Mihail Pautovmedic, IC Fundeni · Doctor Mihail - Medic specialist în chirurgie generală, Educator de sănătate

Îi dai copilului telefon înainte de 13 ani?

19 Oct 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:02

In this segment of a YouTube interview, the expert (Speaker A) argues that children under 13 lack the neurocognitive development needed to responsibly use highly addictive digital platforms, recommending that they should not own personal smartphones, smartwatches, or tablets. The conversation cites Romanian data showing that 22% of adolescents exhibit problematic social media use, positioning Romania as a leading European case. Practical advice is offered: parents should explain why a device is being taken away, enforce bans during meals, in bedrooms, and at bedtime, and generally limit personal device access for younger children.

Yeah. So any child under the age of 13 should not have their own smartphone, smartwatch, iPad, that kids at that age just don't have the neurocognitive development to be able to navigate what is ultimately a highly addictive platform and product.
So at first you would ban them? Yeah.
For younger children, for sure.
Romania showed to be the first country in Europe as a problematic social media user in adolescence. 22% of adolescents in Romania have this problematic social media use.
Yes, I'm familiar with some of, some of those data showing that Romania is a leader in terms of adolescent addictive or problematic use of social media. So if you have a younger child under the age of 13 and they have a personal device, I would recommend explaining to the child why you're taking it away and then, and then taking it away. Mealtime. It's not appropriate to be on the phone in your bedroom, in your bed when you should be sleeping. It's not appropriate to be on the phone.