September 12, 2023 Mobile Phones / Research
Posted by Gabriela Vatu
SellCell Key Findings:
- Half of children between ages 5 to 14 have a mobile phone
- 20% of kids under the age of 5 have a phone
- 804 million children under 14 have a phone
How many children in the world have their own mobile phone? Smartphone ownership by kids varies by age and also by where they live in the world. This article will offer information on how many children have smartphones and what their ages are.
- You can find out how many children have phones, by age globally.
- The data will show how many children have a phone across key countries.
We live in a digital age and smartphones give us access to family, friends, music and even schoolwork. The wide popularity of social media apps, such as TikTok and SnapChat has increased the appeal and demand of smartphone ownership amongst younger people. With peer pressure to get phones earlier and earlier this article will determine how many kids have phones and what the best age is for them to have one.
How Many Kids Have a Mobile Phone Globally and What Age Did They Get It?
Data for 2021 shows there are 1.34 billion kids between the ages 5 and 14 in the world, and about 671 million kids under 5. Since not all countries look into such data, we chose the UK statistics1 as a base. The United Kingdom has one of the most complete data sets in terms of age groups, indicating that just about 20% of kids under 5 have their own phone and about half of those in the 5-14 age group do too. A brief look at data sets from other countries indicates similar trends.
| AGES 5-14 | UNDER 5’S | |
|---|---|---|
| Globally | 1,340,000,000 | 671,480,000 |
| @50% | @20% | |
| 670,000,000 | 134,296,000 | |
| China | 117,140,000 | 74,790,000 |
| @50% | @20% | |
| 58,570,000 | 14,958,000 | |
| India | 246,260,000 | 115,310,000 |
| @50% | @20% | |
| 123,130,000 | 23,062,000 | |
| United States | 42,310,000 | 19,160,000 |
| @50% | @20% | |
| 21,155,000 | 3,832,000 | |
| Indonesia | 47,330,000 | 22,410,000 |
| @50% | @20% | |
| 23,665,000 | 4,482,000 | |
| Brazil | 29,780,000 | 14,240,000 |
| @50% | @20% | |
| 14,890,000 | 2,848,000 | |
| Russia | 17,820,000 | 7,890,000 |
| @50% | @20% | |
| 8,910,000 | 1,578,000 | |
| Japan | 10,390,000 | 4,290,000 |
| @50% | @20% | |
| 5,195,000 | 858,000 | |
| Mexico | 21,720,000 | 9,890,000 |
| @50% | @20% | |
| 10,860,000 | 1,978,000 | |
| United Kingdom | 8,230,000 | 3,650,000 |
| @50% | @20% | |
| 4,115,000 | 730,000 | |
| Turkey | 13,300,000 | 6,610,000 |
| @50% | @20% | |
| 6,650,000 | 1,322,000 | |
| Philippines | 22,970,000 | 11,920,000 |
| @50% | @20% | |
| 11,485,000 | 2,384,000 | |
| Germany | 7,600,000 | 3,970,000 |
| @50% | @20% | |
| 3,800,000 | 794,000 | |
| France | 7,800,000 | 3,410,000 |
| @50% | @20% | |
| 3,900,000 | 682,000 | |
| Vietnam | 14,610,000 | 7,370,000 |
| @50% | @20% | |
| 7,305,000 | 1,474,000 | |
| Italy | 5,330,000 | 216,0000 |
| @50% | @20% | |
| 2,665,000 | 432,000 | |
| South Korea | 4,510,000 | 1,650,000 |
| @50% | @20% | |
| 2,255,000 | 330,000 | |
| Thailand | 3,380,000 | 7,930,000 |
| @50% | @20% | |
| 1,690,000 | 1,586,000 | |
In total, over 804 million children under 14 have a smartphone, which is an impressive number. By the time they turn 18, almost all children have one of these devices in their pockets.
- Kids Under 5 – 134,296,000 out of 671,480,000
- Kids Ages 5-14 – 670,000,000 out of 1,340,000,000
How Many Kids Have a Mobile Phone in the USA?
| SHARE OF CHILDREN OWNING A SMARTPHONE IN THE UNITED STATES IN 2015, 2019 AND 2021, BY AGE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 2019 | 2021 | |
| 8 | 11% | 19% | 31% |
| 9 | 15% | 26% | 32% |
| 10 | 19% | 36% | 42% |
| 11 | 32% | 37% | 53% |
| 12 | 41% | 69% | 71% |
| 13 | 50% | 70% | 72% |
| 14 | 59% | 81% | 91% |
| 15 | 71% | 83% | 86% |
| 16 | 73% | 89% | 90% |
| 17 | 74% | 88% | 97% |
| 18 | 77% | 91% | 93% |
- The number of 8-year-olds that have a mobile device in the US nearly doubled between 2015 and 2019 and almost tripled by 20212.
- By the time kids turn 11 in the United States, half of them have their own smartphone.
- The number of kids who have their own phone spikes to an impressive 71% by their next birthday.
- Over 3.8 million kids under 5 and over 21.1 million kids between 5 and 14 years old have a smartphone in the United States.
- Over 42% of kids spend over 30 hours on their phones every week, this SellCell survey shows.
How Many Kids Have a Mobile Phone in the UK?
| SHARE OF CHILDREN OWNING MOBILE PHONES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM (UK) IN 2023, BY AGE GROUP | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes, it’s a smartphone | Yes, but it’s not a smartphone | No, my child does not have a mobile phone | |
| 3-4 | 17% | 4% | 80% |
| 5-7 | 20% | 0% | 79% |
| 8-11 | 53% | 3% | 45% |
| 12-15 | 96% | 2% | 2% |
| 16-17 | 98% | 1% | 1% |
- Roughly 730,000 kids below the age of 5 have a phone in the United Kingdom, with the number spiking to 4.1 million to the 5-14 age bracket.3
- About half the kids in the UK also get their own phone by the time they turn 11.
- Before they turn 15, some 96% of kids have a device of their own. Only 2% of these devices are “dumb phones.”
- On average, children spend about three hours and 20 minutes each day on their phones.4
How Many Kids Have a Mobile Phone in China?
| DISTRIBUTION OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WHO HAD USED ELECTRONIC DEVICES AND SMART PHONES BEFORE TEN YEARS OLD IN CHINA FROM DECEMBER 2018 TO MARCH 2019, BY EDUCATION LEVEL | ||
|---|---|---|
| With exposure to electronic devices | Owning a dedicated mobile phone | |
| Primary school students | 27.1% | 8.0% |
| Junior high school students | 39.9% | 10.9% |
| High school students | 78.5% | 27.1% |
- While kids in China have exposure to electronic devices, parents are more reluctant to buy them their own phones.
- Only 8% of primary school and 10.9% of junior high school students own their own mobile phones.
- As teenagers start attending high school, however, the percentage spikes to an impressive 27.1%.
How Many Kids Have a Mobile Phone in India?
| MOBILE PHONE USAGE AMONG INDIAN PARENTS AND CHILDREN IN 2021, BY CHILD’S AGE | ||
|---|---|---|
| Children | Parents | |
| 10-14 | 83% | 81% |
| 15-16 | 88% | 87% |
| 17-18 | 90% | 92% |
- Mobile phone usage among children in India is extremely high, with over 83% of kids ages 10 to 14 getting some screen time.
- By the time kids reach 18 years old, some 90% of them have a mobile device.
How Many Kids Have a Mobile Phone in Russia?
| SHARE OF CHILDREN WITH THEIR OWN DEVICE TO ACCESS THE INTERNET AND OWN SMARTPHONE IN RUSSIA IN 2018, BY AGE GROUP | ||
|---|---|---|
| Share of children owning a device for internet access | Share of children owning a smartphone | |
| 5-7 | 44% | 23% |
| 5-11 | 60% | 44% |
| 8-11 | 74% | 62% |
- While kids in Russia have access to internet-connected devices in large proportions, they don’t own their own smartphones very early on.
- Kids ages 5 to 7, for instance, some 44% of them have a device they can go online on, but only 23% of them have a smartphone.
- Things change for kids ages 8 to 11 because while 74% of them have an internet-connected device, 62% own their own smartphone.
How Many Kids Have a Mobile Phone in Canada?
| MOBILE PHONE USAGE AMONG CHILDREN AND TEENS IN CANADA AS OF APRIL 2022, BY AGE GROUP | |
|---|---|
| Share of respondents | |
| 2-6 | 39% |
| 7-11 | 49% |
| 12-17 | 87% |
- By the time they are six, 39% of Canadian children use a mobile phone, with nearly half of kids ages 7 to 11 spending time on one.
- Things change dramatically for teenagers, as data shows that 87% of kids between the ages of 12 and 17 use a mobile device.
How Many Kids Have a Mobile Phone in Germany?
| SMARTPHONE OWNERSHIP AMONG CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS IN GERMANY IN 2022, BY AGE GROUP | |
|---|---|
| Share of respondents | |
| 6-7 | 9% |
| 8-9 | 27% |
| 10-11 | 58% |
| 12-13 | 81% |
| Total (6-13) | 44% |
- Over in Germany, 44% of kids between the ages of 6 and 13 own a smartphone.
- Only 9% of 6 and 7 year-olds have a smartphone, but the numbers grow dramatically as the teenage years hit. 81% of kids ages 12 and 13 have a smartphone.
How Many Kids Have a Mobile Phone in France?
| SHARE OF CHILDREN USING ELECTRONIC DEVICES IN FRANCE IN 2019 AND 2021, BY TYPE | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2021 | |
| TV set | 64% | 72% |
| Smartphone | 37% | 48% |
| Tablet | 17% | 40% |
| Computer | 32% | 38% |
| Video game console | 38% | 32% |
- Electronic devices are more and more popular among kids in France too, with the number spiking almost across the board between 2019 and 2021.
- Smartphones also grew in popularity between 2019 and 2021, going from 37% to 48%.
- A massive 40% of French kids were using tablets in 2021, as opposed to only 17% two years prior.
- TVs remain the most popular, with 72% of kids spending time in front of the screen.
How Many Kids Have a Mobile Phone in Spain?
| SHARE OF CHILDREN USING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS PRODUCTS IN SPAIN IN 2019, BY AGE GROUP | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer use | Internet use | Mobile phone use | |
| 10 | 79.1% | 86.7% | 22.3% |
| 11 | 87.3% | 92.2% | 38.1% |
| 12 | 91.2% | 92.4% | 63.9% |
| 13 | 93.9% | 93.0% | 84.0% |
| 14 | 93.7% | 95.2% | 92.5% |
| 15 | 93.6% | 98.0% | 93.8% |
- Mobile phone usage among kids in Spain grows considerably as they enter their teenage years.
- Only 22.3% of 10-year-olds use smartphones, but a massive 63.9% of 12-year-olds do.
- The number jumps to over 92.5% by the time kids turn 14.
How Many Kids Have a Mobile Phone in Brazil?
| SMARTPHONE OWNERSHIP AMONG CHILDREN IN BRAZIL IN 2020, BY AGE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Has its own smartphone | Does not have its own smartphone but uses its parents devices | Does not have a smartphone and does not use its parents devices | |
| 0-3 | 12.0% | 49.0% | 39.0% |
| 4-6 | 32.0% | 55.0% | 13.0% |
| 7-9 | 52.0% | 37.0% | 11.0% |
| 10-12 | 76.0% | 19.0% | 5.0% |
- Smartphone usage among children in Brazil is pretty high. By the time kids turn 9, 52% of them have their own device.
- Even if only 32% of Brazilian kids have their own smartphone, another 55% use their parent’s device.
How Many Under-18s Have a Mobile Phone?
Data from UNICEF5 indicated there are currently nearly 2.4 billion children under 18 years of age. Given how most data we’ve seen about mobile usage indicates that over 90% of kids have their own smartphone by the time they turn 18, we can say that about 2.16 billion kids have their own device.
What Percentage of Kids Have a Cell Phone?
While the numbers vary from country to country, we’ve noticed that about 50% of kids have their own cell phone by the time they become teenagers. The percentage of kids who own a phone grows rapidly and over 90% of them have one by the time they turn 18.
At What Age Should a Kid Get a Phone
The debate over the ideal age for getting a phone has been ongoing for years. This is a subject that parents and guardians have to grapple with sooner or later. With the rapid advancement of technology, mobile phones have become ubiquitous. However, knowing the appropriate age at which children should be given smartphones is crucial to safeguard their well-being.
The consensus among child development experts is that children should ideally be ten to twelve years or older before they are given a personal mobile phone.6 Before that age, parents can provide their children with simpler and more basic devices for communication, such as feature phones or GPS tracking devices. These devices provide a means for parents to remain in touch with their children. They can also locate them in case of emergencies, but without the added risks smartphones offer.
Children below thirteen are not mature enough to handle the implications of social media, messaging platforms, and “always-on” connectedness. Social media has been linked to negative self-image, anxiety, and depression. Moreover, when children are glued to their mobile screens, it can become challenging to control their use, which can lead to poor mental health, poor academic performance, and constant distraction.
Is Your Kid Ready for a Mobile Phone?
Beyond the problem of age, however, the more important bit is whether or not the child is ready for a smartphone. Dr. Jerry Bubrick, a clinical psychologist at the Child Mind Institute, says it’s more about the kid’s social awareness and understanding of technology than age.7 Issues like if the child often loses things, how they handle money, how they pick up on social cues, and how savvy they are about technology, should be considered.
Parents should ensure that they provide adequate guidance on what apps should be installed and what content their children can access when giving them phones. If younger children need (rather than want) a phone due to how far their school is and for easier location tracking, which cannot be achieved with the help of a dumb phone, then parental supervision is required, points out child psychologist Kate Ehleman.8 Several parental control apps can keep track of a child’s phone use, monitor their messages, limit app downloads, and blocking inappropriate content.
The Dangers of Kids and Mobile Phones
Before a child is given a smartphone, clear boundaries need to set, from screen time limitations to activity hours. Later on, when social media sites are introduced, extra monitoring is advised due to the risks that come with it. 9 From cyberbullying and online predators to the risk of oversharing personal information, having access to dangerous viral trends, damaged self-esteem, increased anxiety and irritability, social media comes with its own long list of dangers.
Studies even show that there are distinct developmental windows of sensibility to social media in adolescence. These windows occur at 14-15 and 19 years old for males and 11-13 and 19 for females. In short, social media use at these ages can lead to decreases in life satisfaction later on.10
Ultimately, parents decide for their children based on their unique situation. Extra precaution is advised, however, alongside strong boundaries regarding screen time. Hopefully, as they grow, children learn to have a healthy relationship with their smartphones, the internet, and social media.
