Teenage phone envy

[Neapolitanicecream]

Dd said she couldn't text that she was late as did not want her friends to see "crap" phone its Sony smartphone but not a iPhone or Samsung ! 2 yr Contract not due till April should I give in to peer pressure?

[charmedrose]

My DH loves to show off his basic £15 samsung. He doesn't feel the need for anything better. He says as long as he can make and receive calls that's all he needs.

[Princesspinkgirl]

I've a Samsung s7 and the battery is now dire only had it 8 months much over rated wouldn't entertain the idea

[user1487194234]

If you can afford it I would get her an upgrade These things matter at that age If she is generally well behaved and working well at school I would

[NoFuckingRoomOnMyBroom]

Is it an Xperia? Fucking loved mine-iPhones are overrated shit, Samsung are decent quality phones.

[Scholes34]

Just tell her to make sure she doesn't ever run late, so she has no need to text you whilst with her friends.

[whiteroseredrose]

Never buy a phone on contract it’s a rip off. Buy it outright and then get a cheap sim only contract.

Disagree with this actually. I did my sums and there was very little difference. Sim only isn't free!

I gave in to pressure but each time it was a joint Christmas and birthday present.

[Ragnarhairybretches]

If it makes her feel better tell her my 14 yr old D'S has no phone AT ALL!. Dur dur dur.

(Before I get flamed his school don't allow them and he talks to his friends in the evening via his laptop, he has actually never asked for a phone!)

[Notreallyarsed]

I think most posters have forgotten how brutal the early teenage years can be if you don’t fit in.

Can you do an early upgrade or buy an older model iPhone/Samsung from a reputable site? We’ve bought DS1 an iPhone for Christmas because he’ll be getting out to play when we move house and I do make sure he has the stuff that makes him fit in, because he’s autistic and has enough social anxiety as it is. I’m sure on here that makes me a shit mum, but I’ve been the kid that had fuck all and it’s shit.

[Catinthecorner]

Well that’s just dreadful. Obviously she shouldn’t risk being seen with an inferior phone. Best take it off her.

Of course if you can’t contact her you’ll have to restrict her movements a bit more.

[nameusername]

It's actually a reflection of the people she surrounds herself with. She should be encouraged to have self esteem and be proud of herself even if it's only a Sony smartphone. It's okay for the occasional ribbing among friends but if there's a usual pattern she should know how learn how to defend herself.

Just because everyone arounds her have the latest gadgets, fads, fashions, doesn't mean she needs to have one. What happens if she starts driving and you can only afford a cheap second hand Nissan and everyone else is drivng a Jaguar.

Get her started on financial responsibility. It's never not too late. The savings from not upgrading to an iPhone can be put into her university funds. What's her allowance and her current mobile phone payments? Start saving from there. It's always nice and a boost to see the savings pile up each week.

[NewDaddie]

Never buy a phone on contract it’s a rip off. Buy it outright and then get a cheap sim only contract.

[Neapolitanicecream]

I probably will wait till end of contract it's also that I of nicer friends said she feels sorry for Dd ! As I say I think that a reflect of that school!

[Allthebestnamesareused]

DS saved up birthday money and Christmas money for a couple of years to buy his own iphone 5SE so not even a flash one!

If she can;t text next time she can be grounded! She'll soon learn to use it if you need her to!

[HolyShet]

Christmas present or wait for the contract to end.

She needs to be more resilient than to be bothered what people are saying about her phone.

[Lovemusic33]

I gave in and compromised with a 2nd hand older iPhone, dd started with a simple Nokia lumia which she hated, I bought her a iPhone for her 13th birthday for around £80, no way was I buying her anew one.

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Christmas present? That's how ds gets flashy phones or he saves for them.

[DeleteOrDecay]

I disagree that she will grow out of it, I know adults who just have to have the latest this and that and would feel embarrassed if they didn’t have the latest iPhone or what have you.

It’s far more valuable to your daughter for you to talk to her about why she wants the latest phone, how much a new phone would cost, why it’s not possible to have the latest everything, why she feels embarrassed when she has a perfectly functional phone, and that if her friends treat her badly because of what phone she has then they are shit friends to begin with. It won’t be an overnight cure but it will be far more valuable to her in the long run than buying a new phone would be which imo is the easy option which perpetuates peer pressure.

[poppl]

What are you teaching her by buying her a new phone?

To be honest I'd be having a stern word about not giving a fuck what others think. If she's that unwilling to stand up in front of her friends then I'd be a bit worried about what else she's going along with to be honest.

I'm not particularly trying to conflate this with drugs, sex etc or whatever teens get up to these days, but being that worried about what someone thinks of you - that would concern me generally I think.

[iseenodust]

No do not given in to peer pressure. Teach her about finances & priorities.

[WeAllHaveWings]

Ds(13) has an iPhone as do every single one of his friends and they all come from mixed areas. Some have brand new, others have parents handdowns or secondhand older models. Ihave 2 * multi sockets so the can all charge when they come round. It’s not uncommon now and I wouldn’t go as far as admonishing her just because she wants what her friends have.

If you can easily afford it I would get her one, if you can’t then can she save xmas and birthday money if it’s important to her? If not an option she needs to learn to live with it.

[Neapolitanicecream]

Thanks their is a lot of peer pressure and I do understand as I couldn't believe it her friends do all appear to have iPhones I think it has more to do with the school she's ended up in! think posh SE commuter belt

[Wightintheghoulies]

The only brand I'd currently have even reason to buy that should be not to buy. Windows phones are bloody awful.

[Wightintheghoulies]

iPhones are overrated - good functionality but crack far too easily and battery is always an issue. Mine overheats as well. I'd not have a Samsung again, any one I've had has needed replacing before the contract is up. The only brand I'd currently have even reason to buy is anything that runs Windows rather than Apple/Android. My partner's phone is a Sony, and I think it's great overall.

To summarise, just because 'everyone' either has an iPhone or Samsung, doesn't mean she's missing out. I'd not be replacing it until April, and if she's still ungrateful perhaps suggest she may want to start paying for her own phone when it comes up for renewal.

[DaisysStew]

She can upgrade in April, I'm sure she won't die of shame before then. But she carries on tell her if she's so embarrassed by it to just hand it back to you. That'll put a stop to her moaning

[RavingRoo]

If you can afford it, and she’s otherwise hardworking and decently behaved, then I personally would upgrade her phone. At 14 petty things like this do have more importance, and she will eventually grow out of it, but I wouldn’t want her not calling / texting me if there was an emergency because she’s embarrassed.