to think that an iphone on contract for a child is asking for trouble

[PresentsRibbonsAndMerrySantas]

my friend has just got an iphone for her dd [12] on contract, i was [shocked] my dd has a phone [infact have just bought her a new one for christmas] but i made sure it is nothing flash and on pay as you go, as other wise i know it will get nicked at school or taken off her by some bully, i really do think she is asking for trouble, am i on my own for thinking it is unreasonable to get an iphone on contract for a 12 year old.

It's my DDs birthday(also 12) tomorrow and she really wanted an expensive smart phone(HTC) so being a bit strapped for cash it did cross my mind I could get her a contract one but then I thought exactly the same as you Presents she could lose it or get it stolen so I hit all the comparison sites and managed to get the one she wants on pay and go at a good price. YANBU.

Iphone for a 12 yr old!? Why would a 12 yr old need an Iphone?

YANBU.

I cant afford an Iphone myself let alone buy one for my kid!

People are far too materialistic.

Madness

if she runs up a huge bill or it gets stolen and she ends up with a huge bill, she won't be able to pay the bill as she does not work. i really do think she is mad, but i can not tell her this in fear she will think i am just being horrid

YANBU - but then, I'm jealous coz she gets one and I can't afford it :o

yes because everyone I know that has an iphone has smashed it and had to have it repaired they are so fragile.

hey dp would love one too, but he is not getting one if she was 17 i may understand it, but 12!!!! its going to go missing or shes going to run up a huge bill, she already had a very nice phone and an ipod touch, i wonder if one of her friends has said they are getting an iphone for christmas and this is why.

my dd has just told me that her friend has been flashing nice new ipone around school showing everyone what she has, oh dear i can see this ending in tears.

Obivously it's up to this lady what she buys her daughter but honestly? She must be mad. It sounds like a horrible outcome waiting to happen.

I disagree that an iPhone is fragile. I have had mine for nearly twi years. it lives in my bag, no case or anything and it is perfectly fine. Likewise my 9y DD has an iTouch and it is still perfect.

However, I do think that contract is a bad idea for a child. There is no way to limit what she does with it so if the contract only covers a small amount it could end up costing a fortune. Also if it gets lost or stolen this could incur huge debts too. They are also linked in for a long time on most iPhone contracts - usally 24 months - which again isn't ideal for a child.

I would also be wary of giving a younger child an expensive phone as I would worry it could make them a target for bullies and an increased risk of her having it stolen from her.

I can understand why she'd want one - the apps, the fun aspect, etc. But I'd have to consider how vunerable it might make the child when out and about.

she managed to spend a £15 itunes voucher in less than 10 mins on her ipod touch, can you imagine what the app bill is going to be £1 here £2 there

£800, but at the same time, they did give a contract phone to a 12 year old

i used to work for a mobile phone network and was very surprised at the amount of parents who got their kids the latest phone on contract. Didnt get much sympathy from me when they rang up wanting to know why their phone had been cut of and balance of about 500 quid! Most of them had been texting text services and calling dodgy phone numbers! "im sorry sir but your little johnny has been texting nudey rudey ladies.com at 1.50 a msg'' im very glad i dont work there anymore!

YANBU. They should have a PAYG contract which they pay for out of their pocket money. How else are they going to learn the value of money?

Tbh, I think that sometimes a contract is a good option depending on the child. My dd1 has had her contract phone for a couple of years now (she has just turned 13) and has never gone over her allowance. The last contract didnt give any internet time so she never went online because she knew she wasn't allowed.

The latest one seems to be a good deal, unlimited everything for under twenty quid a month. She wasn't allowed to take it on holiday though. I have heard horror stories of roaming charges etc

I have a friend whose 12 year old has an iPhone... They went to the States on holiday and she had the phone on all the time.

The bill came to 800 quid .

And she wasn't even using it, it was just switched on so apparently went online by itself (or whatever, I'm a bit technologically challenged).

Her email will have been set to "Push" or on a frequent fetch schedule. Every time the phone connects to the email server it uses a little bit of data. And a little bit of data on a frequent basis adds up to a lot of usage - even if she didn't actually get any new emails.

Of course, this assumes that she wasn't using the Facebook app (which also uses data). And I bet she was.

i am more worried about how she will cope with a huge bill, the school she and my dd go to is not a posh school and trust me you would not want to be flashing around a nice phone, i just think she is mad for geting her it on contract. i do hope she does not run up a huge bill, but i suspect she will, maybe with out realising it

I'm with hairypotter. DD started high school in September and texts her friends all the time. It was far cheaper to get her on a contract at £10 a month than keep her on PAYG. She ended up with an Orange Barcelona which is a cheaper lookalike version of a Blackberry. All the phone shops where I live told me that most parents have bought their children Blackberrys because they are the cheapest smartphone option (of the big brands).

I also didn't want the worry of DD needing to contact me and not being able to because she had run out of credit.

We live in a rural area BTW with local buses running at one an hour so having credit on a phone is important.

I agree that an iPhone is silly for a child though.

Anyone looking for good PAYG deals for mobile phones should have a look at giffgaff.com , They are run through the O2 network but an entirely independent company.
My contract for my iphone ran out (thankfully) with orange and the cheapest package i was on with them was £30.
I got the phone unlocked and joined giffgaff and now pay £10 a month for unlimited texts, unlimited internet and 200 minutes... also as my hubby changed his to giffgaff at the same time we now have free calls and texts to each other, which is still valid even if you haven't topped up for three months.... may be an option for anyone wanting to get phone for kids as then they will always be able to phone home or text even if they have run out of their monthly allowance...

YANBU sheer madness.