Mumsnet users discuss getting their child’s first mobile phone with musicMagpie

[EllieMumsnet]

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Buying your child their first mobile phone can feel like a big milestone; it’s one of their first steps to becoming a little more independent. With so many different types of phones out there and with a lot of information to sift through on when and how to go about getting your DC their first phone, whether you hand them down their siblings old one, buy a refurbished phone or even get a new one, musicMagpie would love to know your tips, experiences and thoughts on buying your child their first phone.

Here’s what musicMagpie has to say: “With the latest smartphones costing up to £1,000 or more each year, it’s not feasible for many families to be able to afford the latest Tech. You can still get your kids great quality phones without the hefty bill when you buy certified refurbished mobile phones from musicMagpie. You can literally save hundreds of pounds! For example, you could pay £449 for a brand new iPhone 7 or you could save over £170 for a very good condition iPhone 7 with musicMagpie. It’s not just the price – all of our phones comes with a 12 month warranty and go through a thorough 70 point check to make sure they’re in full working order. Here’s how we refurbish our phones. Keep the kids happy and save money… why wouldn’t you?”

What age did you decide to give your child their first phone? Or was it more about them starting secondary school or walking places by themselves that was the deciding factor? Have you/did you ever consider getting them a second hand/refurbished phone? If you did was it a hand-me-down phone from yourself or did you purchase a refurbished one? How did decide which phone was best and what type of package did you get e.g. pay-as-you-go or contract? Have you put any rules in place surrounding the use of their phone? Do you have any tips on where to shop for their first phone?

Whatever your thoughts, tips and/or experiences are, comment them on the thread below and all MNers that do will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!
MNHQ

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My daughter was 9 when she got her first mobile phone. It was my old Nokia 6300 so didn't matter too much if she lost it / broke it - although to be fair it was pretty much bombproof. She had started to go to the local playground with her friends so I felt it was good to have a phone. She is 16 now and has since had a new Samsung galaxy ace, iPhone 5c and now a iPhone 7.

We will only get a very basic phone to start with. Mine is not flashy so theirs won't be either.

Year 7, start if secondary school. Bought an unwanted new iPhone 6 from eBay. Got her a monthly SIM using data from my Vodafone account.

I have made my two older girls wait until their 11th birthdays which also happened to be just before they started secondary school. They both have been given old iPhones with a sim only deal and it seems to be working for us!

We are looking in to this at the moment, aiming to buy one for starting high school because she will be travelling on her own PFB, I'm trying to work myself up to allowing that! and know it will be a refurb, or one of our old ones, and definitely not the latest model

We need to see responsible she is with it, and then we may get her a new and more recent one at Christmas but it won't be the latest, partly because I don't think she needs it at that age, and the main reason is so that it's less likely to be stolen. I'm not sure what age they will start getting the latest phone, but we will be holding off as long as possible.

I alswyas said that since I didn't have my first phone until I was 21 and managed perfectly fine without one, then it would be the same for my kids. Well, maybe not 21, but until they were earning enough to pay for one anyways.

My kids never moaned nor whined for one, they knew there was no point. Where would my 11 and 12 year olds be that needed me for emergency contacting that didn't already have it? I home educated my kids so they never needed a phone for school, they went to Beavers and Cubs and Dance and Karate, but all of those places would have contacted me themselves had they needed it.

So my eldest got his first phone, a refurbised one, for himself age 16 when he started working. We bought him the phone, he pays his bill.
It was then the same for my second eldest, and will be the same for my youngest too.

Phones don't always make you safer, my brother has been mugged three times for his mobile, I never thought it worth the risk. x

I think it's sensible to get either a basic model from new or a cheap second hand one when they start walking to and from school by themself or with friends xxx
Daughter had one for her 9th Birthday that we got from Schpock for £15
we're on Giffgaff pay as you go, so she has to earn top ups, but even if she doesnt have any data, she can still call us free xxx

it's a bit early yet but I have pros and cons with them, they're great for keeping track on them when they get older but when they are young I just think they are too vulnerable.

When my boys were about 10 I realised that they were going further afield on their own. So up until then I resisted their pleas to have a phone. So I bought them rugged phones for my own piece of mind. However when children don't want to be contacted they don't answer their phones which caused me more anxiety.

I would start off with an old phone or very cheap one and see how it goes.

I will give my DS his first phone when starting secondary school and most likely it will be an old handset me or my DH has had.

My eldest who is 10 has had a mobile phone since she was around 7/8 I think it is important as they get older to be able to keep in touch and it helps them to feel safe. Merry Christmas x

DS is 8 and he wants an iPhone 6 like his older sister. I got an ex display model at not a bad price, worked out at the same cost as a refurbished phone and it was boxed and in pristine condition. I've also got a deal with my existing mobile contract to add his phone and I can ping him data and credit if he needs topping up.

My niece and nephew got their phones when they went to high school because the other kids had them and they didn't want to be left out. They are well and truly addicted to their phones but on the plus side, if they ever step out of line, confiscating their phones is what causes them most "pain" and the threat of taking the phone of them does make them seriously reflect on their behaviour!!

Looking back ....
I thought they'd loose them (No chance)
I thought they'd get stolen (Fortunately not)
I thought they'd break them (Screens cracked but usuable)
I thought they'd use every text and byte of data (Yep)

So a lower end smart phone with limited data is where we are now everbody seems happy and contact can always be made if needed.

My advice is don't do it lol! But if you have to then don't spend a lot of money as they will likely drop it! And put restrictions on it!

Having a 13 year old i have learnt the hard way. We took his phone off him about 2 months ago, its the best thing we ever did!

When DSD1 started secondary school, she pleaded for a phone because "everyone else has one". We'd always planned to get her one anyway, because school is two buses away. We ended up giving her her dad's old iPhone, and she was delighted with it. She's been really responsible with it, looks after it and uses it mostly on the WiFi, and doesn't use it for 'chatty' phone calls. Hopefully DSD2 will be similarly sensible.

My dd was 10 when she got her first phone and it was my old phone. I'm not getting her a new one as the chance of it being broken is v.high!

My DD is too young for a phone yet. But in the future, when she's older (probably depends on when friends get a phone too) I'll probably give her my old one. I was 13 when I got my first mobile!

My oldest has had a mobile phone since she was 3, it was my hand-me-down. I think it's important to introduce them to technology at a young age, since it's such a big, important part of the world now.

I remember reading a scary article some times ago.
It challenged the idea that we give our children phones to keep them safe. If they are high spec models we actually put them in more danger as they're then a target for mugging!
I used this as a sound reason NOT to give in to please for the latest models.
Ours got hand-me-down phones with capped contracts (More texts & calls, less data - the can hop onto Wi-Fi at home or in town) They're not allowed them in bed and I've banned video calling as thy wander around the house - I don't want my radiator-drying pants broadcast, LOL!

secondary school for us. Although one of DS's top infant classmates already has one?!

My daughter was quite young when she had her first phone. She was 6. The reason for this was she travelled 100 miles or so to stay with her dad in school holiday times and i wanted her to be able to contact me if she wanted to. She didnt ever use her phone heavily, it was just there 'just in case.'
I always bought her second hand phones when you was younger but still a decent model, it has normally been an iphone to be honest. She was so careless, i couldnt justify spending too much for her to keep dropping it etc! I would normally get her one off ebay or refurbished. She was on payg in the beginning as she was such a light user so it seemed the best value for money.

My tips would be buy a cheap phone at first so they could get used to owning one. I would never splash out until they realised the meaning and importance of looking after their stuff.

The cheapest possible phone when they start secondary school

My kids got phones when they went to secondary school at 11, as it was a long journey to and from school. I don't think they were even smart phones back then!
The pressure on parents now to buy kids the latest phone is awful. I would definitely choose refurbished ones now.