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Original poster

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

95 replies

Chippingbird23 · 21/01/2022 15:21

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?

OP posts:
Chimley · 21/01/2022 22:17

Absolutely not. Mine is pretty much exactly the same age. Literally no child in her class has one but even if they did it would be a no.

Went out for a family meal a few weeks ago. The 4 teenagers sat at the end on their phones next to my 2. Barely spoke or interacted with them. My 2 were sad they didn't get to chat to their cousins. It's a long time with a phone. Keep them off them as long as possible.

SmallGreenStripes · 21/01/2022 22:21

Nope

Figgygal · 21/01/2022 22:23

No bloody way.
My yr5 ds been told not until he turns 11 in yr6 and all his friends are the same
Absolutely dreading it

Woofwoofbarkbark · 21/01/2022 22:24

She doesn't need a phone and she doesn't need Snapchat.
Big fat NO.

TimeForTeaAndG · 21/01/2022 22:27

My nearly 9yo DD says she has a phone. She has my old phone with no SIM, no browser, no messaging service, linked to Google family and passworded so she has to get my permission to put anything else on it, she has Spotify (mainly so she stops fucking up my algorithm!). Oh and she can take pictures and edit them.

justyoy · 21/01/2022 22:30

Far too young. And no, her friends don't all have them!

Houseplantmad · 21/01/2022 22:32

No. I was in a meeting with primary school heads this week who were despairing at the issues caused by y4 children who have phones. Apparently they're all using Discord to chat and are up all night on it, having arguments etc. They said it's a nightmare and said no child that young NEEDS a phone.
Your child shouldn't be on Snapchat. Simple.

Crunchymum · 21/01/2022 22:37

Mine turned 9 in November and it isn't even on any of our radars. He has never shown any interest at all. It would be a big fat no if he did ask for one though.

He does however have a second hand PS4 (isn't allowed to game online and mainly plays Jurrasic World Evolution or some Trials Fusion) and has restricted access to YouTube on main TV.

mrstnov13 · 21/01/2022 23:02

My children are only 5 and 8 and they will not be getting a phone until secondary school.

QuizzicalEyebrows · 22/01/2022 04:52

Mine got phones in year 5 and 6 because they were walking to school alone but with each other till one went to secondary school the next year.

thegreenlight · 22/01/2022 06:29

They probably don’t have ‘phones’. They have their parents old phones without SIM cards that the use as mini iPads. That’s my experience of year 4 as a teacher.

ginsparkles · 22/01/2022 06:51

My DD (9 and in year 5) has had a phone since the lockdowns. But it's an old one of ours, which has a sim but a pay as you go and there's no money on it, so it only works on wifi.

She basically got it so that she didn't have to have my phone constantly to Skype her friends when she was lonely through lockdown, they would Skype each other and then play some Roblox type game on the iPad.

For us it's been quite nice because I can chat to her via WhatsApp while I'm at work on a Saturday or during the holidays or if she's having a sleepover somewhere. But I do have to carefully monitor the group chats etc.

Her friends are using Snapchat, tik tok etc. so I have set up an account that she can watch those videos on, but those apps are on my phone so she can only watch them with me.

Most of her friends have a similar set up with having been given an old phone so they can communicate with each other without needing to have the parents phones for hours on end!

AgentJohnson · 22/01/2022 07:03

DD now 14 got her first phone (my old iphone5) when she was in the last year of primary and even then Snapchat and insta wasn’t on it because you need yo be 13 to have an account. I personally couldn’t give a rats arse what ‘all’ her friends had but yes, an alarming number of them had phones when they were 8 years old.

liveforsummer · 22/01/2022 07:15

Dd is the same age, she does have a phone and has recently got a sim for it which I top up occasionally. She doesn't actually use it as a phone though, mostly just plays roblox and other online games on car journeys or when waiting around at clubs etc. She certainly doesn't have Snapchat, I wouldn't allow that at 9.

liveforsummer · 22/01/2022 07:16

Also to add most of her class do not have phones although she's a year below your dd (oldest in the year)

PizzaToasties · 22/01/2022 18:48

Absolutely not.
Basic call and text phone in the summer before secondary school. Perhaps a smart phone in year 9. But honestly I'd try and put it off until she has finished secondary. The teens seem to be a bit more mature by time they're college.

mishmased · 22/01/2022 23:04

Mine is 9 on Monday and no phone. No one in his class seem to have it. He hasn't asked but wants to know what age he can have one. My response is secondary school.

nomoneytree · 22/01/2022 23:07

My 13 year old isn't allowed Snapchat.

NoRaceInThisHorse · 22/01/2022 23:18

Ignore what all her friends are doing, if you don't want her to have one, then don't.
I think you may have to be 13 or even 16? to use snapchat anyway.

hedgehogger1 · 22/01/2022 23:25

Fuck no!

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