Phone ownership nearly doubles between ages 9 and 10, US census finds
By Vikram JoshiLife Balance Correspondent, Peepals Shakti
Representative image: ricardorv30 / Pixabay
A Common Sense Media census released on October 27, 2026, finds US children's phone ownership jumps from 24% at age 9 to 47% at 10, and teens average eight hours of screens a day.
What Happened
A new census of children's technology use by Common Sense Media, a US non-profit that studies children and media, finds that the share of American children with their own phone nearly doubles between the ages of 9 and 10, from 24% to 47%, and reaches 57% by age 11. The report, released on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, surveyed young people aged 9 to 17 and also found that a typical teenager spends about eight hours a day on screens for entertainment, while a typical tween (aged 9 to 12) spends about five.
Key Facts
- Report: the 2026 Common Sense Media Census: Tech and Media Use by Tweens and Teens, released on October 27, 2026.
- Who was studied: children and teenagers aged 9 to 17 in the United States.
- Phone ownership: 24% at age 9, 47% at age 10 and 57% at age 11.
- Screen time for entertainment: about eight hours a day for a typical teen and about five hours for a typical tween, not counting schoolwork.
- Heavy use: more than four in ten teens spend 10 or more hours a day on screen entertainment.
- Early starts: many children begin using social media and AI chatbots before they turn 13, the report found.
- Parents' timing: the report's lead researcher said many parents face decisions about a child's first phone by the fourth or fifth grade.
Why It Matters
For many families, the first phone is one of the biggest parenting decisions of the primary-school years. This census puts a number on when that decision usually arrives: around age 10. In one year, between 9 and 10, the share of children with their own phone almost doubles. For many parents, that means the question of a first phone arrives in the fourth or fifth grade.
The screen-time figures show why the decision matters. Eight hours a day of entertainment screens is roughly the length of a school day, and it is on top of any screen time for homework. When four in ten teenagers spend 10 hours or more, screens are taking a large share of the time that might otherwise go to sleep, play, family meals or conversation. The report does not say screens are harmful in every case, and much depends on what children do with them. But the numbers give parents a clear picture of how much of a child's day is now spent on a device.
The report also finds that children start using social media and AI chatbots, programs that answer questions in conversation, before their teens. A separate Common Sense Media census on AI use, published earlier in 2026, found that 86% of children aged 9 to 17 used some form of AI, and about two-thirds had used a chatbot. Together, the reports suggest that parents now have to think about AI tools as well as social media when they set family rules.
| Age | Share with their own phone |
|---|---|
| 9 | 24% |
| 10 | 47% |
| 11 | 57% |
The findings are from the United States, and patterns in other countries, including India, may differ. Still, the questions they raise are familiar to families everywhere: when to give a child a phone, how to set limits on screen time, and how parents and children can agree on rules together.
Impact
Short-term: Parents of children around ages 9 and 10 can use the findings to plan the first-phone conversation before it is forced on them, including what the phone is for and what limits will apply.
Long-term: If children keep getting phones and using social media and AI younger, families, schools and governments may face more pressure to agree on age limits, phone-free times and digital-safety teaching.
Who is affected: Parents and carers of children aged 9 to 17; children and teenagers themselves; teachers and schools that set phone rules; and technology companies whose products children use.
Key Takeaway
Common Sense Media's 2026 census, released on October 27, finds that US children's phone ownership jumps from 24% at age 9 to 47% at age 10, and typical teens spend about eight hours a day on screen entertainment.
Questions and Answers
At what age do most children get a phone, according to the Common Sense census?
The 2026 census found that 24% of US children have their own phone at age 9, 47% at age 10 and 57% at age 11, so the share nearly doubles between 9 and 10.
How much screen time do teenagers have?
A typical US teenager spends about eight hours a day on screens for entertainment, and more than four in ten spend 10 hours or more, according to the census released on October 27, 2026.
How much screen time do tweens have?
A typical tween, aged 9 to 12, spends about five hours a day on screen entertainment, the census found.
Does the census cover AI chatbots?
Yes. It found that many children start using AI chatbots and social media before their teens. A separate Common Sense Media report earlier in 2026 found 86% of children aged 9 to 17 used some form of AI.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Vikram Joshi, Life Balance CorrespondentCovers Life Balance and more for Peepals Shakti. All stories by Vikram Joshi
New targeted drug more than doubles time before HER2-low breast cancer grows
HOKA, UGG maker Deckers cuts sales outlook as store demand cools
Get the day's stories in your inbox
Peepals Weekly: the week decoded, free. One email a week, unsubscribe in one click.
Vikram Joshi is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
