AIBU to think that children don't need a phone until they're at secondary?

[irritablehead1]

DD is in Year 6. Everyone, it seems, is getting a phone. I hate the idea of her having a phone all the time but I also feel like we are getting increasingly isolated in our thinking about waiting till summer/secondary.

AIBU to think it's just so young?

Definitely not until secondary. But i guess if it is about a phone you can get the basic Nokia that doesn't have internet access.

@DimebagDarrell

Another one who got my daughter a phone in Year 6. My thinking was that I’d much rather she got to grips with messaging, WhatsApp etc with her group of primary school friends who I know, and also know their parents.

Rather than her being thrown in the deep end with a phone in Year 7 with new friendship groups, and a year cohort of 300 kids.

I completely agree with this. At primary you'll know the other parents and it's much easier to let them get the hang of it with a solid friendship group that goes back years.

New phone plus new friends plus new school means things could get out of hand.

We introduced one when eldest DS started walking to school independently. He does have WhatsApp (so he can have group messaging with the children he walks to school with) but no FB, Snapchat etc.

We also have no secrets in our house. We are all in each other’s Find My IPhone & we all have access to each other’s phones. We can all track each other and if someone needs to use someone else’s phone they are very welcome to.

Being treated as one of the grown ups makes DS feel responsible and has never given me any cause for concern.