Should you be checking YOUR KID'S PHONE?

How to know when your child is ready for 'phone privacy'

- JOANNE ORLANDO

Smartphone ownership among younger children is increasing rapidly. Most primary school children now own smartphones while they are the norm in high school.

Parents of younger children may occasionally (or routinely) look at their child's phone to check it's being used responsibly and safely.

But as children mature into teens, parental inspections may be resisted as invasion of privacy. Most parents would not ask for a high schooler's diary. Latter day phones hold more personal information.

In the circumstances when do parents need to draw up "phone rules" for their children as they get older?

Early smartphone ownership

Parents get their younger children phones for many reasons. Some feel it will help keep kids safe when, for example, travelling on their own to and from school.

Others have bought one after intense pressure from their child or worry their child will be left out socially if all their friends have a phone.

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In my own research with parents, some tell me they are reluctant to let their child use a parent's phone for fear of risking important work files or information stored on it.

But most parents worry that giving a child a phone early might encourage phone addiction, or that a child might access adult content.

Parental guidance for this age group tends to focus on safety, which usually includes checking the child's phone activity (with or without her knowledge), restricting access through passwords or time limits.