What Age Should Your Child Get a First Phone? Pediatrician Advice
There's no magic age, but there is agreement on what's better avoided. What primary care pediatricians recommend, what the law says, and, for each age range, what kind of location sharing makes sense (and what doesn't).
“What age should I give them a phone?” is the question that comes up most in parent groups, and the answer you hear most is “when all the kids in their class have one.” There are better answers. Here's what pediatricians, who see kids every day, recommend, what the law says in Spain, and what to put on a phone (or instead of a phone) at each age. So that you stay close to them, not watching them.
What pediatricians recommend
The Spanish Association of Primary Care Pediatrics (AEPap, more than 5,300 pediatricians) published a statement in December 2024 with a title that says it all: “A mobile phone is not a gift, it's a problem.” It doesn't set a minimum age. Instead, it reflects the age ranges from the Expert Committee on Safe Digital Environments for Children:
- Ages 0 to 3: avoid digital devices.
- Ages 3 to 6: occasional use, supervised by an adult, only to stay in touch with family.
- Ages 6 to 12: limit internet-connected devices and prioritize outdoor play, sports and in-person time; if used, supervised, with occasional access, limits and age-appropriate content.
- Ages 12 to 16: if access is allowed, parental controls and screen-time management.
What the law says
In Spain, a minor can give their own consent to an online service from age 14 (the data protection law sets it there; the GDPR lets each country choose between 13 and 16). Under 14, an adult creates and authorizes the account. That's why Google Family Link creates supervised accounts for under-14s, and why Mi Estela asks for that age before someone can have their own account.
What to give based on age
Up to 11 or 12: no phone, and if you need to know where they are, a watch
If your child goes to school or after-school activities alone and you want to know they've arrived, what fits isn't a smartphone. It's a GPS watch with a SIM (its own position, calls only to the numbers you set, an SOS button, zones) or, in an Apple family, an Apple Watch with Family Setup. An AirTag in the backpack isn't for that: Apple says so, and the technology confirms it.
Ages 12 to 14: the first phone, with parental controls
If the phone arrives, pediatricians recommend parental controls and time limits. Family Link is free and supervises Android; Qustodio is paid and also works on iPhone. Both include phone location with place alerts. And a household agreement, written or spoken: when it's used, where it charges overnight, which apps.
From 14: from supervising to sharing
At 14 the teen can have their own account, and parental controls start to be unnecessary (and cause conflict). It's time to move from “I supervise you” to “we share”: a symmetrical family location app, where they see the same about you as you see about them. They choose whether they appear precisely, only by area or invisible, and they always know when they're sharing. We cover this in Mi Estela for parents of teens and in sharing location with your teenager without keeping tabs on them.
Three things that help more than any app
- Delay it as long as you can: every year without a smartphone is another year outdoors and more sleep.
- Talk about it before handing it over: what it's for, what it isn't, and what happens if the agreement is broken.
- Set the example: a parent scrolling at dinner can't ask for anything different.
Sources
- AEPap: “A mobile phone is not a gift, it's a problem” (press release, Dec 18, 2024)
- Google: minimum age to have an account by country (14 in Spain)
- Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD): educating young children before their first mobile phone
