Dd7 and a mobile phone

[Fullofthought]

DD is very nearly 7. She's asking for a mobile phone as she has lots of friends who have them. She would also be able to use it to have contacted with her farther if he gets off his arse and writes to her it would progress to calls. Do you think that getting her a very cheap phone with a camera on it would be unreasonable and just not top it up often so it's more for the camera and him to contact her. I can get a very basic phone with camera for 10.79 including a £10 top up.

Depends what you call crap. And no I would not give a child that age a phone.

My dd(9) is at me constantly for a phone, all her friends have them (allegedly), she’s missing out on so much socially (allegedly).
We went through the situations where she would actually need a phone to contact someone where she wouldn’t be able to use an adults. There were none. I laughed heartily and told her to try again when she was 12. I’d possibly consider it then and if I did it would be something crap and dumb, so to be prepared...

Noooo. It really annoys me when little kids get phones - they don’t go out alone so they don’t need them. Thankfully we only knew one or two kids & got DS1 a phone just before secondary, the same will apply to DS2.

Also Google cell phone radiation and six year old child & it might change your mind..

Saying "this is way things are going " is no reason to give your child a phone. If nobody gets their child a phone it won't be the way things are going, if most people do things will go that way. But parents are in control over this! If you don't think young children should have phones don't give them one.

I don't know any children of below secondary school age with a mobile.

It is not my style of parenting but obviously many people disagree and do it.
However, one thing I would always ask is this: child gets a phone at 7. What do they get at 11? And when they've got a tablet, a iPhone x, a PS or equivalent at 14, what leverage, what treats, what to look forward to, work for, save for? I just don't understand why children need grown up toys, when at that age it's just another toy. Apologies for the soapbox!

Nope. Way too young. Final year in primary school seems to be the norm where I am, so around 12ish.
No 7 year old will be going anywhere on their own (or they shouldn't be anyway) that they'd need a phone
I'm shocked by the poster whose 8 year old has not just a phone, but an I phone

Why would you give a 6 year old a phone to speak to dad, when (presumably) you have one she can use?

Giving a 6 year old a phone to contact dad put the onus on the child to be contactable or to contact dad. If dad wants to talk to his daughter he can organise a sensible and convenient time to have a chat.

Giving her a phone would be like sayings to dd, oh I’ll just drop you at the shopping centre, meet your dad in McDonald’s..... see you later!

No, no, no, no, no, no....

My dd has an iPhone too-my old one. I think it’s about 3/4 without, 1/4 with own phone from 8 upwards here.

The kids go to a (state) school where 90% of the catchment is massive houses and families who are well off - top lawyers, heart surgeons, businessmen etc. (So very able to afford iPhones and contracts etc)
I would say that maybe 1 child per class has a phone possibly. The trend is for them to get the phone for thier 11th birthday (so they then have it for the transition to secondary school - they go for 2 weeks at the end of the summer term)
DD is getting a phone for xmas as her birthday isn’t until the summer holidays (DS is a December birthday so got his then)
Even then they do not take the phones to primary school

There really isn’t any need for them to have a phone until secondary and having to get bus/walk to school.

@Wallywobbles I love my 'crap' phone (10 yo Nokia brick). 😆

Dd turned 8 this year and I gave her an old phone of mine for when she goes to the park, just in case she needs to call me for any reason or if she loses track of time and I need to tell her to come home! We live in a small, close knit place btw and the park is on our street.

But none of her friends have phones and the phone she has is too crap to do anything other than call or text so largely it just sits there, uncharged.

Dd1 also had a phone at a similar age for when we went to big festivals, just in case she ever lost me.

But day to day, to communicate with friends, I’d say no way at 6/7 years old. Especially if the friends she has are older.

Nope avoid until year 7

She mainly wants it for games, music and the camera for when we are on the car out and about. And a game called music le.

She mainly wants it for games, music and the camera for when we are on the car out and about.

What about a kids kindle or a child-safe iPod?

She could get a mobile without a SIM card. No call functionality but tether to yours via Bluetooth or a home network. A phone is a digital device with many functions now. It’s no different from a small tablet. It’s the settings that matter and the rules you set for its usage.

Dd1 got a phone mid Y6, in preparation for the secondary school.

Dd2 - plays with my old iPhone at home - texts her sister in another room, makes videos. But there isn’t a SIM - just the home WiFi....
She can use Skype to call her grandparents.
But only while at home.
She is nearly 9.

And no - her friends don’t have phones. They may have access to an iPad or an old phone while at home. So - they can FaceTime each other. When home.

Kids don’t need phones untill they travel on their own.

And a game called music le.

Do you mean Musical.ly? The app that has now merged with TikTok?

Musical.ly indeed became Tik Tok...
It’s less a game, and more a social media. Teenagers and adults make musical videos and post them.

But a 7yo is definitely too young for it. You won’t be able to set up an account unless you pretend it’s you.
And do you want to expose her to social media where she can post and communicate with adults

I didn't know what that "game" was she won't be having that then. I wouldn't have a simcard in the phone it's just a way for her to play her games and take pictures, videos.

I have heard a surprising number of young adults (my dcs, their friends, nieces and nephews, young colleagues) recently saying how glad they are that social media and owning smart phones wasn't widely available when they were kids.

My 9yo has a phone. Texts me when she’s staying with her dad - but mainly doesn’t think twice about me, and doesn’t.

Swapped numbers with a 10yo she met camping (with my permission).

I monitor everything.

3 months later the 10yo turned 11 and a month after that started secondary.

Joined my daughter up to a group chat with fuck/fucking as every other word.

Do you want that with your 6yo?

At least mine said “mum, this is really dull and I know it’s swearing and actually it was wrong of her to join me up without checking - how can I exit the group chat?”

I’d say about 5 of 40 girls (I don’t know the boys) have a phone in her year - and everyone is a child with two homes. Far from everyone has them.

Sounds like she actually wants a tablet....

'There is NO sensible reason for a child in primary school to have a mobile phone. None.'

A lot of primary school later year children do walk to and from school alone. Our school won't allow it without a mobile device.

I see no harm in year 5 /6. Set up Google family link if it's an android. You have loads of control and can see everything.