Access to a mobile phone has become one of the main issues that Spanish families face during childhood and adolescence. At what age do children start having their own phone? The latest data published by the National Statistics Institute (INE) makes it possible to identify a particularly significant moment: at 12 years old, when 65.2% of minors already have a mobile phone. Barely two years earlier, at age ten, that percentage was 20%, while at 15 years old it reaches 95.6%, which means that virtually all adolescents of that age have this device.
The figures correspond to the Survey on Equipment and Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Households of 2026, published last November 11. According to the study, 68% of minors between 10 and 15 years old have a mobile phone, a proportion practically identical to that recorded in 2025, when it reached 67.9%. The results show that access to these devices is still very dependent on age, and that the most important jump occurs during the last years of Primary Education and the first years of Secondary Education.
This year, the INE has expanded information on minors to also include children aged six to nine years, allowing us to observe how the mobile phone starts to be introduced at earlier ages. If we consider the entire population of six to 15-year-olds, 45.9% have this device, although the percentage increases progressively until it reaches levels close to total among older adolescents.
From six to 15 years old: how many children have a mobile at each age
Official data reflects significant differences between the different age groups. While only 1.8% of six-year-old children have a mobile phone, the percentage grows to 11.2% at nine and reaches 20% at ten. However, the increase accelerates starting at age eleven, coinciding with a stage in which many minors begin to gain autonomy in their movements and social relationships.
| Age of minor | Percentage with mobile |
|---|---|
| 6 years | 1.8% |
| 7 years | 4.2% |
| 8 years | 8.4% |
| 9 years | 11.2% |
| 10 years | 20.0% |
| 11 years | 37.5% |
| 12 years | 65.2% |
| 13 years | 84.8% |
| 14 years | 93.1% |
| 15 years | 95.6% |
Source: National Statistics Institute (INE), ICT Survey in Households of 2026. The percentages indicate availability of a mobile phone by age, not necessarily daily use of a smartphone.
The most pronounced change occurs between eleven and twelve years old, when the proportion of minors with a mobile phone goes from 37.5% to 65.2%, a difference of 27.7 percentage points. The increase continues at age 13, when 84.8% already have one. From that moment on, the adoption approaches totality: 93.1% at age 14 and 95.6% at age 15.
This means that most Spanish minors begin to have a mobile phone available at around twelve years old, although the study does not establish the exact age at which each child received their first device. The statistic is a snapshot of mobile phone availability in each age group during 2026, not a follow-up of the same minors throughout their childhood.
The percentage hardly changes compared with 2025, but increases among older adolescents
Despite the spread of mobile phones among adolescents, the data do not show a generalized increase compared with the previous year. In 2025, 67.9% of minors aged 10 to 15 had one, compared with 68% currently. The difference is only one-tenth and confirms a stage of stability after several years in which the indicator had shown fluctuations.
In fact, in 2023 the percentage reached 70.6%, above current levels. In 2024 it fell to 69.6% and again decreased in 2025, to 67.9%. The slight increase in 2026 therefore does not allow us to speak of a continued growth trend across this age group as a whole.
The trend is different depending on the ages reached. The largest increase compared with 2025 has been recorded among 15-year-old adolescents, whose mobile phone availability has risen from 93.9% to 95.6%, an increase of 1.7 percentage points. Meanwhile, minors under 12 are the only group that shows a decline, going from 66.3% to 65.2%, which represents a reduction of 1.1 points.
Moderate increases are also recorded among 10-year-old children, who go from 18.7% to 20%, and among 11-year-olds, from 36.8% to 37.5%. The figures suggest that access to the mobile phone remains relatively stable among the youngest, while its availability continues to be practically universal during the last years of adolescence analyzed by the INE.
Having a mobile phone is not the same as using the Internet
One of the important distinctions of the survey is that having a mobile phone does not equal using the Internet. Minors can access digital content through computers, tablets, or devices shared with other family members, even when they do not have their own phone.
According to the INE, 89.6% of minors aged six to 15 have used the Internet during 2026, while 88.9% have used some type of computer. Both percentages far exceed the 45.9% that has a mobile phone in that same age range, which shows that access to digital technology begins well before most minors have a phone device.
This difference is also relevant in the debate about the use of screens during childhood. Delaying the delivery of the first mobile phone does not necessarily mean preventing access to the Internet, just as having one does not make it possible to know how much time a minor spends connected or which apps they use. The INE survey measures the availability of devices and certain technological habits, but it does not, on its own, allow establishing the effects of its use on education, social relationships, or health.
The study also provides information on economic and family differences. According to 2025 data analyzed by the Observatorio Nacional de Tecnología y Sociedad, minors from households with higher incomes showed lower availability of mobile phones than those from some lower income brackets. In households with net incomes of 4,400 euros or more per month, the percentage was 62.4%, compared with 72.4% of households located between 2,200 and 3,100 euros. However, these differences do not, by themselves, make it possible to determine which factors explain each family’s decisions.
What is the usual age to have the first mobile phone in Spain?
The latest official data points to twelve years as the age when mobile phone availability first exceeds 50% of minors. The jump roughly coincides with the transition between Primary Education and Secondary Education, a stage in which everyday commutes, social relationships, and adolescents’ communication needs change.
However, there is no single age that can be considered suitable for all children, and availability statistics do not constitute an educational or health recommendation. The decision depends on factors such as the maturity of the minor, the intended use of the device, family rules, and the possibility of establishing supervision and support mechanisms.
The INE survey, conducted between April 6 and July 16, 2026, confirms that mobile phones are still in the minority among children under ten years old, spread rapidly starting at eleven, and are present in almost all households with teenagers aged 15. More than uniform growth from early childhood, the data show especially intense uptake during the first years of adolescence, when the phone begins to become a common device among Spanish minors.