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Original poster

When did you give your child their first phone?

87 replies

DrunkBetch · 19/08/2021 22:27

My DS is going in to year 5 this September and has started asking for a phone. I know some of his classmates have them as I've seen them. I'm just not sure if he's a little young. So my question is when did your kids get their first mobiles?

OP posts:
MegaClutterSlut · 19/08/2021 22:30

When they started secondary school so around 11 just because they didn't really need one till then

Blessex · 19/08/2021 22:30

High/secondary school.

DramaAlpaca · 19/08/2021 22:31

When they started secondary school.

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Iwant2move · 19/08/2021 22:33

When they started secondary school. They also got phones that would not be attractive to thieves.

Bipbopboo66 · 19/08/2021 22:35

I gave mine a phone after easter in y6.
Very much regulated.
I wanted them to have some experience of life with a phone. It gave me a chance to talk about bad phone behaviour, but in the safe setting of primary school.
Kids need to learn and i felt that they have enough to deal with at a new school that a bit of phone exposure was a good thing beforehand.

Antsinyourpanta · 19/08/2021 22:36

Both mine had them for Christmas when they were in year 6. (DD was 10, DS was 11)
At the time DD got one it seemed customary to get one for 11th birthday but as hers was in the school holidays we gave it to her for xmas.

Budsaway · 19/08/2021 22:36
  1. When they started going places without me or dh.
Kite22 · 19/08/2021 22:36

My Summer born got his for his 11th birthday, the other two (Autumn born) got theirs in the July before they went to secondary (as 'early 12th birthday' presents)

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 19/08/2021 22:42

10th birthday. But it won't have money on it until it needs to, it only works via WiFi currently.

AnAnonymousCheerleader · 19/08/2021 22:46

Bought her own when starting secondary but she had access to one and many many many discussions on how to be safe online and stuff like that in the years before that. I've know people just hand a phone over at secondary without any discussions about what to do if for example, a schoolmate shares porn or other inappropriate content, and it happens, first few weeks of secondary school dd was exposed to porn on the school bus, my friends dd had the same at her school as well as messages asking her about her genitals.

I think y5 is too young for their own phone but a good age to be starting to teach him safe use of one and how to behave and setting boundaries.

PieceOfString · 19/08/2021 22:48

for 11th birthday in prep for starting secondary. phone was his dads old one but factory reset and re-boxed made it feel new.

Ilovechoc12 · 19/08/2021 22:48

10th birthday as I got sick of his mates FaceTiming / texting / ringing using my phone number .... so I couldn’t use my phone 🤪

yikesanotherbooboo · 20/08/2021 06:45

When they went to senior school, yr7 yr7 yr9.

lannistunut · 20/08/2021 06:48

Yr7, brick phone

I don't think they are positive really. Kids have access to all tech they need at home of course.

SherryPalmer · 20/08/2021 06:52

My dd is the same age and we’ve just given her a phone. She now walks to and from school alone and we now leave her in the house alone sometimes (and we don’t have a landline). The initial excitement wore off pretty quick when she discovered it only has the ability to text or call us or play a maths game and that is it. It’s an apple phone and I’m impressed with how strict the parental controls can be.

SupermanWithTheGreyHair · 20/08/2021 06:54

Year 5 as they started walking home from school by themselves.

Pascha · 20/08/2021 06:59

We've started letting ds(10) take my old spare phone out when he's away from home. It's for phone calls only for now. No internet just mine and his dad's number and he knows how to call in an emergency.
Tbh I was unkeen but it did mean we could relax a bit on holiday when he was off on his bike. He's 11 in September. I think after Christmas we'll start reviewing his access ready for secondary school next year.

MyMabel · 20/08/2021 07:04

I’ve always said DD can have one when she’s 11/12 going up to secondary school.. but no smart phones until she proves her trust with just having a phone first. She doesn’t need apps and internet. She needs to be able to text and call, that’s it.

Smartphones massively contribute to cyber bullying and I don’t want my child to be a bully or the bullied.

icelollycraving · 20/08/2021 07:04

Year 5, started walking home from school and going to the park with friends.

AlwaysLatte · 20/08/2021 07:10

In the last term before starting secondary school so they could keep in touch with their old friends and add new ones to WhatsApp groups etc before they started.

Donatella · 20/08/2021 07:12

DD1 got one for her 11th birthday, most of her friends were getting them by then, very few had them in Y5. DD2 was a bit younger but that was due to Covid - she was still going to school during lockdown but as we couldn't use our usual childcare she was walking to and from school on her own and having to meet up with her sister who was getting the bus home from secondary so I felt safer knowing she could contact someone if needed. So that was end of Y4, all through Y5 she's been pretty much the only one of her friends with a phone, now going in to Y6 they are starting to get them. I wouldn't give one in Y5 unless there was a specific need as I don't think they have the maturity to know how to use it responsibly (in terms of inadvertent cyber bullying)

Nobloat21 · 20/08/2021 07:13

It will be when they start going out independently or year 6 if walking from school. It will not be a smart phone.

HappyAsASandboy · 20/08/2021 07:14

We have our kids phones on their 10th birthdays. I wanted them to have them before secondary school, while I know their friends well, and there isn't push back on me looking at the phone/regulating the apps etc. I am hoping this sets that precedent of "oversight" before they move to secondary and I might actually need to "oversee"!

The phones are locked down pretty tight. They can't download apps, even free ones, without a passcode from me or DH. The phones lock at the same time every evening and unlock every morning, again a passcode is needed from us to unlock them. A condition of having the phones is that DH and I know the passcodes for everything on them - we store them in a file both DH and I can access.

It's going ok so far. I am enjoying the security it brings to me as I let them have more freedom on days out etc. I feel happier letting them go off on their bikes alone at country parks etc because they can call if they're lost/fall off etc.

BeingATwatItsABingThing · 20/08/2021 07:14

DD1 is 7 and has a ‘phone’. By that, I mean she has one of our our phones after we upgraded and it has no sim. It connects to our WiFi and we have complete access to it. She can iMessage us or grandparents or aunts and uncles. That’s it. She uses it to play games and watch videos.

We’ll probably get her her own proper phone that works as a phone when she starts going out without us like walking to school or town with friends.

MrsPear · 20/08/2021 07:18

When he started going school by himself - year 6. It is a linked directly to my account - he can’t download anything without express permission and he knows I can check or read anything. He has to hand it over at night.

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