One in five kids aged 12 and under already have their own smartphone. Photo / Getty
An alarming amount of Aussie children aged 12 and under now have their hands on their very own smartphone, new statistics have revealed.
The Finder.com.au research shows that more than one in five (22 per cent) of youngsters in that age bracket already have one — and the number is likely to rise substantially after Christmas.
According to News.com.au, Alex Kidman, a tech expert at the comparison website, suspects many parents would be considering smartphones as gifts for their children, but he advises parents to take time and prepare themselves before taking the plunge.
"Over 290,000 children will start high school in 2018. If a phone is on the back-to-school list, some families might consider adding it to the Christmas present list," he says.
"It can be a mixed blessing. Your children are easier to reach, it's true. But giving your child a smartphone can open the door to many problems such as sky high bills or online risks."
The research shows a range of reasons why parents buy their kids phones at such as young age. Some of the top factors for giving kids a device were: the need to stay in touch, starting high school, and getting to and from school alone. Being able to "contact their child as needed" was the next most common reason.
"It's important that children have a good balance between screen time and other activities. The last thing you want to do is distract them from homework or just being kids," Mr Kidman added.
The research shows the main reason these children own a smartphone is thanks to their parents having a spare one lying around, showing hand-me-downs are common among families.
Kids who travel to and from school by themselves is another leading factor for kids having a device, closely followed by children who started high school. One in ten got a phone because they kept pestering their parents.
Earlier this year, the Australian Child Health Poll (ACHP) found that almost all Australian teenagers, two- thirds of primary school-aged children and one-third of preschoolers now own their own tablet or smartphone.
The poll's director, Dr Anthea Rhodes said one of the most significant findings, that directly affected children's health, was the impact of screen use at bedtime on sleep.
"Almost half of children regularly use screen-based devices at bedtime, with one in four children reporting associated sleep problems," she said.
"Teenagers using screens routinely at bedtime were also more likely to report experiencing online bullying. It's best to have no screen-time an hour before bed and keep screens out of the bedroom, to ensure a better quality of sleep."
If that's not enough to put you off buying a smartphone for your child, Mr Kidman advises sticking to prepaid SIMs and budget or second-hand phones.
"If it is a Christmas present, you don't have to fork out over $1000 for a new iPhone," he said.
"Just like your parents gave you a bomb of a first car, do the same with smartphones — there are plenty of budget phones out there that won't break the bank.
"Or consider giving an old fashioned mobile phone without internet instead to see if they can do without a smartphone for as long as possible."
The ACHP also revealed that 50 per cent of toddlers and preschoolers are using a screen-based device without supervision.
"The demands of the modern lifestyle mean a lot of parents are busy, so they use screen use as a digital babysitter. We found that 85 per cent of parents of young children say they use screens to occupy their kids so they can get things done." Dr Rhodes said.
"There is little evidence to support the idea that screen use benefits the development of infants and toddlers, but physical playtime and face-to-face contact is proven to be critical to a child's development.
"If you do offer screen time to your young child, it's better if you watch it with them, so you can talk together about what they are seeing and help children to learn from the experience."