How old should a child be before owning a tablet?

Believe it or not, most parents believe children should be 11

According to a new technology consumer report, London parents believe their children should be 11 years old before they own a smartphone or tablet with internet capability, despite our little ones already knowing how to work these gadgets from a much younger age.

The survey of 2,000 parents by technology retailer LaptopsDirect.co.uk, published in the Technology Forecast Report 2017, revealed that only 12% of us would let our child own a mobile phone under the age of 11– suggesting many of us feel primary school age is too young.

The research also revealed that 10 years old was the threshold for allowing a child access to a TV in their room.

However, 70% of parents did admit that we felt use of technology from a young age was something that children needed to aid their development, with more than half (54%) believing they would start secondary school behind their peers if they hadn’t had interaction with technology at home.

“Technology plays an important part in our lives but it is never easy for a parent to decide when their child is the right age to have access to their own smartphone or tablet,” says Mark Kelly, marketing manager at LaptopsDirect.co.uk. “There are always concerns about what children will be exposed to via gadgets, but as long as parents remain vigilant and make use of the child-friendly settings and safeguards available on these devices, these tools open up new experiences and methods of learning that can be very beneficial.”