EE tells parents not to give smartphones to primary school-aged children

One of the UK’s largest mobile network providers is advising parents not to give their primary school-age children their own smartphones.

BT-owned EE said it aims to improve the “digital wellbeing” of children after receiving increasing requests for guidance from parents.

It was argued that children under the age of 11 should be given ‘non-smart’ devices that have the same capabilities as the old, brick-and-mortar phones.

The recommendation, announced at the start of the new school year, comes amid growing concerns about the effects of smartphone and internet use on children’s mental health and behaviour.

Access to the Internet can support young people’s education and social activities. It also allows parents to keep better track of where young people are.

However, some experts warn that it contributes to shorter attention spans, exposes children to harmful content and crowds out other activities, such as playing outside or talking to friends.

EE said children under 11 should be given phones that allow them to text and make calls, but without access to the internet or social media apps such as TikTok and YouTube.

The company, which markets a phone with limited features for kids, advises parents to use apps and settings to monitor older children’s internet usage.

According to Mat Sears, director of corporate affairs, EE wanted to help parents and caregivers “make the best choices for their children.”

He told the BBC: “Children under the age of 11 should not be allowed access to smartphones in our view. They don’t need a smartphone and actually a feature phone – or a dumb phone, as some people call them – is more appropriate.”

Nearly a quarter of five to seven year olds now have their own smartphone, recent research by telecoms regulator Ofcom found.

By age 11, the age children typically enter secondary school, most children have a phone, it says.

Ofcom described the research, published earlier this year, as a “wake-up call” after it emerged that more than half of children under 13 use social media, despite rules from most major platforms requiring users to be over 13.

Mr Sears said he believes smartphones are appropriate for children between the ages of 11 and 13, but access to social media is not.

For 13- to 16-year-olds, he advised parents to be “careful and attentive” when choosing the social media apps they download.

“We think it is absolutely fine and acceptable for social media to be used (by people aged 13 and over), but there should be different parental controls and privacy settings in place. There should also be screen locks for the time spent on these different social media sites.”

Recent government legislation aims to ensure that children are not exposed to harmful online content, such as material encouraging suicide and self-harm, eating disorders and violent content.

The Online Safety Act places greater responsibility on technology platforms and introduces a legal duty of care towards their users.

But the law will not come into effect until 2025, with critics saying it does not go far enough to protect young people.

Some other countries, including France, Italy and the Netherlands, have banned the use of smartphones in schools.

Last year, China’s regulator proposed limiting daily screen time for children under 18.

The British House of Commons education committee said in May that the government should consider a total ban on smartphones for children under 16.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said in July that he did not agree with “simply banning” phones for children under 16, but that the government should “take a fresh look” at the content children view online.

Last year, parents from eight primary schools in County Wicklow, Ireland, agreed not to give their children smartphones before they entered high school, to relieve peer pressure from other children who already had access to it.