Bill Gates strongly believes in how his children use the technology they bring to society.
“We often don’t have screen time, and we set a time that helps us go to sleep at a reasonable time,” said the technology teacher, who noted that her children are not allowed to have their own cell phones until age 14. Gates said that children are not allowed to have cell phones in desk, but are allowed to use them for homework or study.
Gates’ children, now aged 20, 17 and 14, are all above the minimum age requirement to own a phone, but because of Gates’ longtime rivalry with Apple founder Steve Jobs, the house is barred from owning Apple products.
Although his parent’s choice may seem extraordinary, Gates can do something by delaying childhood smartphone ownership. According to the 2016 report Kids and Technology: The Evolution of Today’s Digital Native, the average age a child gets their first smartphone is now 10.3.
“I think it’s going to be younger because parents are tired of handing smartphones to their kids,” said Stasi DeBroff, executive director of the Impact Center.
James P. Steyer, executive director of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that reviews content and products for families, told The Times that when it comes to cell phones, there is one hard rule for kids: When they start high school, they get one. stay alone when they prove it. “No two children are the same and there is no magic number,” she says. “A child’s age is not as important as their level of responsibility or maturity”.
