I recently provided some information for an article in a weekend paper, which I’ll reproduce in full here. The question was basically - at what age are young people ready for different technologies. Its a good question, and one that many parents would be asking themselves.  The problems is – its not possible to create a technology vs age readiness table that has any real value.

Each parent needs to decide when their child is capable of managing each technology. This will vary significantly from child to child. The critical factor in getting this decision right is the parents understanding of what challenges each technology represents. To that end, the right thing for NetSafe to do is identify the challenges each technology brings, and how those can be managed – and communicate that to parents. If a parent truly understands the challenges a technology poses and believes their child can manage those challenges – then I would support that parents decision that their child is ready.
 
Also, at some point young people become independent users of technology. At this point, access to technology is not entirely controlled by their parents and schools. It is important that we have done all that we can to prepare them for the challenges that this period will bring. We are wise to provide them access to those technologies in a supervised way in advance of their independent use, and provide advice and assistance dealing with issues that arise. 
 
Young people can access technology in many places outside of the family home. As soon as they are technology literate, they can establish their own social networking accounts on a computer at a friends house for example. Protective mechanisms (of which denying access is the most basic) have limited value as safety tools.
 
What age do you think is appropriate for children to have a cellphone?
There is a wide range of functionality in cellphones, and this complicates the question. Smart phones with access to the web are definitely not for young children. If you don’t think your child is old enough to have a computer in their room – you shouldn’t be giving them a web enabled phone.
A mobile phone has a safety function. It allows young people to contact their family, or be contacted by their family. On the flip side, it can be used to harass and bully a child. The question is not so much about access to to a phone, but when a child is old enough to have their own private mobile phone. This is probably older than most parents think. As long as parents maintain open access to the phone, they can help young people deal with negative incidents. Parents are wise to treat phones as a family resource for as long as they can, rather than a private item belonging to the child.
 
An email account? A social networking account?
As soon as children are technology literate, they can create their own email accounts using free online services. Therefore, children set this age more than parents. Parents are wise to establish email accounts for their children and help them manage them before this point. 
 
A computer in a child’s own room?
(I’m assuming this computer has Internet access). Unsupervised Internet access is a big step. The Internet is a window to the world, with all of challenges that brings. Essentially at the point that a child has a private computer with Internet access – we are saying they are ready to face all of the challenges technology brings. That means they could be dealing with sexual solicitation, harassment, online scams and fraud, time management, and negative digital footprint issues.
 
Assuming a good relationship with supportive peers and family, most secondary aged school children would be equipped to deal with those challenges. The majority of primary aged children are not.