"I gave my daughter her first cell phone when she was 9 years old to call her and organize how I picked her up from the club she went to after school. I gave it to my son when she was 11 years old so she could call him and, in this way, coordinate the transfer from primary school to the secondary school entrance course," says Marcelo Lippi, customs broker.
The little Lippi are part of the Kids & Teens segment, that is, consumers of technological devices who have between 7 and 16 years old. This age group represents 30% of the smartphone market in Argentina, according to a study carried out in June by the consulting firm IPSOS.
According to experts, the appropriate age depends on several factors that must be analyzed in each particular case, among them: how prepared the child is to understand its use as a communication tool for a specific need, and not as a toy, and if he knows how to properly care for it to avoid possible theft or breakage.
"While the stages Maturational characteristics are not exact, they occur within a range. That is why it can be said that at the beginning of schooling, that is, when the child has to face institutional integration for the first time, and is separated from his primary circle, he could begin to understand how to use the cell phone to stay connected with his caregivers, just as in previous times, he was taught to use the phone in an emergency," explains Dr. Elena Scherb, Director of the Bachelor's Degree in Psychology at the UADE Foundation. Enrique Carrier, from the consulting firm Carrier & Asociados, comments that, in general terms, in Argentina children are given their first telephone when they begin to walk alone on the street.
What they want
According to recent studies provided by Movistar, children between 9 and 13 years old consider that the appropriate age to have their own cell phone is between 8 and 9 years, although the real age at which everyone already has their first cell phone is between 11 and 12 years old. The telephone operator observes that the first device is inherited from their parents, who usually replace or update their equipment and pass the previous one on to their children.
"The smartphone, although it may be welcome, is not a priority for children between 7 and 12 years old when asking their parents for a technological device. Basically, between 10 and 12 years old, children usually settle for a low-end cell phone, while between 13 and 14 they usually use a high-end cell phone. Finally, between 15 and 16 years old they lean towards the high range," explains Esteban Cassani, Sr. Corporate Marketing Manager at Samsung.
The IPSOS study found that 81% of the children surveyed between 10 and 12 years old own a cell phone. "These kids prefer a smartphone over a conventional one since they use it to surf the Internet and communicate via WhatsApp, says Cassani. "Through this instant messenger, kids optimize the performance of their phone plan. In fact, 7 out of 10 prefer chat to communicate with distant friends and family, while only 1 out of 10 teenagers use e-mail," reports Movistar, and indicates that the majority of kids have a prepaid line, that is, they are previously charged with a balance to consume.
Of course, it is not the same to buy a device for a 13-year-old pre-adolescent as it is for a 16-year-old teenager who, according to Cassani, is in a stage of "technological maturity" since these users make more refined and selective use of the device and applications. "When choosing their next phone, teenagers look at the brand and Internet access. In addition, they look at the processor to be sure that the cell phone is fast, they want front and rear cameras with good resolution," says the Samsung executive. And he adds that children of all ages lean toward models with screens of 4.5" or larger, and a touch keyboard.
When choosing a cell phone for their children, parents should consider that it is made with a solid material so that it is more resistant to bumps and falls. For this reason, it is advisable to discard the most delicate ones. It never hurts to put a protector or silicone case or similar on it.
Everything under control
Scherb emphasizes that it is not recommended that very young children handle the interaction with devices alone, which is why adults must have control over children's communications. With this explanation he refers to a common situation: that children have too many conversations with others through WhatsApp or another similar platform.
As final advice, the UADE professional concludes: "Parents must help and accompany the child in integrating with the digital world. In addition, they should not leave them alone with the technology even if they know how to operate it, since many times they do not have the emotional and behavioral tools to stop possible excesses."
Updated on: 19/08/2015 00:00:00
Source of Information: Por Débora Slotnisky| Para LA NACION
