Navigating your child’s first phone

~ spusu shares three tips for parents whose children have received their first mobile ~

 In December 2023, Vodafone revealed that one in three children receive a smartphone for Christmas. A child’s first smartphone is an exciting milestone, but it can also come with concerns for parents. From setting boundaries to choosing the right plan, there’s a lot to consider. Here, SIM-only mobile provider spusu offers three top tips to guide parents navigating this process.

 Prioritise safety and wellbeing

Your child’s first smartphone grants them more independence and a sense of responsibility. With a phone, they can chat with friends online and develop digital skills. However, it also opens the door to risks such as excessive screen time and inappropriate content. In fact, a study by the Children’s Commissioner found that almost half of children aged eight to 17 years old had encountered harmful content on the internet.

 Fortunately, there are many parental controls and content restriction options available to help keep your child safe online. Parental controls vary depending on the device. On iPhones, go to Settings, Screen Time, then Family and select your child’s name to enable Content & Privacy Restrictions. From there, you can create specific parental controls, such as setting up content ratings and preventing purchases from the App Store.

 For Android devices, download the Family Link app on both your own and your child’s device. Family Link allows you to restrict content, set app usage limits, view your child’s location and even lock their phone remotely.

 As well as blocking inappropriate content, it’s crucial to supervise screen time. Spending too much time on devices can harm a child’s mental health and disrupt their sleep patterns. If you’re not sure how much time you should allow, Internet Matters offers some useful age-specific resources for parents.

 Talk, talk, talk

While parental controls are useful, don’t underestimate the importance of open and ongoing communication. Ofcom reports that 51 per cent of children under 13 use social media, despite 13 being the minimum age requirement for most platforms. Since children can find ways around restrictions, gifting them their first phone is a great opportunity to teach them about internet safety and responsible phone use.

 Start with a relaxed conversation and outline clear rules such as no texting during school, no phones at mealtimes and no screen time for an hour before bed.

 Help them to understand risks such as cyberbullying and scams and explain signs to look out for. After discussing these risks, practise how they should respond to different situations. For example, if they receive upsetting messages, show them how to block and report the user to the platform and encourage them to talk to you about it. You could also set a rule that they should never click on any links or download apps without your permission. Role-playing these scenarios can help build your child’s confidence and prepare them to act safely.

 Finally, it’s crucial that your child feels comfortable coming to you with any phone concerns. Encourage them to share if they’ve encountered anything that made them feel uncomfortable and reassure them that they won’t be judged or punished for being honest.

 Find the right mobile plan

Choosing the right mobile plan is another key step to supporting responsible phone use. Your child doesn’t need a data-heavy plan for their first phone. Instead, opt for a low-data plan to encourage reliance on Wi-Fi and limit unnecessary internet usage outside of the home and school.

 Popular activities for children, such as streaming videos and playing games, can quickly drain data. Since younger users may not understand how much data they’re using or the associated costs, they can easily rack up huge charges.

 A spending cap is a useful tool to prevent this. With a spending cap, you can limit your child’s data usage, protecting you from surprise charges once their data allowance is used up. All of spusu’s SIM-only plans come with customisable spending caps for data, calls and SMS. If you set the limit to £0, your child won’t be able to incur extra costs once they run out of data unless you approve an increase to this limit.

 A first phone is more than just a gift — it’s a tool for independence, learning and connection. By combining safety measures, open communication and a suitable mobile plan, you can help your child develop healthy habits while exploring their new device responsibly.

 To discover spusu’s SIM-only plans, visit spusu.co.uk.

For more helpful advice see Unplug your child and enjoy real-life activities