Mobile phone at aged 9?

NBirdy · 25 April 2012 at 10:04AM

My brother gave his daughter a mobile phone from quite a young age, but mainly because he was separated from her mother who made contact very difficult, and it was just easier to ring his daughter directly, and to know that she could ring him whenever she wanted to talk to him. She's 12 now and does text all her friends a lot, and has also managed to successfully persuade her dad that she needs an iphone 4 :eek:

balletshoes · 25 April 2012 at 10:13AM

Abbafan1972 wrote: »

I wanted to ask how you all felt about a 9 year old child having a mobile phone.

My daughter is 10 and one of her classmates who is 10 in July had a mobile phone last Christmas, not a smartphone, but a (mid range) Nokia. I heard her complaining that she wanted a new one as that one is rubbish!

I am very friendly with the parents and I haven't said anything as to why she has a mobile at that age, because it's none of my business and up to them if they want to buy her a phone.

Me personally I think at that age, she is way too young to have a mobile and I can't even think what use it would have. My kids, aged 8 & 10 don't go out on their own, they have a lot of their school friends on Facebook, so would use the chat facility to talk to them, rather than pay for phone credit etc.

Fine, when they are older and start going out with friends, they would need a means to keep in touch, so I know they're safe.

What do you all think?

my feelings are that you're right, a 9-year old doesn't need a mobile phone.

However, my DD had her first one long before that (first one was her Dad's old phone with a new sim in it, then when that broke she got a £7 Alcatel job, and for the last couple of years she's had an LG pink number). It was a complete novelty when she first got it, and even now her phone is usually not charged or anywhere near her if it ever rings.

One of her classmates got his first mobile phone for his birthday when he was 5 :rotfl::rotfl:.

If your 10-year old is a girl, be prepared for requests for a blackberry soon - certainly at the local secondary most of the girls my DD knows have them and bbm (is that right?) each other loads.

Spendless · 25 April 2012 at 10:20AM

balletshoes wrote: »

If your 10-year old is a girl, be prepared for requests for a blackberry soon - certainly at the local secondary most of the girls my DD knows have them and bbm (is that right?) each other loads.

Oh yes. My 9yo requested that one. i think it is because 1 or 2 do have them, so they become the 'in thing' for them to request. Bit like when I was 10 and 'Baby Alive' started being advertised a lot. I had outgrown dolls several years earlier, but considered requesting one cos that's what the others were having. I told my own DD the only blackberry she will be getting is one she has picked from a bush.:D

peachyprice · 25 April 2012 at 10:23AM

balletshoes wrote: »

If your 10-year old is a girl, be prepared for requests for a blackberry soon - certainly at the local secondary most of the girls my DD knows have them and bbm (is that right?) each other loads.

Oh, yes, that's whay my DD has asked for this year. She's only ever had cast off's and that's what she'll be getting when she gets a BB (note to self, phone o2 to check when my next upgrade is!)

ilikewatch · 25 April 2012 at 10:30AM

I must admit that I've never understood why teenagers are so obsessed with Blackberries - I can fully understand why they would want an iphone or decent Android device, but I just don't get why they'd want a boring business phone. My friends (spoiled) 14 year old daughter was absolutely gutted when she got a top of the range iphone for Christmas, then over the moon when her dad agreed to swap it for a 2 year old blackberry that had been sitting in a drawer at work gathering dust!

cte1111 · 25 April 2012 at 10:35AM

My DD is 9. She has asked for a mobile phone in the past but my answer was a resounding no. Apart from showing off to her friends, I can't see what she would use it for. She is either at school, an after-school activity or with us. If she goes to her friend's house then their parents would contact us if there was any need.

I will certainly give thought to buying her one when she is at secondary school as she will be out and about on her own at that point but before then I think it is one expense that we can be spared.

Caroline_a · 25 April 2012 at 10:37AM

NBirdy wrote: »

My brother gave his daughter a mobile phone from quite a young age, but mainly because he was separated from her mother who made contact very difficult, and it was just easier to ring his daughter directly, and to know that she could ring him whenever she wanted to talk to him. She's 12 now and does text all her friends a lot, and has also managed to successfully persuade her dad that she needs an iphone 4 :eek:

:eek: Good lord, what is she going to need when she's 18???

19lottie82 · 25 April 2012 at 10:39AM

NBirdy wrote: »

She's 12 now and does text all her friends a lot, and has also managed to successfully persuade her dad that she needs an iphone 4 :eek:

Same as my OH's DD! Well apart from the fact of managing to persuade him that she needs a IP4!

He said no based on the following

- There is no way he is going to spend that amount of £££ on 1 12 year old as a bday present.
- "all" of her friends, certainly do not have iphones, despite her protests lol
- She already has a basic BB and an ipod touch

and the main reason

- Surely a 12 year old strolling around with a £500 iphone would just be a mugging waiting to happen?

jakes-mum · 25 April 2012 at 10:56AM

My DS got his first phone at 8, was a cheap PAYG nokia, main reason was I became seriously ill with long periods housebound and could no longer take him to school. He also had to start going to the shops for me if I needed anything etc, it gave me peace of mind that I could ring him and he could ring me and he was told at the time it was to ring me (or his Gran/Grandad/Dad in an emergency) and has always been good about not using it to ring/text his mates.

He's nearly 11 now and often goes up the park, round mates, to the shops etc. He doesnt need it to socialise with his mates, he needs it so I can get hold of him in an emergency, a few times I have had to be taken to hospital and that phone has meant we have found him with no hassles, as with the best will in the world kids do pop to so and so's house for a drink, need to loo, climb trees regardless of how good they are at telling you where they are going

Because hes had one for the last 2 years the novelty has totally worn off, he hasnt asked for a blackberry or an iphone (yet) is quite happy with our old cast offs and has yet to lose a phone. I think it depends on the child and the situation, if I hadnt been ill he wouldnt have got one till he was 10 and thats only because he would have been given the freedom to roam as our secondary school is quite a walk and I would not want his first taste of responsibility to be walking to school at 8am.

Desperado99 · 25 April 2012 at 11:08AM

My DD got her first phone this past xmas (she's 10) with the reasoning that she wants to walk to school on her own and she's starting secondary this year.

It was secondhand (nearly new) and had been given to her auntie and uncle as it needed a new battery. They sorted it out and gave it to her (with my permission). She had actually been asking for a good few years (friends had them - mainly the ones who's parents had split up, so they could have regular contact).

As for Facebook! There has just been a huge drama at school as the majority of year 6 (and some year 5s) got into a huge slanging match on there over the easter hols (not my DD, she's not on FB). Kids really shouldn't be on there til they're older - they don't understand the security settings and don't understand the implications of how things can be read online unless they remove them.

Mobile phone at aged 9?

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