Best age to give a phone to kids

[Gifgaf]

My soon to be 8 year old keeps asking us when she gets a phone and I have to explain numerous times she's too young right now and will think about it once she's independent enough.

What is the right age really ? How do you approach this question without making them wish to be older straight away ?

That's different I imagine as it's school/homework related and schools would have all sorts of monitoring and bans on.

Told mine she can have one at 11 when she gets the bus to secondary school, currently age 8 so a while off but she has asked a few times.
She's started going round to her friends house alone as it's round the corner, next spring we'll let her go to the park which is a little further away than her friends but still only about a 3 minute walk

@Gifgaf

That's different I imagine as it's school/homework related and schools would have all sorts of monitoring and bans

It's intended to be school homework related but that doesn't stop the kids doing whatever they like on it.

Btw I've read all your updates now and crikey 😳 your views on 'up north' are just disgusting.

And good luck with imprisoning your children till they are 16. So wrong and unhealthy.

What's not wrong with sleepovers ? I must say some of you on here are a lot more brave than I am because there is not a chance I am intentionally allowing an opportunity for someone potentially groom my child overnight. Do you not read the news at all or are we just allowing our kids to parent themselves because it's free time for us.. I am certain at this point we are simply from very different cultures & can't come to an agreement because I am shocked by some of these posts.

Your DC will rebel being so restricted. No SM. Not allowed out until 15 ish.

Dhs ex was like that with dsc. They got bullied and left out of things regularly because they weren't allowed to the local rec, or town . No SM at their house etc. They were so unhappy. Altho dh ex would be adamant that dsc was happy. Didn't need xyz things.

You do realise grooming and sexual abuse is more likely to happen from a family member?

Statusticaly your DH is more likely abuse your DD than a friends parent.

My 3 are teenagers now and had phones after they were 11. I am very strict with phone use and use screen time limits and monitor apps allowed.

Monitoring phone use has been the most stressful thing with teens and I would never introduce phones before that.

I don't believe there are any benefits for kids aged 8 having phones at all. You see the parents, so you need to be strong with your decisions.

It's not my opinion or views for fun, it's literally what exists and what I've seen and it's sad. Get off your high horse, as if you would be ok with your young child doing the same, and if you are then I genuinely feel bad for you.

And fwi. We're from ' down south '

*You are the parent

How do you monitor Snapchat when the messages disappear or what they see on TikTok?

They will get over it, believe me. I had it much worse and if anything I am so grateful to my parents now. I know what boundaries I have for my kids and what they can/can't do and it's for their own safety not for my pleasure to torture them. I don't know what life will be like by the time my 8 year old turns 15 but I imagine I will raise a decent young lady who won't be unhappy by the decisions of her parents because she won't be living under a rock and in the dark but everything in moderation.

Surely you monitor their friend group ?

DD got a locked down one when she started to walk to school solo in Y5. I could track her but it only had SMS and calls, no WhatsApp.

Not allowing your child to form her own social groups and saying ‘she’s friends with her cousins’ is going to be incredibly damaging for her independence and self esteem. I understand you have concerns but you can’t project your fears onto your child, it’s not healthy.

Mine is nearly 12 and goes to the library by herself. At some point it does come across as being too lazy to teach your child how to be safe and do simple things like crossing roads without parental help.

This is too much for an 8 year old.

My 13 year old doesn't have Snapchat yet! I've seen with my older teens how much time they can waste on their phones, so have tried to limit apps.

She is a perfectly normal, sociable kid who walks to and from school with friends and into town for lunch etc. she has sleepovers with her close friends and enjoys watching TikTok for a short time a day.... but she's 13, so these apps are all allowed.

No way would I consider allowing an 8 year old on social media.

When they start walking to school and/or going out alone. I’d say Year 5/Year 6.

Surely you monitor their friend group ?

This doesn't allow you to see what they are writing to each other though.

My dd has just got one. she is going into year 6. No what's app or Snapchat. Just texts and calls. Hubby is very Tech minded and can monitor everything on it. It has a tracker on it too, as she has started going out with friends locally(friends houses, park and shop). So we know where she is and keep in contact.

You can change the setting to save messages for 24 or 48 hours. She never comments on tiktok videos and I can see what she's watched via history. Snapchat settings are also so people can't add her, won't show suggested friends etc

I never said she can't form her own group of friends. I said she has plenty of friends and friends with her cousins also. Good friends are a good thing, and I hope my children can find a decent group of friends when they get older.

Maybe we have a different view of this but in my view, lazy parenting is a parent who allows their kid to do whatever because they can't stand the burden or actually looking after their kids properly. We don't sugar coat anything to DD, she is well aware of what kind of dangers there are around and we also speak about when she does eventually go out alone.

My DD is pretty sensible for her age and that didn't come from a "lazy" parent.

DC’s birthday is in the summer holidays. I am thinking of giving them a phone for their 11th birthday - so a few weeks before starting secondary school.

There’s no need for them to have a phone before then as we live just round the corner from school.

They are just turned 9, and haven’t shown interest in having a phone. A couple of children in her class have a phone, but their main friends do not yet.

I am not sure whether it will be a smartphone or a ‘brick’. I would prefer it to be a dumb phone, but I’m also aware that I don’t want them to be the equivalent of the child who never watched t.v, had never drank squash or had a macdonalds. Reading this thread therefore with interest.

How old is your child OP?

We did sleepovers from preschool. Obviously only with families we knew really well. By the time we came to brownies and cubs they were well up for going on camp.

Or will you say no to camps too?
School residentials?

When I got my first phone, it was a hand down from my sister and it was a cool pink brick style phone. If I remember correctly, I was 14.

Is this a serious post or is this just trolling now?