Page 2 | Best mobile phone for Yr7 independent school

ConfuzdMum · 2025-04-07T18:54:32+00:00

A genuine question- what is the best way to choose the most suitable mobile phone for a Yr7 girl starting secondary next year? She’s not on social media, but will be commuting independently, so will need Citymapper, etc. ; I’m an Apple user and want to be able to track/ have control over options, and I’m torn between an older Apple phone or a cheaper brand ? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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MayaPinion · 07/04/2025 23:41

iPhone, and get her a decent one. All her friends will have a decent one and their social lives will revolve round it. It could be her birthday present if the times line up. We got my DD a pretty up to date entry level iPhone (no pro or max or anything like that). She used it happily for 4 years. It didn’t break, it did what it was supposed to do, and we only traded it in because it was getting a little slow. iPhone 16s are the latest so you could pick up a new 13 or 14 from mobiles.co.uk for a reasonable fee. Don’t get second hand. The battery will be on the way out and they cost about £90 to replace so it’s a false exonomy. Don’t get her a brick unless you want her to be laughed at.

Original poster

ConfuzdMum · 07/04/2025 23:42

HighRopes · 07/04/2025 23:25

From what I’ve heard from my DC at an independent secondary, there’s no pressure to have an iPhone over an Android (though having the latest iPhone was a thing for a few in Y7).

We went for secondhand iPhone with strong parental controls, so they had maps, Citymapper, music/podcasts (podcasts while commuting turned out to be good for revision) but no social media. Then gradually unlocked functions (camera, web browser, WhatsApp) as we felt they were needed and able to use safely.

Wonderful, it looks like a good mix of features!🙏

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Original poster

ConfuzdMum · 07/04/2025 23:43

MayaPinion · 07/04/2025 23:41

iPhone, and get her a decent one. All her friends will have a decent one and their social lives will revolve round it. It could be her birthday present if the times line up. We got my DD a pretty up to date entry level iPhone (no pro or max or anything like that). She used it happily for 4 years. It didn’t break, it did what it was supposed to do, and we only traded it in because it was getting a little slow. iPhone 16s are the latest so you could pick up a new 13 or 14 from mobiles.co.uk for a reasonable fee. Don’t get second hand. The battery will be on the way out and they cost about £90 to replace so it’s a false exonomy. Don’t get her a brick unless you want her to be laughed at.

Thank you for your practical and honest advice, will bear this in mind:) 😊

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PrimaniTu · 07/04/2025 23:51

Just get her an IPhone most kids state and private have IPhones.

CurlewKate · 08/04/2025 02:02

ConfuzdMum · 07/04/2025 22:01

Good question. Coming from state education abroad (many moons ago) I am genuinely curious whether there is an expectation to have a certain mobile model/ brand in local indies.but we want it to be a practical choice at the same time. This is a tricky age and don’t want my DC to feel like an odd one out, and also have access to all the necessary tools.

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Then you need to check with the individual school. You would need to do this regardless of sector.

jellyfishperiwinkle · 08/04/2025 02:14

Why state independent school? Sorry to disappoint you but we state school oiks can afford iPhones as well.

I can't stand them and love Samsungs but most kids have iPhones.

lovekittens · 08/04/2025 06:43

There is phones that are locked down and parents can read all messages and approve all contacts. The phone is called pinwheel. A phone between the brick phone and iPhone. However I have no experience

Ohplesandbanonos · 08/04/2025 07:33

My dd and ds both have iPhone SE 2020s. I find it so easy to limit what websites they can visit, and any apps they want they have to request via me. You can also manage screen time etc.

With 'find my' I can see where they are and whether they have battery on their phones.

If you're already an 'Apple' family then I would stick with that because it's so much easier to do all the parental controls etc.

Ginny98 · 08/04/2025 20:10

No phone is the best phone