Nowadays, it's common for everyone to have a smartphone, but many people wonder when it's best to let their children have one. In this article, we'll look at the smartphone ownership rates among elementary and junior high school students and introduce the recommended age for letting your child have a smartphone, as well as the benefits.
We will also introduce some precautions to take when letting your child use a smartphone, so consider creating rules to ensure safe use.
In recent years, the benefits of giving children smartphones have been gaining attention, and the rate of smartphone ownership among elementary and junior high school students is on the rise.
According to a survey conducted in November 2022, only 16% of children in grades 1 to 3 own their own smartphones.
However, the percentage of fourth to sixth graders who own a smartphone reached a record high of 37%, a 4% increase from the previous year. Among sixth graders, the percentage was 52%, exceeding half.
The number of students who own a smartphone increases from junior high school onwards, with 65% of first-year students and 81% of third-year students owning one.
Given the above, it is likely that more and more children will be given smartphones in the upper grades of elementary school and junior high school.
Source: Mobile Society Research Institute "Smartphone ownership rate is half for fifth graders and over 80% for second graders in junior high school"
Next, let's take a look at four benefits of letting your child have a smartphone.
・Easier to keep in touch with family and friends
・Can be used as a learning aid
・Know your child's location even in an emergency
・Acquire IT literacy
First, having a smartphone makes it easier to contact your child. Even in places where you can't make a phone call, such as on a train or in a facility, you can communicate more easily by using messaging features such as the LINE app.
By exchanging messages and photos, you may be able to become closer to your child than you are now.
It will also be a way for your child to communicate with classmates and friends. Casual conversations and play plans after returning home may help deepen their friendships.
Secondly, smartphones can also be used as a learning aid. Students can independently search the internet for things they don't understand or want to know, gaining knowledge and successful experiences.
There are many other positive ways to use it, such as looking up information about your travel destination to learn geography, or watching videos about the ecology of your favorite animals and plants to increase your motivation to learn.
Parents are constantly worried about where their children are when they are out and whether they are in dangerous places.
If your child has a smartphone, you can use the GPS function to check their location and route. Even if they are less likely to be at home due to club activities or hanging out with friends, knowing their whereabouts will reduce your worries.
Even if you don't allow your child to have a smartphone, they will eventually have the opportunity to use electronic devices such as smartphones and computers.
In today's world where the use of various apps and IT services is commonplace, it pays to learn from a young age about the types of apps and how to use them, how to determine the credibility of information that is overflowing on the Internet, and how to protect personal information.
If children use smartphones from an early age, it will be easier for them to acquire IT literacy.
However, there are some concerns and things to be aware of when letting your child have a smartphone. We have summarized four potential concerns and what parents can do to address them.
・May decrease concentration on studies
・You may get into trouble
・There is a possibility that you may be subject to slander on social media.
・Excessive use may result in higher Amount
The first is that your child may become addicted to their smartphone and be unable to concentrate on their studies.
Smartphones have a lot of content that can be enjoyed and make you lose track of time, such as internet searches, video viewing services, social media, and app games. However, simply giving your child a smartphone can lead to neglecting their studies.
Once you have purchased a smartphone, you should first have a good discussion with your child and set rules, such as limiting the amount of time they can use it.
For example, one option is to use your telecommunications carrier's filtering service to limit the time periods during which you can use your smartphone.
Secondly, smartphones can get your child into trouble with friends and acquaintances.
It's difficult to know what your child is communicating with via messages or phone calls on their smartphone, so we recommend that parents create an atmosphere where it's easy to talk regularly, focusing on casual conversation. If your child is having trouble, you may notice something is off and they may come to you and tell you about it.
Third, if your child uses social media, depending on the content they post, they may be subject to slander from third parties. As with the first point, one way to prevent this is to use the filtering service provided by your telecommunications provider.
For example, the "Anshin Filter for au (※1)" provided by au allows you to adjust the filtering level in four stages: "Elementary school students," "Junior high school students," "High school students," and "High school students plus."
Filtering for "elementary school students," "junior high school students," and "high school students" allows you to restrict communication on social media, message boards, etc. all at once.
If your child asks you if they want to use social media, it is effective to create rules to avoid trouble online, such as deciding individually which social media sites to allow them to use based on their age, or limiting the scope of social media posts they can make.
*1 This is a filtering service that protects against dangerous websites and apps while using the internet. You can select the strength of the filtering based on age and purpose of use, and set usage time periods. Even for restricted sites and apps, parents can individually allow their children to use them later.
Depending on the carrier's fees plan, you may be fees for the amount of internet (data communication) you use, so be careful.
Parents should choose the fees that is right for their child.
For example, if you choose a plan with unlimited data capacity (gigabytes), such as povo 's "Data Top-up 1GB (7 days) 390 yen/time including tax included" or "Data Top-up 3GB (30 days) 990 yen/time including tax included," you can rest assured that no additional fees will be incurred.
povo2.0 (※2)(※3) So, you can purchase only the amount of data (gigabytes) you need in advance and enjoy the internet. If you want to add more data (gigabytes), you can purchase it in small increments starting from 1GB, so you can use it without wasting any.
If you want unlimited data usage for just one day, you can choose "Unlimited data (24 hours) 330 tax included included) per session." (*4)" is also recommended.
If you want to protect your child from trouble, please consider the "Anshin Filter for au" that I mentioned earlier.
If you're worried about your child's smartphone usage, be sure to check out povo.
*2: As this is an online-only plan, all procedures and support are handled online only. There is no support in-store or over the phone. *3: Applications are not accepted for those under 13 years of age. *4: Data speeds may be limited during periods of network congestion or when using video or cloud gaming. (Same applies to other services) *The names of products or services listed in this article are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies. • "Wi-Fi", "Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Miracast (TM)", "Miracast (TM)", and "Wi-Fi/Wi-Fi 6" are registered trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance.
Name: Ishida Katsunori
Profile: Representative Director of Educational Design Lab, a general incorporated association. Former adjunct professor in the Department of International Education at Tsuru University. At age 20, he founded a cram school. He has personally taught over 4,000 students and has mentored over 50,000 children through lectures and seminars. At age 34, he became executive director of a private junior and senior high school in Tokyo, where he implements management and educational reforms. Driven by his desire to "eliminate every child in Japan who hates studying," he currently hosts "Mama Café," a cafe-style study group for mothers, more than 100 times a year across the country. His long-running column in Toyo Keizai Online has garnered over 120 million page views. His published works include "10 Magical Words to Boost Children's Self-Esteem," "Study Methods for Elementary School Students," "Study Methods for Middle School Students 2.0," and "How to Motivate Your Child."
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