartphone? Are they aware of security risks or financial pitfalls such as in-game purchases or fake news? Do they know about the dangers lurking on social media platforms?
- Can they handle an expensive smartphone responsibly and carefully?
Mobile phone, tablet or PC?
Parents should plan carefully when buying their child's first mobile phone. Devices such as tablets or PCs are a better choice for their first steps in the digital world for several reasons.
PCs and tablets are already being used as work tools in many schools at secondary level. There is a growing awareness here that digital devices can also be used for serious work.
The challenges relating to risks and user behaviour are just as important on laptops and tablets.
Parents can better control the use of these devices. They can observe how their child uses the device and deduce how they would use a smartphone.
The challenges relating to risks and user behaviour are just as important on laptops or tablets and can be learned by children in a controlled environment.
After passing the «final examination», the following points must be observed:
- Children should only be allowed to use their first mobile phone under certain rules. These rules should be negotiated together. For example, you could use a media usage agreement: www.swisscom.com/kinder-begleiten
- Set up content filters, which are available on every operating system and from most providers such as Swisscom, Sunrise and Salt. As a general rule, all social media platforms are only permitted for users aged 13 and above. This is stated in the providers' terms and conditions.
- Do not use Google, but rather specialised children's search engines, such as Helles-koepfchen.de or Fragfinn.de.
- The child should contribute to the costs of purchase and subscription, either with a portion of their pocket money or in the form of a regular payment.
The first mobile phone is often a milestone in a child's development. It opens up new worlds that are not without risk. With careful preparation, we as parents must also fulfil our educational responsibilities in this area.
Interactive learning modules on Swisscom Campus:
swisscom.ch/campus
