Most parents surveyed by school fintech platform Karri want tighter controls on cellphones at school and believe children should be at least 16 before accessing social media.

The 2026 Karri Parent Survey received responses from 2 780 parents across South Africa between March and April, representing more than 4 751 school children.

However, the survey noted that respondents were Karri app users and primarily represented urban, economically active households. Different respondents were also asked different questions, resulting in varying sample sizes.

School phone rules

The survey found that 91% of respondents wanted some form of control over cellphones at school.

Of the parents surveyed, 54% said phones should be locked away during the school day, while 37% supported an outright ban, leaving just 7% who said cellphones should be allowed.

Parents of older children were generally more likely to support phones being locked away rather than banned.

The survey also found that children often received their first mobile phone before parents believed they should have access to social media. Among 1 308 respondents who answered the question about their child’s first phone, 42% said their child received their first phone between the ages of 10 and 13.

Age boundaries for platforms

Nearly three-quarters of parents surveyed said children should be 16 or older before being given access to social media.

Of the 2 276 respondents who gave an exact age, 74% chose 16 or older, while 30% said children should be at least 18.

The median and average recommended age was 16.

Parents most commonly cited maturity and readiness as the reason for their chosen age, followed by concerns about safety and online dangers.

Other concerns included the potential impact of social media on mental health, including bullying, comparison, addiction and self-esteem.

Financial and household trends

Karri – which has a Mastercard that works like a regular youth card, but with tighter parental controls – noted that control and safety, including keeping money secure and spending in check, are the two biggest concerns parents have about youth banking, outweighing concerns about cost.

The survey also found that 74.7% of respondents had no insurance specifically covering their children’s education costs.

Meanwhile, the survey’s Tooth Fairy Index found that the average payment per tooth in 2026 was R46.95, with a median payment of R30.

Among the provinces with more than 100 responses, Gauteng recorded the highest average Tooth Fairy payment at R49, followed by KZN at R46.

Download the full survey below:

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