Age of smartphone access: implications for problematic internet use and online risk behaviors

Access to smartphones raises concerns on multiple levels, particularly because it serves as a gateway to situations of online vulnerability and facilitates the development of risky behaviors, such as problematic internet use (PIU). Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze whether earlier access of children to a smartphone of their own promotes a differential pattern of internet use, with higher percentages of PIU and online risk behaviors.

We conducted a cross-sectional study in 31 secondary schools in Galicia (Spain). A self-administered online ad hoc questionnaire was used, including questions about the age of acquisition of the first personal smartphone, usage habits, online risk behaviors, and the Problematic Internet Use Scale in Adolescents. The final sample consisted of 3351 adolescents (mean age, 15.48 years [SD, 1.22]; 49.3% female).

The average age at which children first got a smartphone of their own was 11.7 years. We compared the behavior of two groups: (1) those who first obtained a smartphone of their own at age 11 or earlier vs (2) those who obtained it at age 13 or later. The results showed a more frequent and intensive internet usage pattern among those who accessed smartphones earlier, with significantly higher percentages of risky behaviors, such as passive sexting, contact with strangers or online gambling, as well as nearly double the prevalence of PIU.

These findings have important implications from an evidence-based prevention perspective, underscoring the pressing need to delay and rationalize the age of access to a personal smartphone during childhood and adolescence.