Introduction
Smartphones have become one of the most contested technologies of modern life, particularly when it comes to their role in childhood development. What was once a category defined by innovation and excitement, smartphones are increasingly associated with concerns about sleep disruption, reduced attention, mental health, and exposure to inappropriate content.
These anxieties have begun to generate institutional responses, with many schools banning smartphones, and governments considering tighter regulation around children’s access to them or the content platforms most commonly accessed via these devices, with Australia leading the way on this with a social media ban for the under 16’s coming into force on 10.12.25.
At the same time,smartphones are widely viewed as indispensable tools, enabling communication,education, safety, and participation in everyday social and digital life.
This creates a fundamental dilemma for parents. On one hand, they are under pressure to equip their children with the technology needed to function in a digitally connected world. On the other, they are acutely aware of the potential risks that constant connectivity and unrestricted access to online content may pose to wellbeing and development. This tension has also opened new opportunities for manufacturers, such as the emergence of simplified or restricted devices positioned as safer alternatives for children and a wide variety of apps and other safeguarding tools designed to restrict and monitor usage.
Bryter's survey
Against this backdrop Bryter carried out a survey of 1,823 adults of parenting age (30+) across the UK, Germany and Italy to explore attitudes toward children’s smartphone ownership and to understand whether growing concern about smartphones is impacting on the purchase of these devices, or whether these worries remain largely theoretical.
The research was designed to explore how parents feel about smartphones, what devices children currently own, how purchase decisions are justified, and whether attitudes are likely to translate into meaningful changes in future buying behaviour. By examining both stated beliefs and real‑world ownership patterns, the study was also designed to clarify whether a shift in the market for children’s phones is truly underway, or whether smartphones will continue to dominate despite persistent parental unease.
Below is a synopsis of the results. You can access and download the full report here Phones, fears and future intentions
Summary of findings
Parents are conflicted,but anxiety is widespread: The majority of people believe that we spend too much time on smartphones, that smartphone use negatively affects sleep and mental health, and that children under the age of 11 should be restricted from owning a smartphone. Despite this, concern does not translate into a wholesale rejection of smartphones for children. Parents simultaneously acknowledge the benefits of smartphones,including their role in education, safety, communication, and digital literacy.Many believe the advantages ultimately outweigh the risks, even for younger children.
Device ownership is dominated by smartphones: Actualdevice ownership shows that smartphones dominate the market once children aregiven a phone, regardless of age. While most children under 11 do not yet own aphone, those who do are more likely to have a smartphone than a feature phone.Ownership becomes near‑universal at secondary school age (11+), reflectingparental perceptions that smartphones are necessary for independence, socialinclusion, and access to school systems.
The report identifies a clear intention–action gap: When parents are prompted to think about the risks of smartphones,they express stronger intentions to buy feature phones for younger children.However, when asked without this attitudinal priming, stated purchaseintentions closely match current market behaviour, suggesting limited real‑worldappetite for a shift away from smartphones in the future
Parents justify buying smartphones for pragmatic reasons: They emphasise pragmatic, adult driven reasons such as education, safety,location tracking, and communication as the rationale for children owning smartphones, while downplaying children’s preferences or desire for ownership,social acceptance and entertainment.
Smartphones will continue to dominate: Overall, the findings suggest enduring parental ambivalence, but little evidence of a significant future move away from smartphones for children.Coping strategies are mainly around delaying device ownership for kids, rather than any appetite for a switch to a more basic model of device.
Key statistics and findings from the report
Smartphone negatives
- 74% of parents believe people should spend less time on smartphones
- 63% think smartphones should be banned for children under 11
- 53% agree smartphone use negatively affects sleep
- 46% believe smartphones are bad for mental health
- 45% worry about their own children having a smartphone
Smartphone positives
- 78% say smartphones are an essential part of modern life
- 67% believe they are essential for managing everyday tasks
- 66% say it is important for children to learn to use modern technology
- 61% say the benefits of owning a smartphone outweigh the negatives
Ownership and future intentions
- 98% of all adults expect their own next phone to be a smartphone
- For children 11–17, 93% of parents plan to buy a smartphone next
- For children under 11: 65% intend to buy a smartphone, 35% a feature phone
Rationale for buying children a smartphone
- 45% want their child to have internet access
- 38% value location‑tracking for safety
- 35% say smartphones are needed for school systems, apps, and assignments
- 35% say children need access to modern communication channels beyond calls and texts
Get the full report and learn more
Access and download the report to get the full picture and all the stats
Report is based on a survey of 1,823 adults of parenting age (30+) across the UK, Germany and Italy. Report includes key demographic splits and data cuts. Access and download the full report here
To learn more about how Bryter supports technology manufacturers with audience understanding and new product development check out the article 'technology market research' or visit our Technology services page
