to ask if YOUR 7 year old has a mobile phone?

[Wellhellooothere]

So a report out today reckons that HALF of 7 years olds have a mobile phone - nearly 50% of 5-10 year olds with phones, most by 7 years old.

IS that true?? I can't think of a single 7 year old with a mobile, and I work in a school... the age seems to be Year 6 going onto Year 7 where we are.

So tell me, am I wrong, does your 7 year old have their own proper mobile phone? I don't mean access to a tablet or one of those vtech toy things, I mean a real phone as this report says??

YABU - yes they have a phone
YANBU - no way, too young

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/mobile-phones-children-kids-a9308266.html

11 sounds the right age to me.

I've just worked out I got my first! It was 1998, I was 12 and got a Nokia 6110 with changeable covers (I had a yellow purple ronnie one) and SNAKE

Two years later I got a 3310 and I still think about that phone, I thought it was coolest thing on the planet!

I said yes- my 7 year old does have a mobile phone. It was SIM free when we first got it- it was to be a replacement for an old iPod as it had far more capacity and a better phone. We then got an offer from virgin so basically a free SIM so added it into his phone. This means he can use Spotify when out and about and get messages from us when we’re at work etc as I feel mum-guilt on late shifts when I’ve not seen the kids all day.
I don’t get the hysteria tbh about children and mobile technology. 🤷🏻‍♀️

MoltoAgitato I'm wondering the same.

My 7 year old has a mobile phone.
We have sky shield, he doesn't have credit on his phone and I don't let him use any chat apps or YouTube.
He entirely uses it for gaming.

I don't think any of my seven year olds friends have a phone but I know some of my 9 year olds do.

School is forever putting out messages stating they cannot get involved in arguments between pupils that play out on what's app, messenger etc.
They've also had to be banned from school discos because the children were just sitting down on their phones or taking selfies.

My oldest got a phone at 11 and a smartphone at 14, my second got his first phone at 14. My younger two will be similar ages.

Nope my 7 year has no mobile phone and nor does my 9 year old. I do believe the report though, at my 9 year olds cubs group they did a survey about phones and he was the only one who doesn’t have one.

Can't vote as on app. My DS6 has an iPad which is completely locked down but no phone. He has no need for a phone.

My 7 year old does.

No social media of course. Kids YouTube. WhatsApp for family members. Games.

Everything linked to my phone.

What’s changed about school transport that makes it no longer safe to use without a mobile?

My DD does a 26 mile round trip by train.

I know when I’m delayed on a train I text anyone affected to let them know. I’m glad she can do the same!

What's actually the issue here?
Why is this so outrageous?

Mine had one at 7 years old but 99% of 7 year olds have them in my country so I wasn't going to let her be the only one left out (she doesn't have free access to it though, which makes me the mean mum apparently).

I am surprised at the 50% statistic for the UK though, I would not have thought that was so.

@stompinghoof that sounds really good. I'm going to look into getting my son one of those.

Yes

It's an old iPhone 5 with no SIM card and she plays with it in the house.

A proper phone with a SIM card she will wait till she is 10 like her big brother.

I'm divorced and my 6 and 8 year old DC manage to talk to their dad plenty (and to me when they're with him) without having their own phones. They can use Facebook messenger on their tablets (Kindle Fires) - a MASSIVELY restricted FB account I set up which I have the password to and has only family added to it. Plus they don't know what Facebook is or how to access it apart from using Messenger so couldn't add anyone or post online. So they can message him if they want to or call him using my phone. Obviously as they get older and might like chats with more privacy I'll consider them having their own phones but at that age I see no reason why I shouldn't be privy to all communication they have with people, and I check the account regularly.

Mine does. But it has no data and she uses it to play games she previously played on mine. She can also phone her dad and brother who do not live with us (he’s not my son) via WhatsApp. It’s basically used as a tablet. It was my old phone so didn’t cost me anything.

My DS goes into yr5 in Sept and I am planning to start letting him walk home over the course of the year so by the summer he is walking home on his own. He will likely get a phone for his birthday this year or next Easter (just a basic one that can call or text) with the view of seeing how he treats it/looks after it and then get a 'proper' or more decent phone when he starts secondary school. We did buy him one of those smart phone watches a PP mentioned but he didn't like wearing it.
He has a tablet which he uses for minecraft and youtube. We all also have google hangouts so he can message us from it to our phones (me and DH). This is quite handy when I am work at weekends and DS is at home with DH

Far too young. My daughter is 7 next week, I would say she's pretty mature and trustworthy but never would she be having access to a mobile phone at this age!

Absolutely not. Not until high school, or just before. No need.

My ds's friend at school got the latest iPhone for his 8th birthday so I expect he had one at 7. Also, quite a few of his friend's have had then since 9 or so. Seems daft to me. My ds now has one at 11 but only uses it to control his r2d2 robot 😂

And watch YouTube when not in the house.

My youngest is almost 8 and doesn't have, or need, one. I know one little girl in her class has one, but the vast majority don't.

So we’re at 95% no then... who are these 50% 7 year olds sleeping with their own mobile phones then????

My children don't have mobiles but I can understand why some families might buy even their young, primary aged children a phone. It doesn't have to be a smart phone, a basic mobile will do I suppose. My eldest will get one at the end of the year when he finishes his GCSEs, and the others will get theirs at around that stage as well.
We have, on occasion, allowed the eldest the use of an old mobile especially when he was on two different full day trips from school, one to Oxford and the other to London. We are in the North West so it was a long journey by mini bus so the phone was for him to pass the journey time on.

my 6 year old has my old iphone. he uses it to play games and to facetime his grandparents. he’s also obsessed with taking photos so he uses it for that too. he does have limits though so he can’t use it all the time, and most of the time he’s rather play lego anyway.

My 7 & 8 year olds both have their own phone. Neither have SIM cards. They play games, FT and message friends and family.
They mostly use them for music though - they sit on car journeys and happily listen to music or songs I download for them.
After years of fighting in the car, and tantrums over car games, they are quiet, happy and I can listen to my own audio books in peace!