If you know lots of 7-year-olds, how many of them have their own phone? (the Wheel spoiler)

[IdaPrentice]

Watching the Wheel tonight, and one question was, at what age do the majority of children have their own phone. The answer was age 7. I was really surprised (and appalled). But my kids are older, so maybe I'm out of touch. Is this really true, in your experience? What percentage of the 7 yr olds you know have their own phone?

I would have guessed age 11, by the way.

Here's the actual report. It says only 16% of 5-7 year olds have their own phone. But 57% have their own tablet.

https://wwc.barnet.gov.uk/sites/default/files/CHILDWISE%20MONITOR%202023%20-%20LONDON%20BOROUGH%20OF%20BARNET.pdf

It is a bit misleading to use "children" for most of these stats because they are including teenagers up to 18 years old.

I'd disagree that it's a small sample size though. 2000 is a decent sample and as long as it's representative, the results are likely to be generisable.

It sounds like it likely is representative as they take from schools and try to match demographically to the UK population. It would perhaps exclude home educated children, those in private schools, and those who have disabilities/SEN which exclude them from mainstream education.

It also sounds like they asked the children themselves, which makes me wonder if they did any checking on that - I feel like 5yos aren't the most reliable narrators!

Not a chance in hell would I trust my 7 year old with a phone.

My eldest has only just got his first,and he had to wait until 12.

I'm pretty easy going but this is a hard rule for me.

My 8yo has one, she uses it to talk to and message her dad, and her relatives on his side who live hundreds of miles away.

It's monitored, times are restricted on it too.

Not ideal, but I was sick fed up of trying to work and getting repeated messages and calls from them all.

My nieces (12 and 14 now) had their own tablets from quite a young age (about 5 iirc) but didn't get phones until they were in year 6. I thought they were too young to have tablets when they did, but not my decision.

Are these phones with SIM cards in? I know many 7 year olds who have phones/ tablets to play Roblox and watch videos etc. No sim in so cannot call or text.

Round here most 11 year olds have a working mobile as they walk to and from school.

Thanks, I was dubious about the research too, but I checked Childwise's own website. It's really contradictory! On their blog, the one about mobile phone ownership and usage says "Most children are now phone owners by the age of seven, with a big increase this year in the number of 5-10-year-olds who own their own mobile, according to the new CHILDWISE Monitor Report 2020."
Which seems to be where the Guardian (shared by a PP) and other media like the Wheel have got this from.
But then if you read the actual report, as you say in one section it says
"16% of 5-7 year olds have their own phone."
But in the later chapter about ownership of phones, it says:
"By age 7-8 nearly half (43%) have a phone"
Obviously the figures are affected by the 5 and 6-yr-olds in the first statistic, and the 8-yr-olds in the second. Maybe I will contact Radio 4 More or Less!!

Yes you could be right.

Thanks, I have caught More or Less a few times. I wondered the same as you about whether it was a rubbish 'survey' from some magazine or other company - but it was done by a seemingly reputable - although commercial - research company.
I should contact More or Less - I'd like to know the truth about this now! (I would get out more but... it's raining)

Be careful what you wish for! We told our pre teen she could have a phone when she earned enough to pay for it. DD immediately got a paper round and worked very hard sometimes at 5 in the morning until she was able to buy one! This was 26 years ago

I guessed 11 too. Empirically that’s been my experience. I guess it might be middle class skewed but so so sad. 7 fucks sake!!

why on earth would anyone let a 7yo on tick-tock? I find it astonishing. They are no-where near emotionally mature enough for social media.

I don't know many 7 year olds but the ones I do know all have phones. 7 is the normal age to get a phone in Finland and has been for years now, at least since I moved here 16 years ago as I remember reading about it in a news article, as that's when they start school and going places alone so parents want them to have phones to keep in contact.

This.

I suspect the real statistic relates to devices more broadly (including tablets) rather phones.

I'm surprised at that too and have a 9 and 12 year old , youngest doesn't have a phone but she says a few of her classmates do, majority don't and they're not allowed them at her school at all anyway. DD 12 has had her own phone since her 11th birthday, most of her friends had one by then