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Fewer young children in Finland now own smartphones compared to previous years, according to a survey commissioned by telecommunications company DNA.
The survey, released on Wednesday, found that about a quarter of children aged 5–6 have their own mobile phone, while 58 percent of 7-year-olds own one. This marks a sharp decline of dozens of percentage points from previous figures, especially over the past two years.
“Children’s phone use and the associated challenges have been a hot topic in recent years, and parents have started to pay more and more attention to the harmful effects of smartphones,” said Jussi Mälkiä, DNA’s Vice President for Brand Development, in a statement.
Mälkiä noted that the shift reflects a rapid change in parental attitudes, likely influenced by broader public debate about smartphone use among young children. He added that DNA does not recommend unsupervised access to smart devices for young schoolchildren or preschool-aged children.
The survey indicated that while fewer children own phones, access to digital content remains widespread. Mälkiä pointed out that many children without their own devices still use smartphones belonging to friends.
“It is common for children who have a smartphone to share their device with friends who do not yet have a device of their own,” he said.
About 30 percent of children aged 5–7 still use phones only under adult supervision or with a parent, according to the findings. DNA encouraged parents to continue this approach.
The online survey was conducted by Nepa Insight between 22 January and 11 February, with responses from around 1,000 parents of children aged 5–16. The margin of error was 3.2 percentage points.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
