Too young for tech? US parents wonder how old is old enough

Just over half of US children have their own smartphone by 11, and more than two-thirds do by 12, according to a nationally representative survey of more than 1,600 eight- to 18-year-olds in the US in 2019. Among 13- to 14-year-olds, ownership is at 84% – notably up from 67% in 2015. — Dreamstime/TNS

Chase Fitzgerald, of Toledo, had a question for his mother: Could he get a cellphone?

"I said, 'Absolutely not’," Carla Fitzgerald said, recalling her response to her then nine-year-old.