Ofsted’s chief inspector says she is “surprised” when primary school children have smartphones.
Amanda Spielman said she “wouldn’t feel comfortable” with younger kids having unlimited internet access.
She was interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live about influencer Andrew Tate, who has been arrested as part of an investigation into allegations of human trafficking and rape – which he denies.
Schools have tried to combat its influence.
Mr Tate, a former kickboxer, has millions of followers online – despite being banned from sites including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube for misogynistic comments.
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During a discussion on access to porn and adult content, Ms Spielman – the head of the English Schools Inspectorate – said “a great deal” could be done to “really limit” the content young children are exposed to.
“The first thing you can do is not give a child a smartphone if they’re too young,” she said.
“I am very surprised when, for example, elementary school-age children have smartphones, even in early secondary school. It’s really difficult to handle.”
When asked if she thought kids under the age of 11 shouldn’t be given smartphones, she said, “I don’t feel comfortable with younger kids having unlimited internet access.”
But it is “not possible to completely control and contain the lives of young people,” she added – and it is the job of schools, parents and society to ensure that children “steer past all these unwanted influences”.
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Mr Tate is being held in Romania along with his brother Tristan. Both deny allegations of human trafficking and rape.
Last week some schools told the BBC they were issuing guidelines on how to talk about him as part of a concerted attempt to combat his influence.
Ms Spielman said she first met Mr Tate “a month or two before Christmas”.
She said it was “important not to have a total moral panic” about him and that the curriculum should expose children to “male role model selection.”
Asked whether there should be compulsory classes on misogyny in schools, Ms Spielman said promoting “respectful relationships” is already something that schools take seriously.
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