To why parents would fork out for an expensive phone for under 16s?

[malificent7]

Dd informs me that some of her classmates in year 5 have iphones or Samsungs.
Im a bit judgy as they are so expensive both if you buy a handset outright plus on a contract they are still expensive as a monthly payment.

I didnt want dd to have a phone at all but due to incessant nagging i relented and got her a cheap handset from Tescos. She hasnt had any credit on it for months and uses it as a tablet.

Aibu to think that giving a child an expensive phone is a bit daft. Kids loose and break things plus it sets an unreasonable standard.

I know i was daft myself to have guven in and get her a phone but everyone else in her class seems to have one!

Sadly it's the current poor person's luxury. Phones are priced in the range just accessible to many, but not cheap enough for everyone to have one. It's an illusion of a exclusive club.

Pressure to get the 'right phone' will very much be determined by where you live and your children's peers.

At my son's prep you'd be laughed out the door if your child walked in with a shiny new blingtastic iPhone.

Meanwhile where I grew up you would not dare not have the right kit, even if you were likely to get mugged soon as you left the house.

You have to look at your child's environment and try and manage it as best as you can. It is what it is unfortunately.

Sadly it's the current poor person's luxury

At my son's prep you'd be laughed out the door if your child walked in with a shiny new blingtastic iPhone

Oh, here we go...🙄

I'm not saying that people shouldn't have smartphones - they're part of life nowadays. But it would be better if they could be produced with a view to improving ethics and efficiency in the supply chain and manufacturing process and reducing the huge amount of e-waste produced. Some consumers do care about this, hence the development of the Fairphone which aims to use conflict-free minerals and to use easily replaceable parts.

At my son's prep you'd be laughed out the door if your child walked in with a shiny new blingtastic iPhone

How unpleasant. At DD's prep there are people from all walks of life with different choices. We tend not to laugh at people for that.

"Kids only lose or break things if they don't respect them. Judge that instead"

Totally agree with this. In our house, the DC start with a hand me down iPhone. If they look after if for two years with no major smashes or losing it, I get them their own contract.

DD1 (14) managed this perfectly fine, so she got her own contract last year. It's £24 a month for an iPhone 6 (and it was her Christmas present). If she manages to keep it again without losing or smashing, I will upgrade. So far, so good...

DD2 (11) has my old iPhone 5S. You can buy one second hand for £60/£70. So not bad as a main Christmas present. She has a sim only for £7.50 a month, capped at £10. She'll get her own contract if she can keep her phone safe for two years.

Both kids respect their property. If they lose or break stuff recklessly, I've always made them save up and replace said item... so, no they don't break and lose their stuff. I find my children respect their property and look after it properly. Both have good cases for their phones, so neither child has had problems.

But, it's horses for courses - my girls have expensive phones, but I've never spend hundreds of pounds on trainers or designer clothes, or £50 on an expensive x box game. Some of DDs friends have horse riding lessons at £30 a lesson.... that's over £120 a month... we don't do that. Everyone spends their money differently, so why judge!?!

For those who are interested in these things this shows how little resources we have left at the same rate of consumption as 2012. It looks like we'll soon have to change the way screens are manufactured.I wonder how many of you children use more of their phone features than phoning,texting and surfing the web or playing games all of which can be found on cheaper phones and really only need to upgrade when the phone is broken.I have a feature phone and pay about £10 a year for calls etc

www.bbc.com/future/story/20120618-global-resources-stock-check

Some of DDs friends have horse riding lessons at £30 a lesson.... that's over £120 a month

To be honest, I would actually spend £30.00 a lesson on horse riding lessons. That’s an excellent skill ! For a child to be able to learn how to ride a horse (maybe a skill you can learn for life). But I guess everyone is different.

It's ok. My DD has a phone AND riding lessons

My friends dd had a iPhone 8 for xmas over £600. She is 11. Personally I wouldn't give my child something of that responsibility or temptation to others.
Dd has my old 5s Before that it was dh so 3rd hand now. She will get an upgrade when we do.

My friends dd had a iPhone 8 for xmas over £600. She is 11. Personally I wouldn't give my child something of that responsibility or temptation to others.

In my state schoolchildren in 7th grade and above (so age 12+) are provided with a Macbook by school

How can the school afford it!

They're paid for by the state - they negotiate a good price by buying thousands at a time. Actually I think initially some schools chose iPad but most have now realised Macbooks are more useful.

My 11 and 12 yr olds have cast of iPhones from me and Grandad on Giffgaff £7.50 contracts.

They know that if they get lost or broken they won't be replaced like for like. It would have cost me more money to buy them 'simple' handsets as I already had the iPhones hanging around.

My year 6 child will be getting an old i phone (my husbands previous one) - its a 5s, but cost us nothing

its a 5s, but cost us nothing

Unless you got it for free, it hasn’t cost you nothing.

When DD gets my 5s, I’d be making her aware that it does cost something and it took me two years to damn well pay for it. The laptop and the digital piano that she’s received in the last two years, she was responsible for paying for 60% of the costs, mostly birthday and Christmas money.

Judge away all you like OP because your opening post says more about you than anyone else.

Oh and have one of these. It will help you to stop chewing at the bit.

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They're paid for by the state - they negotiate a good price by buying thousands at a time. Actually I think initially some schools chose iPad but most have now realised Macbooks are more useful

Where I live the kids are on IPads at the very least from grade 1. They’re not provided by the school, it’s not a state school, but they can pass on some savings to parents because of the amount they buy. There is also an instalment system if need be. By the first year of secondary many of the children have gone in to MacBooks/pro. It is what it is and I don’t get the angst associated with children having IPhones or the like. People should by their children what they want and not bother about the opinion of others.

People are always going to wonder about other people's spending habits aren't they? Otherwise you wouldn't get programmes like this. It's their money, and if they want to buy their child a gold-plated bike or a £25k dolls' house, who cares what anyone else thinks?

oh man - not another one of these threads. Let people sepen their money how they want top OP - what is it to you? Why so much judgement? It isnt your money and they arent your kids. Why do you care? Some people have more moeny than others and choose to spend it on gadgets for their kids - so what? I have very young children but i am sure when they old enough 9not sure what age yet), we will buy them whatever iphone is out at that time - why, because we want to and we can afford it, and surely thats no one's business other than our own?

whisky