What age would you give your child a mobile phone?

[sparkler]

DD has friend here this afternoon who is 8 and she has one with her. Got me thinking when I would allow DD to have one. At the moment she doesn't go anywhere on her own so bit early as yet.

DS#1 is getting one later this year. He is going to be taking himself to school this year in preparation for going to secondary next year and I need some way of getting hold of him and vice versa. He's 10 but I wouln't do it before then TBH.

mmm prob not that early
maybe highschool? (by that I mean about year 10)

might be different when I have kids that age - at 6 it's not on the radar yet!

Mine got one at 10-11, when they started going out with friends etc. We didn't spend anything though, they had our old ones. I'm getting a bit fed up with seeing dcs with very expensive ones, feel it's asking for trouble tbh.

Dd1 had one at 10 but only because her friend gave it to her. I would have waited until 11 to buy her one. Ready for secondary school really.
My kids don't go any where to need one either (the younger ones) so they will wait till their 10/11 too

When they start secondary school seems to be the norm around here

i find mobile phones and small children being together quite distressing! after all you should know exactly where an 8 year old is and therefore should not need to contact her via the phone! i have always said secondary school for mine.

Secondary school.

I quite agree wisteria. Who's going to pull a knife for the sake of another kid's mobile phone if it's as basic as can be. Not that I'm aware of it happening round here really.

DD had hers at 9 and DS at 10 because DD school bus was sometimes unreliable but I could not wait to see her onto it and DS because when I was at college and got stuck in traffic I had to tell him to start walking home...also useful when he has forgotten to tell me when he was at an "away" match.

It is strictly emergencies only.

DS got his first one (and by that, I mean one of our cast-offs on the cheapest pay-as-you-go tarriff) when he was 10 1/2. We got it as he was going to be away with his county band.
TBH it was more for our benefit than his and he generally forgets to even turn it on, let alone use it!

DD's got one in the last six months (Nearly 12) Until then, she didnt go anywhere without an adult, so I figured there was no need. No point in having it for secondary school, since no-one is allowed them, but she does go out with her friends now and I need to keep in touch with her.

DS got his at about the age of 10 too. Again, it was one of my cast-offs. He's always had my old phones and it's only been this Christmas - or was it his birthday in July last year??? - that we bought him a new phone of his own. Nothing fancy, but he's kept it in great nick and it hasn't broken once!

Not just the knife pulling but the responsibility too. I feel it's unfair on both other dcs and your own to give them something so valuable, my dds friend lost hers/ was stolen recently and got an absolute bollocking from her parents .
Ours aren't 'allowed' them at school either but they all take them in unfortunately, it hasn't stopped a load being stolen and I heard of a couple of muggings for them and ipods etc recently in very salubrious areas.

Mine had them when they started secondary school. Not because they could take them but because it mean't that in general they were getting more freedom.

They really don't need one before then and do not get a contract phone. I speak from bitter experience

Ours aren't allowed them in primary but they can hand them in to the office if they do have them. I've not heard anything about them being banned at any of the secondary schools - I hope they aren't as so many of the children walk to school.

I have found it depends on the child and what they do.

My son had one at 8 but that was purely because one of his activities doesnt allow parents to stay and it isnt where a public phone is so I wanted him to be able to ring us if he felt unwell etc. (he was there for a few hours) He has still, 2 years later, got the same very basic phone (no camera etc) and has only ever needed it once !

He doesnt take it anywhere else with him!

OOTH My DD's classmates have had them since year 1 (6yo) DD doesnt have one she doesn't need one yet!

Sagger - what was the damage?, someone at work got a £750 bill for her dds when she was daft enough to get her a contract. Fair play though, she's not getting pocket money for a verrrry long time . Hope they stick to it too!

Our secondary school is quite clear on it. No-one is allowed at all. If they are found with one, it will be taken away and returned TO THE PARENTS, by appointment! DH was horrified by this and we planned to thinkof an excuse for dd to have one, but since even the child who is on kidney dialysis isn't even allowed one, we didn't bother! I guess the answer is to hide it whereever possible, switched off and just hope she isn't caught! I'm not keen on her not having one when she's walking home, but she won't ever be walking home alone.

About £300 quid Wisteria - at the same time he ran up a landline bill in excess of £500. It's the closest I've come to murder I can tell you.

11 - in time for sceondary school. My dd got one this summer in the hopes that the novelty will have worn off by September!