Year 4 and 9 years old in two weeks wants a phone Not sure?

[Chippingbird23]

She will be 9 in two weeks and for her birthday wants a phone. Her friends have one and do Snapchat together and she says most kids in her class have a phone. Actually in her words nearly everyone except me mum and why won’t you let me have a phone? 🙄

I’m thinking it’s too soon for a phone and she is still young? Do most kids have a phone at this age now?

I doubt most of her friends have them

DD at 11 has started admitting all the things her friends can't do. At 9, everyone had everything.

Mine isn't 9 until the summer but no way. I doubt everyone in school has one

No way. Not needed and will just cause endless problems.

You can do Snapchat on a tablet, doesn't need to be a phone. But my own dc that she doesn't use Snapchat I wouldn't agree to it at 9 (instantly disappearing pictures etc). They do talk on WhatsApp though. He has an old phone with just wifi for that.

I let my DC have a phone near the end of Y6 on their birthdays.

Round here half way through y6 seems to be the norm

I would be surprised if all or even most of her friends have one tbh.

No chance, mine both got a phone for high school so they were 11.

God no. My 10 year old is in year 5 and only one or two kids have them. I think it's sad enough we burden them with phones and all the addiction that comes with them at 11.

Absolutely not. 9 is way too young. And they’re not phones. They are computers in their pocket with access to paedophiles and hard code porn.

No way will my 10yr old be getting one any time soon. I don’t care if the rest of the planet has one.

My boy is year 5 and only a couple in his class have them, and they're kids with separated parents so it's primarily for staying in touch with Mum/Dad when they're with the other parent.

My son is in year 4. From what I know I would say about 3 kids in the whole year have a phone! I've told my son he can have one in year 6

Not at 9. My kids got phones at 11 to learn to travel to secondary safely

@Hullabaloo31

My boy is year 5 and only a couple in his class have them, and they're kids with separated parents so it's primarily for staying in touch with Mum/Dad when they're with the other parent.

Same here, year 6 but only kids who have phones have separated parents.

I wouldn't be letting a 9 or 10 year old use Snapchat either, and I'm fairly relaxed in terms of screen use

YANBU year 6/age 11 for 1st phone preparing them for secondary school and definitely not before.

Summer term year 6 is the norm around here, ready for secondary school.

@AgathaMystery

Absolutely not. 9 is way too young. And they’re not phones. They are computers in their pocket with access to paedophiles and hard code porn.

No way will my 10yr old be getting one any time soon. I don’t care if the rest of the planet has one.

good for you. she will thank you in years to come for being a strong and focused parent.

I think the answer is no

They don't need it until they are walking home alone.

Absolutely not. Am holding out for year 9 but will probably have to give up in year 7.

Mine are in Yr6 and Yr4.
None of the Yr4s have them.
Not all Yr6s have them.
Last year in Yr5, it was a mix.

None of them have Snapchat as far as I know. Its Whats App here, monitored by parents.

To young imo .. age 10-11 better

Some children might have been given their parents or siblings old phones to use in m place of a Tablet.I doubt they've been given a top of the range smart phone unless you live somewhere people have the cash to replace it when inevitably lost or broken.

Sometimes you have to say no and be the bad cop. DD had access to a basic Nokia at 9 but this only had parents, grandparents number in and was only used when going to somewhere buy or a swimming gala where she might need to contact me.

It's more common for children to be given a phone at 11 as before heading off to High School and has become somewhat of a right of passage around here.
Buy a tablet that can double up for school work and other things that she can download some apps onto.

going somewhere busy*

My ds is 9 next month, no way is he getting a phone, I’m planning to get him one for his 11th birthday ready for high school (and even then I don’t want to really )