In an interview given to The Mirror in 2017, Bill Gates, main co-founder of Microsoft, revealed what is the right age to give cell phones to children.
According to the technology tycoon, young people can only have their own smartphones when they turn 14. Even Bill Gates applied this rule to raising his three children, who are now of legal age.
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The billionaire also said that the children had an imposed usage limit, even after they won their devices.
“We set a time after which there is no screen time, and in their case, it helps them fall asleep at a reasonable hour,” explained Gates.
In addition, the heirs of Bill Gates were prohibited from using cell phones at the table, during meals. The devices could only be used for studying and searching for information.
a valuable advice
Bill Gates' recommendations on the use of smartphones by children serve as a wake-up call for modern parents, considering that young people are having access to these devices more and more early.
One survey by the company Influence Central, which was released by the The New York Times, pointed out that children are currently having their first contact with smartphones at the age of 10, on average.
In this age group, children are not yet cognitively ready to have unrestricted access to mobile devices with Internet access, warn experts who echo Bill Gates.
Finally, the study points out that, before handing a cell phone to a child (even those over 14 years old), parents should ask themselves the following questions:
- How independent are my children?
- Do my children “need” the device?
- How responsible are they?
- Will they be obedient to the rules of use imposed?
- Will they refrain from texting during class, disturbing others with their conversations, and will they use text, photo and video functions responsibly?
- Do they really need a smartphone that is also their music device, video player, game console, and gateway to the Internet?
- Do they need something that gives their location information?
- Can I afford the expenses created by my child's device?
Depending on the answers to these questions, parents may or may not hand their children a smartphone when the time comes.
Graduated in History and Human Resources Technology. Passionate about writing, he now lives the dream of working professionally as a Content Writer for the Web, writing articles in different niches and different formats.