Smartphone regret

[collann]

Hi all
I stupidly gave in to my 10 year old dd and bought her an iPhone for her birthday.
It is the worse decision I have made as a parent especially as her older siblings didn't get a phone until they were in secondary school and then it didn't have internet.

We've tried time limits, restrictions regarding who she can speak to but nothing is working. She had ASD so she enjoys screen time on her Amazon fire tablet playing games but her main focus is her phone.

I am now thinking of taking it off her until she is older the only problem is she talks to her sisters and cousin every day as they've moved away so maybe a phone she can only call and text on???

I really don't know what to do any advice would be grateful

You can't take something you have given as a present off her. That is totally sending the wrong signals. Could it accidentally break or something like that?

I don't know the answer I wish I did but my advice to any others reading this would be to never give a smartphone as a gift. It has to be made very clear that it is a privilege.

No idea what app is used, but a child I teach has restrictions on his phone that limit its use to 3 hours per day (4 on weekends) and it only allows calls to parents/emergency services after 7pm. Would that work?

3 hours a day and 4 on weekends?

Mine has 30 minutes and 30 minutes switch time. Computer time for games also limited to 30 minutes but for homework etc longer is allowed.

I'm amazed at anyone spending 3 hours a day on their phone

I think there's probably a difference in age here.

How old are your children?

My son is 11