When should a child get a smartphone? A parents' guide
Paul Kasten, co-founder of TaskBlue · Updated · 5 min read
Germany's medical media guideline for parents recommends no smartphone of their own before age 12. Many children get one earlier, often when they move to secondary school: according to the KIM study 2024, 33% of 8 to 9 year olds have their own smartphone, and 63% of 10 to 11 year olds. More important than the exact age are clear rules from day one.
What the guideline says
The media guideline for parents summarises a medical guideline published by the AWMF, the umbrella body of Germany's medical societies. Its advice: no smartphone of their own before 12, and even after that, internet use should be supervised. For leisure screen time it gives at most two hours a day for 12 to 16 year olds.
What it looks like in practice
The KIM study 2024 shows how sharply smartphone ownership rises with age. The biggest jump is between 8 to 9 and 10 to 11 years, around the move to secondary school. Among 12 to 19 year olds, 95% have their own smartphone according to the JIM study 2025.
- 6 to 7 years: 11%
- 8 to 9 years: 33%
- 10 to 11 years: 63%
- 12 to 13 years: 79%
How to tell your child is ready
There is no fixed age at which it's right. These questions help you decide:
- Does your child stick to agreements even when you're not around?
- Can they tell you when something online feels off?
- Do they really need the phone, for the way to school for example, or is it mostly about the class group chat?
- Are you ready to set rules and stay closely involved for the first few months?
A good start
Set the rules before the phone is unboxed, ideally in a family media agreement. Set up Screen Time and think about when distracting apps are off limits, for example at school and during homework. TaskBlue is made for those times: the apps disappear automatically and come back on their own afterwards.
Frequently asked
Is a phone without internet a good middle ground?
For calls and texts on the way to school it can be enough. But according to the KIM study 2024 only 5% of children have such a phone, and it usually leaves them out of the class group chat.
Should the phone stay in the bedroom at night?
Many families keep it outside the bedroom at night. If that doesn't work for you, a fixed focus at bedtime can help.
Sources
As of October 2026. All information without guarantee.
- Medienleitlinie für Eltern (S2k-Leitlinie Prävention dysregulierten Bildschirmmediengebrauchs in Kindheit und Jugend, 027-075), AWMF, 2023
- KIM-Studie 2024: Kindheit, Internet, Medien, Medienpädagogischer Forschungsverbund Südwest, 2024
- JIM-Studie 2025: Jugend, Information, Medien, Medienpädagogischer Forschungsverbund Südwest, 2025
Read on
Fewer distractions for your child. Less plastic in the sea.
A year costs €49.99 once, a month €9.99. The BlueTag comes with both plans.