Remember when the big birthday present at 11 was a bike? Now it's a phone. A new survey of about 20,000 pupils in Italy found that 7 in 10 kids already have a smartphone at 11. More than 4 in 10 got one before they turned 10.
How much they use it
Three out of four spend three hours a day or more on the phone. Almost 4 in 10 go over five hours. That's a part-time job, just without the pay.
The bit that should make parents sit up: more than half said they tried to spend less time online and couldn't really manage it. And 1 in 5 feel anxious when they're away from social media.
There's a funny detail too. When kids need an answer, 9 in 10 go online. Parents come second, at 58.6%, and AI is right behind, at 57%. Mum and Dad are still ahead of the chatbot, but only just.
Does the age matter?
Big American studies say it might. One followed more than 10,000 children around age 12. Those who already owned a phone had higher odds of depression, obesity and not enough sleep than kids without one. The researchers stress this shows a link, not proof that the phone caused it.
Do school bans fix it?
Not on their own. App data from US kids aged 9 to 17 showed phone time during school hours dropped by about 15% in a year. Total daily screen time barely moved, around six hours. The minutes just moved to the evening.
What you can do
If your child is 9 or 10, you still have time to choose the moment. Many parents now wait until 13, or start with a simple phone for calls. And if the phone is already here, the survey's message is kind: your kid may want help to use it less. Ask them.