**TL;DR: The average child receives their first smart phone by the age of ten, with 25% of 2-5 year olds having a smartphone. Although we cannot yet see the long-term effects of this, research on childhood development suggests that it is best to hold off on giving children smartphones (or other personal media devices) until at least middle school.** In the early stages of brain development, smartphones cause overstimulation, which releases dopamine and adrenaline, making it more addictive than it would be to an older person. This is also a critical time for learning social and life skills, which extensive time on a screen (which = less time spent exploring the real world and having face-to-face interactions) can hinder. While older youth (around 8-13 for these purposes), have usually already learned basic skills, they are still learning important social-emotional and cognitive skills, such as lengthening attention span and critical thinking. Research supports the idea that smartphones wreck both of these things in grown adults, so we can assume that the effects are only worse on the developing brain who doesn’t know any better. And assuming social media is added to the devices around this age, we must also account for the dangers of cyberbullying, constant comparisons, and a warped sense of reality. More personally, I think having time to play and be creative is such an important part of childhood and contributes to developing individuality, and just becoming an interesting person. And I have first hand experience, as I got my first at 11 (and social media at 12), and look back with regret on how much time I wasted on it. https://www.healthline.com/health/childrens-health/stages-of-child-development#if-you-have-concerns https://www.pandasecurity.com/en/mediacenter/panda-security/when-should-kids-get-smartphones/

**TL;DR - I believe that smartphones can be beneficial when used by children under adult supervision and for a few hours per week. There is a wide variety of educational apps and other materials accessible via the smartphone for the educational development of children**. It is really important that the use of smartphones is regulated and supervised by the adults, but now that technology has reached new directions we can say that today's children have the chance to be exposed to the infinite educational possibilities technology has to offer. As Reese Jones says, 'they can access a lot of learning resources such as mobile dictionaries, encyclopedia, educational applications and augmented reality flash cards. These applications can be regularly updated online to add new information, unlike an actual published textbook that remains stagnant over time'. When I was teaching primary school students, I was amazed by the variety of educational apps they used to boost their learning. Smartphones offer infinite possibilities of combining learning and play, and with the proper monitoring and supervision, smartphones can be a huge asset to the learning and fun activities children are exposed to. Works Cited Jones, Reese, '5 Benefits of Giving Your Kids a Smartphone' (2013) <http://www.edupad.com/blog/2013/11/5-benefits-giving-kids-smartphone/> [accessed 3 March 2021].

**TL;DR Children should be allowed smartphones as they are an essential modern technology that everyone needs to learn how to use. However, it is crucial that children are closely monitored on smartphones whilst they begin to have access to the internet and social media.** Smartphones can help children learn, communicate and prepare for a technology-focused future. If children are introduced to smartphones they can [adapt to new technology much more easily](https://rismedia.com/2018/12/19/should-kids-have-smartphones/) compared to when they are older. Similarly, when children go to school nowadays they are introduced to much of the same technology that is available on smartphones currently. School computers also include the internet, which when restricted correctly, allows children to further their educational interests from an early age. There is no reason that parental controls and restrictions cannot be added onto a smartphone, like how they are added onto school and library computers, which would allow parents to control what their child looks at online and ensure their safety. However, giving a child a smartphone comes with risks if parents fail to monitor the content that their child can access. Smartphones can easily create problems if not used correctly. A few of these issues include - Cyberbullying - Accessing harmful online content - [Addiction]( https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/nov/29/one-in-four-children-have-problematic-smartphone-use) Although there are many benefits of allowing children to own and use smartphones, these benefits are only effective when the smartphones have restrictions imposed upon them to protect children from accessing inappropriate, offensive, or age-restricted content.

Phones yes but smart phones no .

There is value in presenting technology to children. However, they can easily be ovewhelmed by the sheer amount of information at their disposal. Unable to filter good from bad, it is critical that an adult supervises their activity, at the least.