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Preteens

Parenting a preteen can be a minefield. Find support here.

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Original poster

What mobile phones do 11 year olds have?

81 replies

thebluehen · 12/05/2014 10:54

Dp wants to get dd an iPhone when she goes to secondary school in September.

Is this the norm now?

OP posts:

mummytime · 12/05/2014 11:06

Not for my DC! If it is a first mobile - get her a cheap PAYGO one to start with. If she can look after it for a while (and there is little phone crime) then update it. Check on the school rules on phones too.

Sparklingbrook · 12/05/2014 11:10

Nooo. DS1 has just had an iPhone and he is nearly 15.

DS1 is 12 and goes to Secondary in September. He has a PAYG Tesco cheapy. He left it in the bandstand at the park the other week....

DS1's school rules-if the phone is seen by a teacher it will be confiscated.

Bonsoir · 12/05/2014 11:13

DD is 9 and has the cheapest Samsung smartphone. The DSSs got iPhones a while ago - I think DSS2 was 12/13.

meditrina · 12/05/2014 11:17

When DS1 was starting secondary, most pupils had basic bricks and only a few had smartphones. By the time DS2 did, most had a smartphone.

That said, there are still enough mean mummies (like me) who insist on a basic brick to begin with (until they show themsleves capable of looking after the dratted thing) that she won't be alone either way.

Bunbaker · 12/05/2014 11:23

DD is 13 and had a basic PAYG Nokia when she started high school. Once she made new friends she got through shedloads of texts and it was costing a fortune so I got the cheapest contract smartphone I could.

That one stopped working when she spilled a bottle of Coke on it, so she now has a Samsung Galaxy S3 mini which she loves. Most of her friends do have iPhones BTW.

She doesn't text as much now as she "chats" to her friend via Facebook and other social media instead.

I would probably buy a cheap phone and a GiffGaff Sim card at £5 a month to start with.

feetheart · 12/05/2014 11:34

DD(11) will get my rather ancient Nokia at some point soon (when DH sorts out his work upgrade and I get his old phone). She is pretty sensible and I'm sure she will look after it but I don't want her to be an easy target if there are people around who want to nick her phone and I think she will be if she is an 11 year old with an iPhone.

Thanks for the GiffGaff recommendation Bunbaker

Original poster

thebluehen · 12/05/2014 11:55

Thanks for the replies. It's what I thought. She already has a cheap ish android mobile. I'll try and persuade him to let her keep that for a while.

OP posts:

Artandco · 12/05/2014 11:58

Most do seem to have smartphone of some sort here. Generally they get parents hand me down one though and parent upgrades. So iPhone yes, but not the latest as 2/3 year old one from mum/ dad

That's probably what we will do with ours.

Sparklingbrook · 12/05/2014 12:01

Why do they have posh phones at Secondary though? I don't get it. DS1 messes about with his iPhone on the school bus there and back, and once in a blue moon texts me to say he will be late. They aren't allowed to touch them during the school day.

Unless walking home do they even need one at school?

VivaLeBeaver · 12/05/2014 12:03

My 13yo has a £80 Huawei payg. She says she's got the best phone out of all of her mates.

nipersvest · 12/05/2014 12:17

dd (12) has an iphone, but she's only just got one, am afraid at secondary, ime, yes, snazzy smartphones is the norm. some of dd's friends have iphone 5's.

we were going to go down the route of an entry level smartphone and had picked one of the huewai ones on a low priced contract, but i was put off by the contracts being 2 years. dd started with a giffgaff sim and my mum's old handset, we've now moved her to orange and she's on dolphin (£10 a month for 400 texts, 1gb of data etc), and we bought an iphone second hand.

if dc's def want a smartphone, i'd recommend the second hand route, after a tip on here, we checked out smartfonstore, and i got a grade b iphone 4 for about £125. dd hardly uses the phone side of it, everything is done via wifi and whatsapp, instagram etc

every parents has to make decisions they see fit, it works for us dd having a phone, she walks to and from school, does after school stuff, goes to the shops with friends etc, the phone has been invaluable (plus it's got that iphone tracker app on it so i know where she is ).

QuintessentiallyQS · 12/05/2014 12:18

Not for a first phone.

Most the kids in my sons class seem to have smart phones, at least judging by their instagram use.

Spidermama · 12/05/2014 12:30

Delay smart phones and especially iPhones for as long as you possibly can. They're like crack cocaine for teens and Tweens. I speak from bitter and ongoing experience.

Sent from my iphone.

Bunbaker · 12/05/2014 15:27

"Unless walking home do they even need one at school?"

Not at school, but we live in a rural area and DD gets the bus to and from school. On a couple of occasions the bus has broken down and her phone came in very handy as it was too far to walk.

Sparklingbrook · 12/05/2014 15:30

YY same here that's what DS1 uses his for Bun. So I could argue that he doesn't need an iPhone for that I suppose.

They really only need a phone that makes calls really.....

Sparklingbrook · 12/05/2014 15:30

Too many 'reallys'.

BackforGood · 12/05/2014 15:32

Mine all had a £10 PAYG from Tesco or somewhere similar.
Is quite varied amongst their friends but they certainly aren't the only ones.

Bunbaker · 12/05/2014 15:38

No they don't need a smartphone. I suppose I don't either. But they want one because everyone else has one.

MrsLoada · 12/05/2014 15:54

Mine started secondary school with a cheap brick phone pay as you go one. But they are soon making friends and using lots of text so moved to a 3 phone contract at £6.90 a month sim only this was cheaper than top ups. We used the sim in the cheap brick at first then upgraded to a smart phone as a Christmas present . All a long we said if you don't lose it break it we will up grade to a better phone. So they have the Moto g which was around £120. The older kids tend to have iPhones or more expensive phones . A few of my DD y8 friends have parents old iPhones . But must just have a cheap ish smart phone.

Ludways · 12/05/2014 16:16

My ds (12) has a new iPhone on contract, but I work for a network so get it massively discounted, if I didn't is just given him a smartphone on PAYG. He's not the only one of his friends with one though.

InspirationFailed · 12/05/2014 16:17

Ds1 is almost 12 and he had an S3 mini until I upgraded my phone and he bow has my old iPhone 4S. He's supposed to have it because he gets the bus to and from school but in reality it's usually dead and left around the house.

Whereisegg · 12/05/2014 16:51

Dd will be getting an iphone4 for her 11th birthday this summer.

There are reasons and they are as follows;

-she likes a phone to text eith me or xdp depending on which of us she is with

-she has had an old brick for a year and has proved herself extremely trustworthy with it. It has never been lost/trodden on etc.

-she has never moaned that in her circle of friends she is the only one without a smartphone.

-she will be getting the bus to school in September.

And most importantly...

It is x dp's old phone in perfect condition with all packaging etc, and will work with the cheap sim deal he sorted her through his work.

Without the last reason, she would be getting something newer/better, but nothing in the iphone4 territory

crazykat · 12/05/2014 17:02

DSD has a Nokia lumia 520 and a capped tesco contract at £7.50 per month which can only go to £10.

I wouldn't get an iPhone for an 11yo as they become a target for theft (at least in our area).

That said IMO no 11yo needs a £500+ phone.

Sparklingbrook · 12/05/2014 17:46

Since DS2 (12) left his PAYG cheapy in the bandstand at the park all new phone negotiations have been cancelled.

Groovee · 12/05/2014 17:47

Ds is 11 and had a Samsung Galaxy Y.

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