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My son got a phone when he was graduating elementary school. Because of when his birthday is, he was still 10, but turned 11 a few months later. I gave him my old phone, so yes, it had internet but it was the easiest way for me to handle things because I was familiar with the phone and of course, it was free because I was upgrading to something newer.
At that age, he was starting to do a little more on his own, and while I was still picking him up from school (we live a little too far to walk but about 1/10th of a mile to close to qualify for a district bus) but his schedule varied. It was easier for both of us for him to have the phone so we could communicate more easily.
He uses it too much (not beyond limits I have set but still too much IMO) but he's never breached my trust in terms of downloading things without my approval, making in app purchases, etc. I have his account set so I get notifications.
I haven't completely cut the cord yet because I did put in a landline during the time between when I first started to leave him home along but before he got his phone, but at some point, I will ditch the landline.
While I can understand why some parents choose to wait longer, I think the elementary/middle school dividing line is a very common time to pick to let a kid get a phone and I think that there are many good reasons why that timing makes sense.
Our 11 soon to be 12 year old got an iPhone for Christmas. She texts us a lot and it keeps us in close contact. Since we have a family plan, it wasn't a big dent on our wallets either. Don't feel bad about it one bit. Also, it's one more thing that we can take away from her if she acts up
Agreed. I have no problem giving a 10 yr old a basic cell phone for emergency use. But at that age, skip the bells and whistles, they are not ready to handle them.
I agree with this.
Get her a phone for use in emergencies or otherwise, just to have in case you need to call her or she needs to call you. But IMO 10 is FAR too young to have a smartphone of any sort. They have access to too much. Even if you don't let her gets social media apps and start using them, she still has access to the internet through the phone. There is no point in getting a child a phone like an iPhone without the intention of letting them use it how it's intended to be used, and IMO 10 is too young for its intended use.
I wish it was still socially acceptable in most of society to give a kid a flip phone for their first phone, and save the smartphones for older teens and adults. Let kids be kids.
A young family member of mine has an iPhone at 12 and she and all her friends are absolutely ridiculous on social media, they act like 17 year olds. It's too much, they're too young. I think it breeds self-esteem issues and even vanity, tbh.
I was lucky. When I was OP's daughter's age, flip phones and probably Blackberries, but mostly used for businesspeople, were basically the only phones out there. Phones advanced as I grew up, in time with my aging. By the time I was a pre-teen/young teen, phones like the EnV or LG Chocolate came out, so cooler and with more functions but still not full blown smartphones. Had to pay extra for internet access, for example, and no social media apps. Then in early high school the first iPhone came out but was only available on one carrier so most kids didn't have them. I had a Blackberry in high school until Verizon started carrying the iPhone my senior year. I feel bad for kids today who are exposed to iPads and iPhones before they're even two, and know how to use this technology that was never really intended for them, and isn't even healthy for them to be so overexposed to at such a young age.
When I was 12 I got my first phone, a flip phone, wasn't even allowed to text on it, but I was SO happy. Now, 12 year olds complain when they don't get the latest iPhone model.
Gave my 11yo an old iphone with a free cellular plan. He doesn't use it much except for exchanging texts with me if our plans change. Every kid is different, just because one kid can be trusted with a phone doesn't mean another can. You are the best judge of your child.
For those whose kids DO have cell phones do they remember to charge them or is that another parent responsibility?
I never thought a cell phone necessary for my 9 year old granddaughter but her alcoholic mother has forgotten to pick her up at the bus stop twice in the last week so she had to borrow another student's cell phone to call her dad (my son). His is the only number she has memorized. I'm considering getting her a prepaid flip phone but just wondering if she will remember to charge it regularly and put it in her backpack and that her mother won't take it.
I pay for it. It’s $30 more a more a month to add her phone to our plan. No big deal I think. She does chores to make up for it. I like her having it for safety reasons.
For those whose kids DO have cell phones do they remember to charge them or is that another parent responsibility?
why wouldn't it be a parent responsibility? I don't charge my 13 year old room and board, or for the use of the landline or his share of our internet service or the electricity.
Do any of the posters that posted here realize that cell phones produce cancer producing radiation?? They do every time they are used. That means children with cell phones are getting a steady blast of cancer producing radiation directly into their brains.
"Cell Phones" are specialized 2 way radios. As such they have to produce radiation to operate. Radiation that is broadcast full strength right up tight against the users skull /brain. What's that gonna do to growing immature bodies????
Should children have a cell phone??? He!!, NO!!! Let them grow up and mature before they get exposed to radiation strong enough to give them brain tumors!!
Yes, I know that these devices are almost in use by everyone from cradle to grave. Not to mention the money they generate. The medical community has long term research that proves these devices cause brain tumors but they can't fight the mega money that cell companies generate. It's up to the user and the parent to protect their children and themselves from these deadly devices.
For the record we have two cell phones.......but........they stay shut off 99.9% of the time being used for special uses only to limit our radiation exposure to near zero. For other phone use we have a safe and sound old fashioned land line!!
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