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What age should a child get a phone? What UK research says

Most families face this decision around the move to secondary school. There's no official answer, but there is useful evidence, and it points somewhere reassuring.

4 min read · Published 28 September 2026 · Last reviewed

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In short

There's no official right age in the UK. In practice, most children get a smartphone around the move to secondary school: Ofcom's 2026 research found ownership rises from 56% at 10 to 83% at 11. UK parents polled by Internet Matters in 2024 put the right age, on average, at 11 years and 11 months. A Stanford study found no link between the age of a first phone and children's wellbeing, so readiness, and the rules that come with the phone, matter more than the birthday.

Key facts

  • 56% of UK 10-year-olds and 83% of 11-year-olds have their own smartphone (Ofcom, 2026).
  • UK parents' average "right age": 11 years and 11 months (Internet Matters, 2024).
  • The age of a first phone wasn't linked to wellbeing in a Stanford study of 250+ children (2022).

What age do most UK children get a phone?

Around the move to secondary school. Ofcom's 2026 research found 56% of 10-year-olds have their own smartphone, rising to 83% of 11-year-olds. For many families, the phone arrives with the new school, the longer journey and the new group chats.

What age do parents think is right?

A little older than it usually happens. In Internet Matters' 2024 research, UK parents put the right age for a first smartphone at 11 years and 11 months, on average. A YouGov survey the same year found about half of parents (51%) think 11 to 13 is the right time, and one in five (19%) think 10 or younger.

Some experts argue for waiting longer. Jonathan Haidt, whose book The Anxious Generation shaped much of the current debate, proposes no smartphones before high school, around 14, with a basic phone until then.

Does the age actually matter?

Less than you might expect. A Stanford Medicine study followed more than 250 children in California from ages 7 to 11 until they were 11 to 15. Published in Child Development in 2022, it found no meaningful link between the age children got their first phone and their depression symptoms, sleep or school grades.

"There doesn't seem to be a golden rule about waiting until eighth grade or a certain age." (Xiaoran Sun, lead author)

The researchers' own caveat matters: this is an average across families. How a phone is used, and the parenting around it, may matter more than when it arrives.

How do I know my child is ready?

Look at how they manage screens now:

  • Can they stop when time's up without a battle, most of the time?
  • Will they tell you if something online upsets or worries them?
  • Do they keep agreements about other things, like bedtime or homework?
  • Do they need it for something real, like getting to school or staying in touch after it?

Our first phone readiness check takes five minutes and turns the answers into a plan.

Setting up a first phone

  1. Start with a few apps, chosen together, and add more as trust grows.
  2. Agree when it's off: school nights, weekends and the hour before bed.
  3. Decide where it sleeps. Charging outside the bedroom is the simplest sleep rule there is.
  4. Write it down and both sign it. Our free Family Digital Agreement takes about ten minutes.

If WhatsApp is on the list, read what the UK age limit means first.

Kairoo

Agree the rules before the phone arrives.

With Kairoo, you and your child write the deal and both sign it before you hand the phone over. From day one it knows when screens rest, and they know how to ask for more.

Get Kairoo on iPhone Start with the free agreement Or start with the free agreement Tell me when Android is ready

Two apps, no adverts. iPhone now, Android soon.

Questions parents ask

Is 10 too young for a phone?
Not necessarily. Many UK children have one by then, and research hasn't found that the age itself decides how it goes. What matters is whether your child is ready and what's agreed first: which apps, when it's off and where it sleeps. A basic phone for calls and texts is a halfway step if you're unsure.
What age do most UK children get a smartphone?
Around 10 to 11. Ofcom's 2026 research found 56% of 10-year-olds and 83% of 11-year-olds have their own smartphone, a jump that lines up with starting secondary school.
Will the government say what age children should get a phone?
Possibly. When it announced screen use guidance for 5 to 16-year-olds in June 2026, the government said it could include advice on when a child should get their first smartphone. The guidance is due in the autumn.
How do I know if my child is ready for a phone?
Look at how they handle screens now. Can they stop when time's up, most of the time? Will they tell you if something online upsets them? Do they keep other agreements? Our five-minute first phone readiness check walks you through it.
The researchChildren want to cut back too: what Ofcom's 2026 research says about kids and screensHow toHow to write a family screen time agreement that actually holdsHow toWhatsApp age limit in the UK: what parents need to know

Sources

  1. Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report 2026, Ofcom, 21 May 2026
  2. Digital Dilemmas: smartphone research 2024, Internet Matters, 2024
  3. The youngest age British parents think kids should have smartphones, YouGov, 21 October 2024
  4. Age that kids acquire mobile phones not linked to well-being, says Stanford Medicine study, Stanford Medicine, 21 November 2022
  5. The four new norms, The Anxious Generation
  6. New guidance on screen use for children aged 5–16, Department for Education and Department of Health and Social Care, 8 June 2026

Last reviewed 28 September 2026. Kairoo checks these pages when the rules or the research change; if you spot something out of date, tell us at hello@kairoo.family.