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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

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Original poster

Does all your teenagers uses iPhone please?

51 replies

Chiamaka1988 · 20/02/2025 11:30

Hello everyone I am new here and I have 4 daughters aged 16, 14 , 12 and 11 years old. We are all using androids phones ( samsung and Huawei) but my second child is not having it. She is currently using a samsung A13 phone but she is not happy saying all her friends at school are using iPhone13 and upwards and she is the only one without iPhone. This has bee. Happening since last year before she went into year 9 snd she is still complaining about wanting an iphone from 13 and upwards. Not 11 or 12 according to her is updated none of her friends has it. Please I want to know from mothers with teenagers similar age to my child does your teenagers have iphone 13 and upwards and should we buy her a iphone or not? Personally I wouldn't buy for her just because she wants it but I want to hear from other parents so that I will have an idea about what to do next. Thanks

OP posts:

OneFineDay13 · 21/02/2025 00:53

iPhone household here

caringcarer · 21/02/2025 01:06

Nope. Two teens and both have android Samsung's. DH and I don't use an iPhone either.

Nat6999 · 21/02/2025 01:15

My ds had android phones from being 12, first my cast offs & then his own on tariff from being 15. He had Samsung until he was 19 & has now moved to Google Pixel. Neither of us will touch an Apple phone now, the battery life is awful, never had a problem with Android batteries. We have both always had top of the range phones & they do everything & more than the Apple phones.

CorkieCook · 21/02/2025 01:48

Teen and just past teen here, both have Samsung phones. They do the job.

PepsiPepsiPepsi · 21/02/2025 01:55

Yes we are an iPhone family. My teens all have iPhones

Moonlightstars · 21/02/2025 07:44

None here. They have crap cheap phones as do we. DD (14) was saving up from her job for an iPhone but has decided instead to save the money for post GCSE travelling. Tell her she can have one and pay for it herself. She can get a job, sell stuff on vinted or eBay, do extra chores for cash etc.

Rollercoaster1920 · 21/02/2025 08:10

Pester power was strong with my eldest, I don't know why apple is seen as cool but it is. I think it is because they are more expensive.

My partner got a new iPhone to pass down their old one. Parental controls can only be controlled by another apple device, and even then aren't working properly. The lock in of parental controls should get more publicity, it's a scandal in my view.

Phones really are becoming commodities now, there are few differences. Now software support is 5 years from the big 3 you can save a lot buying older models.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 21/02/2025 08:12

DC 16 and 13.
We all have iPhones; they get our old ones.

GretchenWienersHair · 21/02/2025 08:13

Yes, but up until recently they have always been my hand-me-downs.

golemmings · 21/02/2025 09:02

Android house here. No idea what kids' friends use. Probably a mix.

Apple and android run snapchat (15yo) and WhatsApp (13yo), Spotify, iplayer and a number of single player games.

Device isn't important.

Can your 14yo save up for her own iPhone?

Cyclistmumgrandma · 27/09/2025 10:08

Reported as spam/advertising

ExcellentDesigns · 27/09/2025 10:27

We're an all Apple household so mine have never had anything but Apple but neither had a new phone till they were about 17 or 18, they either had our cast-offs or reconditioned SEs (basic model). The oldest I'd go now is a 12. But if we had been Android users ourselves they would have had Android till they were old enough to not need us doing parental controls helping set up etc.

PurpleThistle7 · 27/09/2025 10:29

My daughter has an older iPhone (the SE) as I have an iPhone and it’s easier to link them without extra faff. She likes the SE as it’s the smallest we could find. Her friends have all sorts. She’s never mentioned it but she’s not into that sort of thing anyway. My son might have more opinions when he’s older

therewasafishinthepercolator · 27/09/2025 10:30

Yep,teenagers here only have iphones. First phone cheaper android. Once they proved they could be trusted they would move on to iphone. Probably about 13 or so. Can't remember exactly.

While we paid monthly contract it wasn't the latest model as we weren't paying extortionate money. If they wanted better model they had the option to contribute to monthly. They never did.

Now they're older they pay so they do tend to go for more expensive models.

Dh and I are android and don't get the iPhone hype but it is definitely a thing with any teenager we know. Many on mn will see it as pandering to entitlement but we were happy enough. They usually got it for birthday or Christmas.

Randomchat · 27/09/2025 10:31

2 with Samsung, one with a Google pixel. No iphones here.

dementedpixie · 27/09/2025 10:33

We're an android family so we all have Samsung phones. My kids have no desire for iPhones and dont follow the crowd that way. They have reached 18 and 21 with their Samsung phones

ilovemydogandmrobama2 · 27/09/2025 10:37

No one needs an iPhone, but I like them for DCs for several reasons:

I can use location, or Find My I phone to know where they are. There are other location apps, and before anyone says this is being controlling, the deal with the older teens is that they have location turned on, go out of house with battery pack, and this mostly works. I don't monitor their location unless it something like picking them up from train station and it's helpful to know where they are.

Having said that, Whats App now has a location facility.

I's helpful to have a family account, all in once place.

All of them have had used iPhones, either hand me downs or from Back Market.

BrendaSmall · 27/09/2025 10:44

iPhone 17 has just came out, so my lot will be all getting a new one for Christmas, 1 likes the pro max version and the other likes the pro!

TartanMammy · 27/09/2025 10:53

Yes both dc 11 and 15 have iPhones. Not the latest though, they've got the iPhone 13 and they were bought from CEX and using £5pm smarty SIM cards so they are affordable, for us.

tarheelbaby · 27/09/2025 10:55

2 x teen DDs - both with iPhones but that's because it was convenient for me since I already had one and understood (a little) how it worked and how to set up parental controls. My first iPhone was a 4 bought second hand for £20, originally meant for one of the DDs to use as an iPod.
DD1 - fancy iPhone (no idea which one 11? 12?) she bought herself with pub earnings
DD2 - SE2020 bought second hand
me - SE2020 - cast off from DD1 but originally bought second hand

MadisonMarieParksValetta · 27/09/2025 11:29

My son is 12 with an android as I hate iPhone. But I reckon he will ask for one soon as it seems to be the most popular for teens.

Hes on his own with set up etc. I honestly can't stand the iPhone interface.

liveforsummer · 27/09/2025 11:38

Mine both have iPhones. They do have 13’s their older ones just weren’t holding the charge and I like to be able to contact them while they are out

PrincessOfPreschool · 27/09/2025 11:42

I have 3 teens 19, 16, 16. My oldest went through a brief iPhone phase and he bought it secondhand using money he raised from selling his lego and old toys on ebay. I helped him posting the stuff. That was when he was about Y8/9. He had only one iPhone then decided Samsung is better and is now passionately Android. The rest of us are android and get whatever phone, no fuss. I think my best one was a Huawei and also a oneplus but we don't do expensive! I would say a lot of kids have iPhone but not all.

TartanMammy · 27/09/2025 22:28

liveforsummer · 27/09/2025 11:38

Mine both have iPhones. They do have 13’s their older ones just weren’t holding the charge and I like to be able to contact them while they are out

I got the battery replaced in ds iPhone for £40, it's been fine since and cheaper than replace the phone.

NoTouch · 28/09/2025 18:09

Ds always had an iPhone perhaps bought 3 new for him between age of 11 and 18 - he has never lost one, or even had a cracked screen and he takes good care of his stuff. Usually got one as a combined Christmas/Birthday present. Dh who isn’t tech oriented and doesn’t care which model he has would eventually get ds’s old phone, so they last a long time here.

Between us we have 2 x iPhone 13 (ds and me) and an iPhone 11 (dh). Ds is 21 so old enough to save up and buy his own phone now if he wants an upgrade.

but we only had one ds, I can see phones could be a very expensive outlay with more dc to buy for!

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