Anyone not have a phone in Y7 these days?

I and my family have no social media - it is rubbish
we meet REAL friends
play sport
go to gym

All the kids I know have smart phones from 10/11 and definitely by y7. I only ever hear people being shocked by that on here.

We live in a digital world. Accessing it without a smartphone (or a tablet, laptop or other device) is increasingly difficult.

Agreed, but the flip-side is potentially harmful effects of social media on children, and schools and parents need to navigate this together. To be honest, I imagine most schools would prefer it if students didn’t have access to the likes of Tik Tok and WhatsApp!

I would expect every high school student to have a smart phone. Mine only have pay as you go which makes them a bit more aware of using data unless they are on wifi. If they are seen using them at school then they are instantly confiscated until the end of the week. Of course they still risk it/go into the toilets to use them!

For school work every student has an ipad that we pay monthly for. I used to think this was ridiculous but it's been great especially in lockdown. It's used in lessons as well as at home and means nobody needs to get their phone out and everyone has the same access to resources.

Yes, if the parent is at home and happy for them to do so (and has data that they can use).

We live in a digital world. Accessing it without a smartphone (or a tablet, laptop or other device) is increasingly difficult.

Who says they all have phones? My experience was that my child said ALL her friends had smart phones (well before year 7). She's now year 8 and it turns out quite a few friends not only have very limited screen time but don't have their own phone at all

@sheepdogdelight see I find the assumption that eleven year old children need their own smart phone more staggering.
In the situation you describe they can use a parent's phone if necessary surely?

Children have their parents old handsets on PAYG deals.
Or phones on cheap contracts. That's more affordable than buying a laptop/PC up front.

During the lockdown it was made very clear that very many children didn't have access to a suitable device at phone (and if they did it might only a smartphone with limited data).

The assumption on this thread that children must have a laptop at home is quite staggering!

DD in year 7 has a dumb phone (Nokia), so no social media, WhatsApp etc. She has the phone so she can contact us when traveling to/from school.

I think the only reason she has agreed to this is because DD's school has smart phone ban in year 7 and many of her friends have similar phone when they are in school. The school uses Microsoft Teams for homework etc and she has access to it and email from a laptop.

In year 8 the school smart phone ban will be lifted, and I think we will definitely have to give her a smartphone then.

But we have agreed that she would stick to the minimum age rating for the app, so no TikTok until 13 etc. I don't know how realistic this is though since most of her friends already have access to social media and WhatsApp and she does feel excluded.

DS y8 has a dumb phone. It has been totally fine. He uses an old laptop at home to check homework app, do quizzes etc. I'm trying to put off smartphone as long as poss. I do think it's very telling lots of tech execs don't let their young kids have one. www.waituntil8th.org/blog/2019/4/3/parent-like-a-tech-exec

Yes of course. But the ability to do a quick quiz on the bus is always useful

BTW, you can use Teams on a PC or tablet. You don’t need a phone!

There’s a complete phone ban at DS’s school too; they are only allowed to have them for travelling with special permission from their HOY, and even then they must hand them in to reception on arriving and collect them at home time. This is an ordinary comprehensive. Most homework is online and set via an app, but DS just uses the iPad or laptop at home.

He’s in y7 and does have a “dumb phone” (thanks whoever used that expression, I love it 😂), a basic Nokia so he can call me when he gets home and I’m still at work (we don’t have a landline) and call or text friends. He doesn’t seem that bothered about lack of WhatsApp etc; he has ASD and has absorbed the message (via various online safety lessons at school) that social media can be harmful, so in his rigid thought process he’s decided it’s best to avoid completely rather than trying to navigate complexities that he won’t be able to understand. I don’t know how this will play out in the future, but for now he’s content and is making new friends without it.

I've never used Teams but you seem to be saying it's something you can only use on a smart phone, is that right? Because if not, why not use a laptop or a tablet, instead of giving your kid internet in their pocket? As I said, my kids don't have a smart phone, but all their school work that can be done on line doesn't require a smart phone, just an internet connection and the right passwords.

Dd2 is Y7. She has what's Ap for texting with her friends. The school has now banned phones at school - compared with Dd1 who is a few years older & was encouraged to use phone st school, dd2 doesn't access it for the whole school day.

Are you living in the right century? It absolutely does need to be a smart phone. Unless your child's school are still doing everything 'old school'?

At my daughter's school, and my son's school (different secondaries), and actually all the secondary schools in our area, all use things like Teams, Google Classroom, etc to communicate. Teachers post up homework and assignments on teams, children communicate with their teachers if they have a question at home etc....

To not have a smart phone in year 7 would put you at a disadvantage.

Our schools have no phone policies so they aren't allowed them in school. 2 different secondary schools here, both have teams for homework but they both have (different) apps apps for their timetables, behaviour/points/announcements and the homework for ds (all homework set on the app)

Re online homework... DDs school has the computer labs open for 90mins after school for any pupil that needs them.

@sheepdogdelight that was in response to the person who said a child having their own smart phone was essential for homework. A tablet, laptop or PC would suffice and doesn't have to be one specifically for the child. Not all homes have them, but I'd imagine they would struggle to afford a smartphone for an 11 year old too

Because, of course all homes have a laptop or PC ...

Op you can control what your dc do on the phone and track them as they start to go out without you for the first time. If your child needs public transport to get to school then I think it’s essential that they can let you know if they’re going to be late. My dds also need phones for homework.

So those are the practical reasons. You can’t get around that these days a lot relationships are built / enhanced with phones. It’s not just online dating but both dcs had taster days at their schools and swapped numbers with other people. They were able to chat over the summer. Dd2 has autism - so lots of communication problems - but over the summer the girls had chatted about pets, sent pictures over, sent jokes, links to memes, music they like. And as I put dd in a different school to most of her friends it was comforting for her to know she could stay in touch with her old friends. I knew that those old friendships would soon get forgotten about but to her big school with new people was overwhelming, she missed her friends, and her phone - closely monitored by me - was very helpful.

Just avoid tiktok and Instagram

Mine have a both got a basic phone, not a smart phone, they don't need one at all in their school, thank goodness, as that would have made me seriously reconsider sending them there. Homework on line is done on the family laptop if need be.

DD is on Yr7 at a normal comp.

No phone needed for school. Not allowed them switched on (she doesn't take hers as we are 5 mins walk away).

There are informal wattsapp groups for clubs, friends etc. I check zdDs phone, the chat is about homework and ingredients need for Food Tech.

I don't allow Snapchat. Shes not interested in Tiktok.

I have more interesting conversations with younger DD as a couple of her classmates have YouTube channels (they are 9, this has gone on for a while) about why I don't allow it!

She has needed a laptop for homework though... its mostly online. Its quite good actually... she was doing French listening yesterday. She knows straight away if she gets her maths wrong. Her English is tailored to her (dyslexia).

My year 7 got a phone for secondary. Doesn't have WhatsApp, TikTok or any other social media.

He messages friends if needed. Mostly uses Pokémon Go !

DC1 (Year 7) has a dumb phone that he can use in case of problems on the way home from school.

His school has a strict no mobile phone policy - pupils are only allowed mobiles in school if they’re kept switched off and out of sight at all times on school grounds. There’s confiscations and disciplinaries if pupils are seen with mobile phones.
So the school has no expectation or requirement for pupils to have a smartphone for doing homework or research in lessons, unlike some of the schools mentioned above.

Not sure how much lacking a smartphone matters socially outside school, but so far there’s been no complaints or requests from DC1 about smartphones.