To ask about your children and mobile phones?

[Sandsunsea]

How old were your kids when you first gave them a mobile phone? What's your thoughts on this? How young is too young?

Mine are ten and seven, and the prospect of a mobile phone is very far away for both of them. They would lose it within a week, for a start. The oldest has only just started asking about a phone but he only wants it for games and he already has a DS, kindle and wii. To my knowledge very few of their friends have phones, the ones that do seem to be from families where the parents have split up and they have them to communicate with the other parent.

I don't know when I will think about getting them a phone. Maybe secondary school, but even then it will not be a smart phone hopefully. To be honest I am putting it off as long as possible.

Year 6 for the transition to secondary

Both had them at the start of Year 5 - but it was a basic version PAYG (99p IIRC!).
The rationale for letting then was at that age that they started cycling to school on their own and playing out more, plus organizing more of their own social life so it made sense. They were given out with the caveat that they were responsible for having them with them, keeping them charged up and being aware of how much credit they had (and using it sensibly). Carrot was that if they could demonstrate following these "rules" they would get a smartphone (but again a basic one) for their 11th birthday.

I think this has worked well - it was good for them to have independence and me to have peace of mind at the age they did, and meant they were accustomed to looking after a phone before getting a smartphone.

I'd suggest NOT having a smartphone when they start secondary school will make a DC stick out like a sore thumb.

Both of ours got one towards the end of Y6 in preparation for senior school. Not sure why they would need them any younger, DD mostly got herself to and from school from Y5, but it's only ¾ mile away.

Secondary school.

This is really helpful thanks. My 9, almost 10 year old has been asking a lot recently and I was beginning to wonder if I'm being old fashioned my saying no.

Thebsummer between year 6 and year 7. It's when most of their friends did too. It helped them maintain primary school friends and make secondary school friends. I'm glad I let them then as they would have lost touch with old friends otherwise. I also liked tracking them on findmyfriend when they first ventured out alone.

I do however have an app which cuts data and wifi to their phone between 8.30pm and 8am.

My older two got theirs at around 9- birthday or Christmas whatever came first. I didn't want them to be a novelty when they started secondary school, I wanted them to be well used to them and for them to see their phone as a way of keeping in touch, letting us know if they were going to be late, if the bus hadn't turned up etc as opposed to a new toy that they could show off. Mine are out and about from the age of ten or so anyway without us - cinema, swimming, friends houses - so I wanted them to have them.

autofill what's the app if you don't mind me asking?

Year 7 - which was when he was really first independent. Prior to that if your child is not going anywhere without an adult then I can't see what purpose it could possibly serve (as the primary reason for having them is so that they are contactable, if they are with you or other adults at all times then they are already contactable). If however kids are independent and out and about earlier than secondary without an adult then I can see the purpose as the younger they are the more vulnerable they are. This is interesting:

www.parenting.com/blogs/screen-play/jeana-lee-tahnk/are-cell-phones-hazardous-our-kids-health

Hettie - it's called OurPact. You can set any schedule you like.

No kids, I was 14 when I got my first mobile phone back in 1999 (might have been 2000 but I really can’t remember).

My eldest got one when he was 11. Younger two (age 8 and 10) don't have them.

I can recommend the Screentime for setting limits, when the kids were smaller we used it to limit their time on their tablets (you can do it on an app by app basis on Android but just on time for iOS) and they could earn more by doing chores, homework or music practice etc. Now we just use it to limit use after bedtime. There is annual subscription, but it's well worth it, saved loads of arguments!

screentimelabs.com/

Year 6 when they start walking home from school by themselves. DC2 is 10 so just got one, DC1 is 12 and has destroyed 4 phones in 2 years. Next one is going to be the cheapest we can find, non of the others cost more than £60 but it still adds up.

Summer between yr 6 and Yr 7 ready for high school.

When they were 11 and had to start getting the tube to and from school and were coming home at different times due to after school clubs.

Op my eldest ds is also 9, nearly 10 and he's also been mentioning it a lot lately.

We've told him he can have a mobile in the summer before he starts comp. We're actually going to get one a couple of months before though, for his 11th birthday.