INDIANA – As families prepare for the holiday gifting season, a new national analysis has identified Indiana as the third most dangerous state in the U.S. for children receiving their first smartphone.
The study, conducted by global electronics manufacturer WellPCB , highlights a troubling intersection of early device adoption and a surge in local digital threats. Indiana earned an overall “Phone Danger Score” of 87.52, placing it behind only Nevada (#1) and Florida (#2).
The “Perfect Storm” of Digital Risk
The ranking is driven by two primary factors that make Hoosier children uniquely vulnerable:
- Early Adoption: The average age at which an Indiana child receives their first smartphone is now 10.82 years old.
- National-High Crime Rate: According to FBI IC3 data, Indiana reports 341.70 cybercrime complaints per 100,000 residents—the highest rate in the entire country for this specific metric.
“In Indiana, the cybercrime rate is the highest in the nation,” said Hommer Zhao, consumer electronics expert and Founder at WellPCB. “This means children encounter risks at a much greater scale, from scams to unsafe connections, often before they have the guidance to handle them.”
Regional Comparison: The Danger Leaderboard
| Rank | State | Avg. Age (1st Phone) | Cybercrime Complaints (per 100k) | Overall Danger Score |
| 1 | Nevada | 10.08 | 328.00 | 100.00 |
| 2 | Florida | 9.85 | 223.30 | 94.24 |
| 3 | Indiana | 10.82 | 341.70 | 87.52 |
| 4 | Illinois | 10.32 | 200.20 | 83.42 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 10.32 | 199.70 | 82.11 |
By contrast, Mississippi was ranked as the safest state, where children typically wait until nearly age 12 to receive a phone and face significantly lower local cybercrime activity.
Expert Advice for Safer Gifting
With the Consumer Technology Association reporting that 88% of shoppers plan to buy tech gifts this year, safety experts emphasize that the device is only half the gift; the other half is the preparation.
“The worst time to learn parental controls is Christmas morning,” warns Leon Huang, CEO of RapidDirect. “Setting things up early is the digital version of assembling a bike before putting it under the tree.”
Safety Checklist for Parents:
- Prep the Device: Enable content filters, app permissions, and screen time limits before wrapping the gift.
- Emotional Readiness: Assess if the child is mature enough for social interactions online, not just the hardware itself.
- The Digital Contract: Establish a “Family Digital-Safety Agreement” that outlines clear expectations for downloads and communication.
In 2024 alone, the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force assisted in over 203,000 investigations nationwide. For Indiana parents, these statistics serve as a reminder that staying connected requires a proactive defense.
To help you and your family navigate these risks, here is a template for a Family Digital-Safety Agreement.
Experts suggest that this shouldn’t feel like a “legal” document, but rather a collaborative pact between parents and children. In Indiana, where cybercrime rates are high, focusing on privacy and open communication is essential.
Family Digital-Safety Agreement
The Child’s Pledge
- Safety First: I will never share my real name, address, school, or phone number with someone I don’t know in person.
- Open Door Policy: I will tell a trusted adult immediately if I see something “weird,” scary, or if someone I don’t know tries to contact me. I won’t get in trouble for reporting something that made me uncomfortable.
- The “Front Porch” Rule: I will not post or send anything (photos or words) that I wouldn’t want my parents, teachers, or grandparents to see.
- Kindness Counts: I will not use my phone to bully, tease, or be mean to others.
- Time & Place: I agree to put my phone in the “Charging Station” at (Time, e.g., 8:00 p.m.) and won’t use it in bedrooms or bathrooms.
The Parent’s Pledge
- Safe Harbor: If you come to me with a problem or show me an uncomfortable message, I promise to listen calmly and help you fix it without immediately taking your phone away.
- Role Modeling: I will follow the same “no phones at the table” and “no phones while driving” rules that I ask you to follow.
- Privacy Balance: I will respect your space, but I have the right to check your phone at any time if I am worried about your safety. We will do these “safety checks” together.
The Consequences
If a rule is broken, we agree on the following steps:
- First time: Loss of phone for [Length of time].
- Second time: Specific apps or features will be blocked.
- Third time: The phone is returned to the “family drawer” for an extended period.
Signed (Child): __________________________ Date: __________
Signed (Parent): __________________________ Date: __________
Digital Safety “Quick Start” for Parents
Before you hand over the device this Christmas, ensure these three technical barriers are in place:
| Action | Why it matters in Indiana |
| Disable Location Sharing | Prevents predators from tracking a child’s physical location via apps. |
| Set “Ask to Buy” | Ensures you approve every single app or game download before it happens. |
| Filter Web Content | Uses the phone’s built-in settings to block adult sites and “unlisted” web results. |
