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Original poster

What age are people giving their children their first phone?

119 replies

LemonChiffon · 15/09/2022 17:51

Dd has been asking for a phone for her 10th birthday, which is coming up. I have no idea when people start giving their children phones and whether 10 is reasonable or not! So please let me know when you gave your child a phone!

Btw it would be an old phone of mine, with some v cheap SIM only contract.

Thanks!

OP posts:
Carrieonmywaywardsun · 15/09/2022 18:00

DD is 8 and has a phone only for texts and calls. She's home educated so it's important for her to keep in touch with friends. It really depends on the child, what it's for and how you can monitor it

cheesenpickle · 15/09/2022 18:03

End of year 5 so nearly 10 and a half and only because he started to walk home from school by himself then. In year 6 i would say 90 pc of children had phones.

FormerlySpeckledyHen · 15/09/2022 18:07

Start of senior school when they travelled by bus.

PurplePositivity · 15/09/2022 18:07

Mine got phones when they started high school.

nancydroo · 15/09/2022 18:09

9

jmh740 · 15/09/2022 18:09

Dd got a phone when she started high school would have done the same with ds but we got him one during year 5 due to covid so he could keep in touch with his mates

SomethingFast · 15/09/2022 18:10

Just before year seven, because of school bus journeys.

FarmerRefuted · 15/09/2022 18:11

9th birthday which is when most DC around here get their first phone, school let's them walk to/from school themselves in Year 4 (age 8-9) and they move up to the big school in Year 5 (age 9-10) where they walk or get the bus by themselves.

dotdotdotdash · 15/09/2022 18:11

What type of phone do you mean? My DS had a Nokia at age 11 (year 7) but not a smart phone yet and plan to avoid it until 13.

Boomboom22 · 15/09/2022 18:11

11 but he is start of year 6 and doesn't take it to school at the moment. S9me friends left his school, also needed bribery to do 11+ revision!

Calliop · 15/09/2022 18:12

During Y6, just before they started walking home alone.

Doodledoop · 15/09/2022 18:15

I think the age they first get them has been tumbling rapidly for ages. Was start of secondary, i think Y5 to Y6 transition becoming common.

I don't think phones are a problem but try and keep them away from social media especially any class WhatsAp group. Y6s just don't have emotional maturity and in my experience they tend to blow up!

DDivaStar · 15/09/2022 18:18

Dd is 9 and just gone into year 5 and I have given her my old phone. Largely because she is walking to school ( only 5 mins).

Wolfiefan · 15/09/2022 18:19

Y7. As she travels by bus.
Too many primary school kids walking along face down and looking at their phones. Accident waiting to happen. Plus I wouldn’t say young children have the maturity to deal with handing out their number carefully and thinking through the consequences of how they use tech.

ethelredonagoodday · 15/09/2022 18:22

Summer between primary and secondary school. She walks about a mile so relented then and got her one.

reluctantbrit · 15/09/2022 18:22

Summer after Y5 (just turned 10) as she was away on holiday without us, started being at the riding stables all days and in general more independent with going out with friends shopping/bowling/cinema and walking to and from school alone.

Smartphone after the Easter holidays in Y6. Hand-me-down iphone but absolute no social media.

In secondary a smartphone was vital, bus app, photo app for virtual arts, WhatsApp to sort out class/form issues as parents aren't involved anymore, school app for everything they have to know/do/bring.

Coffeaddict · 15/09/2022 18:26

DSS is 10 and just gone into yr6, he got one over the summer.

LondonWolf · 15/09/2022 18:27

Year 7, when she needed one for secondary school.

Emanresu9 · 15/09/2022 18:28

Start of senior school is the default here at our private primary. I’m sure demographic plays a part in this sort of decision.

Marellatea · 15/09/2022 18:30

Age 11 for all 3 of mine.

PaddleBoardingMomma · 15/09/2022 18:32

I’m not sure of the general consensus and have no plans to give my year 2 daughter a phone for a long while yet, but we recently had an email asking parents not to send their year 2 / 3 children in with phones! So some parents are happy for a 5-7 year old to have them, which blows my mind!

PrunedLeaf · 15/09/2022 18:32

DS is 9 (year 5) and he got my old Samsung during summer. He facetime his dad most nights and I felt awful having to ask for my phone back rather than letting him natter away, so how he has his own phone he's is free to chat. He also has a WhatsApp group with his dad's family which is lovely as he doesn't get to see them often but is now in regular contact with his Aunts.

I have set up his phone so that I have to OK any downloads, he has age restrictions on and he is only allowed to take his phone out of the house to his dad's.

Once he's 10 we will revise this as he will be walking home from school so will need to take the phone out with him.

OhhhhhhhhBiscuits · 15/09/2022 18:33

Secondary school.

Biscuitandacuppa · 15/09/2022 18:33

Age 10 as one of her best friends moved across the country and they keep in touch via phone. I would have bought one before the end of year 6 anyway to allow her to swap numbers with her friends who weren’t going to the same secondary school. She doesn’t take it into school at all as we live a 5 min walk away.

Yika · 15/09/2022 18:33

Age 11 got my old smartphone but one year later still has no interest in it! I have to insist she takes it with her to contact me if needed.