DD can have a phone when she starts secondary school

[Bluewavescrashing]

DD 10 has very young tastes. Lego, art etc. She wants a phone now. I'm saying no as girls are a menace on chat, bullying. She has a 7yo little brother. She hates video chat on my phone-finds it stressful.

OK. Granny will buy her a phone so it's not the money. It's the bitchiness of girls. I want to get the balance right-protecting her and letting her be who she is

What does she want the phone for? I totally understand your fears but she doesn't need to join class chats etc and you should be regularly checking the phone to keep an eye on potential bullying anyway.

Tbh, neither of mine (both girls) have been involved in any cyber bullying.

Also for the fear of bullying - a phone is just one way for children to be bullied and I've never heard of a child bullied online who wasn't also being bullied face to face. The fear is the phone means the bullies can contact your child out of school as well as in. Keeping the phone downstairs in the evening, checking it regularly does mean at least you can find out if they are being bullied and / or limit the access a bully has to your child outside of school.

Not giving your child access to a phone won't stop them being a victim of bullying or joining in bitchiness.

Sadly its not that easy.

Mine got one in year 5. In year 7 everyone has had one.

Ignore the pisstaker - posting bollocks and trying to get a ride out of posters.

Op, in the safeguarding meetings I've attended they've recommended, although of course it is parental choice, getting a phone before year 7. The reasoning is training children to use their phone and apps safely and gradually introducing them rather than them being thrown in the deep end suddenly. Made sense to me.

By before year 7, I mean during year 6.