To think 10 is still too young for a mobile phone.

[from123toabc]

DC is 10 this month and has just gone into yr5.
The battle for getting a mobile phone has ramped up a gear since the start of the new term.

Apparently all DC friends have phones and they are missing out as she can't chat to them outside of school so it is making her feel a bit pushed out of the friendship group.

I've always said DC doesn't need one until they start walking to school by themselves. Am I being mean? Is DC really the only 10 year old without a mobile?

We did used to walk to school before mobile phones were a thing...
I’m hoping to hold out to secondary school but that might be wishful thinking (my oldest is 9)

You can still get dumbphones that allow them to text and call but no internet. Or you can get feature phones which have extremely limited internet but do include cameras, MP3 player etc. I think they are a good idea for younger kids when you are still, rightly, worried about too much social media.

My DS got his first phone at 10. It's the new Nokia dumbphone - texts, calls, but not even a camera on it! It made me feel better about him walking to clubs, and he still has the same one now. Hasn't been bothered about smartphones but likes being able to stay in touch easily.

I will come at this from another angle. The NSPCC have done research which discovered that the average age of first exposure to hard core porn is about 11. 90% of kids say it is common among peers by 14, and recent studies show the biggest predictor of being involved in sexting is owning a personal mobile phone. And parental supervision DOES NOT have any effect on the outcomes. If they have a mobile, they are going to be pressured to see and send nude or nearly nude images. I am happy to do anything I can to mitigatr that risk, including making my DD's get to secondary- gasp- without one.

The people who have made this technology for us don't even allow their kids to use them. That should tell you all you need to know.

Yanbu - our eldest DC will be getting one for secondary school ... most of his friends are he same

my 9 y old has had a monthly contract since he was 3

but he is with us 24/7 so i know what hes doing on it,no social media is on it,no snap chat whats app etc and only has 3 numbers in it(his family) and it was only bought so he can have data where we are on holidays and day trips(which is very very regular)

its used for educational purposes more than anything as we follow the learnt through life/unschooling approach so if we have a question we ask google or alexia and go from there

he also listens to amazon music./audio books via it and stories/audio books via youtube

he cant read or write fully so and used the speech icon via google instead of writing it it so for us its a major plus as part of his education and special needs

We did used to walk to school before mobile phones were a thing...

There was also considerably less traffic, lollipop people and a parent waiting for me when I got home.

We bought our daughter a phone in Year 5 as she started to walk home from school herself. She uses it to FaceTime and text her friends. She hadn't asked for any social media yet and she's just gone into year 6.
Most of her friends seemed to get a phone in Year 5. They are part of how kids socialise now, you just need to monitor them until they're a bit older. Our son had a phone at the same age, they're both sensible and we haven't had any issues.

My DD is 10 and has a smart phone. I have bought it for her in case I am running late to pick her up from after school club so we can arrange to meet v nearby and it stops me getting a fine. Most of friends don’t have one yet and she’s not on social media. She plays games on it though. She is in Year 6 though.

The people who have made this technology for us don't even allow their kids to use them

Some people. Conversely others are happy to allow their children to access technology.

Ds is 10 and has one. He does not have any friends contact details. It is for him to phone me or me to phone him when he is at relatives house or friends house. It was probably a waste of money as hardly used.

Phones started at about age 10 here, but most children walk to school by themselves at that age here. They're all mostly 11 now in DC year, and most in the class have smart phones. There are a lot of group chats and group video calls on WhatsApp. I monitor the chats, and we discuss it when issues come up or if people are a bit mean or inappropriate. I hate that they all have it, but it would be a bit socially isolating if my DC didn't have one.