The average British child gets a smartphone aged 11, poll claims

Children of participants become less reliant on parents at 12 years old on average

(iStock)

British children are allowed to play outside unsupervised aged 10, get their first phone aged 11 and stay home alone aged 13, according to a new poll.

The survey of 2,000 parents asked them also revealed that a majority gave their children pocket money aged nine and own their own money through odd jobs and paper rounds aged 13.

Most respondents let their children walk to and from school alone aged 11 and go for a sleepover at their friend’s house a year later.

It also found the children of participants started to become less reliant on parents at the age of 12.

Eight in 10 believed children are growing up faster as a direct result of advances in technology, while 51 per cent admitted they worried about their child racking up huge bills.

“Irrespective of age, all children mature at different rates and there’s no magic number that suits everyone," said Sophia Ahmad, director of Sky Mobile, which commissioned the survey.

SWNS