UK's Prince William Says His 2 Children Aged 12 And 10 Don't Have Mobile Phones

 Will Prince George get a mobile phone? What William and Kate are thinking

It's a question that most parents have to think about at one stage or another. What age should your child get a mobile phone and how do you keep them safe online if they do?

And it seems Prince William and Kate Middleton are no different. In an interview for Brazillian TV, the Prince of Wales told host Luciano Huck about the family's approach to technology.

Revealing that neither George, 12, Charlotte, 10, or Louis, seven, have a phone yet, he explained that the decision of when to get them was a tough one.

"It's really hard. Our children don't have phones," he said in a video posted to Huck's Instagram account today. "I think when George moves onto secondary school, maybe he'll have one with limited access.

"To be honest, it’s getting to the point where it’s becoming a little bit of a tense issue. But I think he understands why. We communicate why we don’t think it’s right. And again, I think it’s the internet access I have a problem with.

"I think children can access too much stuff they don’t need to see online, and so having a phone and text message, the old sort of brick phone as they call them, I think that’s fine."

What are the options for child-friendly phones?

In addition to basic 'brick' phones with no internet access, other options for parents include phones designed specifically for children, such as Balance and Pinwheel, which offer access to a limited number of child-friendly apps.

William and Kate may also consider putting parental controls on a smartphone, such as Apple Screen Time or Google Family Link. This allows you to put limits on screen time and limit the apps your child can access.

According to recent research from Ofcom, nine out of 10 (91%) children own their own phone by the age of 11, with many receiving them between the ages of nine and 11.

Many parents, like the Waleses, consider getting their child a phone when they're about to start secondary school. This is the age when a lot of children gain more independence and may need to contact their parents if they're out and about with friends or travelling to and from school alone.

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