How you can recognize it

Is your child ready for their first smartphone?

Children in this country usually get their first cell phone at the age of seven or eight. But not all of them are ready for it.(Bild: Seventyfour – stock.adobe.com)

It usually can't be soon enough for children, while parents like to delay the timing: Opinions differ on the question of when children should get their first cell phone or smartphone. Krone+ reveals how you can find out whether your child is ready for a smartphone - and what alternatives there are.

When children start school, parents usually ask themselves whether their child is "ready" or old enough for their first cell phone. The decisive factor here is usually safety concerns: the child may have to travel to school independently for the first time and may have to manage on their own for a few hours after school.

Or they may want to spend their free time doing certain activities with their new classmates, who may already have a cell phone and therefore exert social pressure on the child to do the same in order to fit in.

Paradoxically, however, parents' desire for more security for their child through a smartphone is often countered by new concerns that are made possible by the technology in the first place. For example, many parents fear that their child could be exposed to inappropriate content such as pornography or bullying, or become addicted to their cell phone, which could ultimately affect their performance at school.

So what to do?