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Original poster

To think that a 5 year old having a Mobile Phoen is just ridic?

71 replies

Eve4Walle · 21/09/2009 18:50

DD comes home this avo and tells me that a girl in her class has her own mobile phone, and the teacher had to take it from her for safekeeping today.

They are 5 FFS and now DD wants to know why she can't have one 'to ring her friends and Nanny' on.

What is the world coming to?

OP posts:
LeonieSoSleepy · 21/09/2009 18:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

curiositykilled · 21/09/2009 18:53

WHY?! Why would any 5 year old need or want a mobile phone?!?!? How many friends is she even going to be able to ring?! Plus it is going to be dropped and broken or lost in about 10 seconds flat! Wow, that is some impressive spoiling her parents are doing!

overmydeadbody · 21/09/2009 18:55

A 5 yr old doesn't need a mobile phone.

Are you sure your 5yr old got the story right though?Perhaps it was an old broken one he parents had given her?

overmydeadbody · 21/09/2009 18:56

Maybe she nicked it from her mum's handbag when she wasn't looking?

Original poster
Eve4Walle · 21/09/2009 18:56

It is a possibility Over, but my DD said she saw the screen which lit up, which makes me wonder.

OP posts:
junglist1 · 21/09/2009 18:58

If it's a real one the parents are going to have a real precious brat on their hands in a few years, sorry. What will she want when she's 10 then? Her own private zoo?

SheWillBeLoved · 21/09/2009 19:00

My niece has one, she's 7. It's for 'emergencies'. Except she is never away from her mum, besides school, to be in any sort of emergency which would require her to phone for help. She carries it everywhere, sending texts to whoever is in the house saying "hi" or "lol".. I actually think it's quite dangerous. I dread to think of what some of the little gits who live around their way would do to get the phone off her if they saw her playing outside with it.

beaniesinthebucketagain · 21/09/2009 19:04

what a waste of money, a 5yr old should NEVER have the need for an emergency phone, if they do what kind of people are you leaving them with???

I had my first phone at 12 (grandmas old one) and promptly broke it, i then had to wait until i was at an age where it was necessary at 14 when i was going to friends in the hols etc and walking myself home, but then now days, thats possibly not safe and no phone will protect a child

Tidey · 21/09/2009 19:14

I don't think DSD needs hers, tbh, and she's ten. None of my business though really. She's not ever in any situations where she would need it 'for emergencies', she just wanted one because all of her friends have one and they all waste credit texting pointless stuff to each other. Ah well.

Luckily DS is only 7, and I'm planning on telling him he's not having one til he's at least 14.

NannyBeth · 21/09/2009 19:18

I completely agree that 5-yr-olds need it. I knew of 5 yr olds at my school back home in Aust who had them though - the ones I knew of had gymnastics after school at the senior school, so had them "for emergencies" ie to call mum/dad if their class was cancelled or similar... Can kind of almost understand it... but still don't agree with it!

funkybuddah · 21/09/2009 19:44

Its stupid!! My dc1 wants one especially as I sell the things, he think he can have one, but im even more strict, the number of parents I have in replacing phones that have been stolen/lost/child mugged for it (dont think getting a cheap one will deter muggers, it wont any phone is a fair game) or those that get them a contract and complain about the bills.

secondary school he can but even then, there is no NEED for them, we all survived and things are no more unsafe now than they were then!

georgiemum · 21/09/2009 19:48

I have visions on DS trying to call Thomas the Tank Engine or Santa.

itsmeolord · 21/09/2009 19:49

Our dsd had one aged five because her munms house phone was always being cut off which meant we couldn't get hold of them at all.
Her mum suggested it and actually it worked fine.

Depends on circumstance.

colditz · 21/09/2009 19:52

My son is six, and has one. He's certainly not spoilt, he has a mobile when he goes to his dad's so I can ring and check he's been fed.

annh · 21/09/2009 19:55

Nannybeth, what on earth kind of school expects 5 year olds to make their own transport arrangements if an after-school activity is cancelled?! What ever happened to going to the school office?

junglist1 · 21/09/2009 19:58

Well I spose the above reasons are different. I don't see the need for having one at school though. In most cases it's just a showing off thing surely

annh · 21/09/2009 20:00

I just think this is all mad. Colditz, if your ex is so untrustworthy that you can't depend on him to feed his son or to tell you on his phone whether he has or hasn't, surely he can't be trusted on anything?! That's another issue obviously, but what I mean is, what use is a mobile phone going to be to your son in that situation? Presumably, if son says he hasn't eaten, drunk, had a shower, whatever, you are going to have to phone your ex on his phone anyway?

FlamingoDuBeke · 21/09/2009 20:06

I think it's daft that 5yos have mobile phones full time, but I would give one to one of my children if it made them feel more secure being left somewhere I know they'd love but they're too nervous to stay. It wouldn't be theirs though, it would be one I bought with £5 credit on for them to call me and me only. Not something to play with or chat on!

pocketmonster · 21/09/2009 20:06

Not to mention that they are (again) starting to link mobile phone use to cancer -despite all the assurances in recent years that it wasn't an issue. Kids skulls are thinner than adults so the radio waves are more dangerous for them. Stupid and dangerous to give a small child a mobile phone for anything other than absolute emergency and exceptional situations - IMO anyway!

deaddei · 21/09/2009 21:34

I think I've entered a parallel universe with some of these comments.
I'm with you annh. And giving one to a child "in case they're too nervous to stay"- I think I will go and read a Famous five story to get things into perspective.

janeite · 21/09/2009 21:38

Agree with Deaddei: pass round the ginger beer! It is indeed a strange and terrifying world we live in, if five year olds 'need' mobile phones to 'feel safe'.

curiositykilled · 21/09/2009 21:40

Yep, I'm with annh too. If your X is unreliable with feeding and caring for a DC you set up the contact so the X doesn't have to do the things they are bad at, you don't give the DC a mobile phone! Surprised the DC isn't scared of going to the X's knowing that you trust the X so little!

curiositykilled · 21/09/2009 21:42

Plus, you can't make a contact arrangement with a 6 year old, you have to speak to the parent.

sherby · 21/09/2009 21:49

DD 4 takes a spare one when she goes to her GP's

GPs live in the sticks and their signals are crappola I like to be able to get hold of her

sherby · 21/09/2009 21:50

She knows green means answer and red means hang up