My daughter is 9 and does not have a tablet or a mobile phone of her own.

This is something I have previously felt quite proud about, but with friends her age increasingly getting them as gifts for birthdays and Christmases, I’m starting to question my decision to delay my daughter’s journey into the technological world.

I would rather see children playing outside, reading a book, climbing a tree or colouring than sitting in silence like zombies, glued to screens, but I don’t want my daughter to get left behind or bullied. As if we don’t have enough to worry about as parents, the pressure to put devices into such little hands is there too!

My husband and I decided early on that mobile phones and tablets should only be purchased for our child when they go to high school and even then, not right away, maybe in Year 9 or 10. But we did feel the pressure/need to buy her a laptop for Christmas because, much to my horror, all of her homework is already being presented online.

Don’t get me wrong, this is great for the environment, and it means we can all have a look at what assignments need to be completed by when. There’s no danger of homework getting lost between school and home, or of it getting forgotten, screwed up in the bottom of a bag or, as in my day, being eaten by the dog. But when we’re also told that screen time is bad for us all, it makes me sad to see homework presented this way. I also feel awful for people who cannot afford to buy a laptop for the exclusive use of homework.

My daughter is pretty good about screen time and has lots of hobbies that don’t involve screens, like singing, dancing and swimming, but, once again, she is in the fortunate position of being bought lessons and living in an area where great classes are available. If she were not so lucky, I can imagine that it would be easy to sit her in front of a screen and let her play games or watch endless episodes of kids TV shows and multiple films while I got on with work and jobs around the house.

Apart from becoming insular, I also worry about the access to social media that these devices can provide, and the dangers these platforms present to impressionable young minds. I know from personal experience how addictive social media sites can be, and how ugly people can be to each other on them, so I am desperate to delay my little one’s experience of this side of technology for as long as possible.

But, I am also aware of how the world works, and the way industries are going, and I fear I am also denying my child access to the educational benefits of being able to use computers.

In a bid to find out if I am becoming a dinosaur on the subject of children and access to mobile phones and tablets, I decided to do some research.

A quick Google of ‘What age should a child have a mobile phone?’ led me to the NSPCC website.

This offers some advice on a page called ‘Supporting children at different ages with their use of technology’. There are separate pages for parents of under 5s, under 10s, pre-teens and teens, parents of children with SEND, and a section for frequently asked questions about access to technology. I immediately jump to the section regarding under 10s.

I am a little dismayed that, instead of stating categorically that under 10s shouldn’t have access to devices, it says they should but with limited features, like tablets without data and non-smart phones that only allow calls and texts.

It advises parents/guardians to keep tech use in shared family spaces or used with bedroom doors open to “allow you to support your child and be more aware of what they are doing online”.

It goes on: “Apps, sites and games come with age ratings which are important to follow. You can find out the age rating on the website for the platform or by visiting Common Sense Media’s reviews.

“Explore the in-app and device safety settings with your child and check them regularly to make sure they are still in place.

“Revisit parental controls as children grow up and need the internet more for schoolwork you may want to adjust your parental controls. Keep checking these regularly to make sure they are in place.”

Despite this advice and the increasing number of friends buying devices for their children, my gut tells me that 9, 10, 11, even 12 is too young for my child to have her own device, but I do wonder if I’m wrong... What do you think? Let me know at [email protected].