At what age can a child reasonably be given a mobile phone?

DigForVictory

This may be on the wrong board, and I apologise if so. I trust Mods etc can shove me in the right direction if needed but hope to be sort of right.

At what age can a child reasonably be given a mobile phone?

As far as I can see the area is strewn with landmines between child, parents & grandparents. There is a generation gap, there is the "good parent" thing, there is the how nice/ many functions/ expensive issue (along with can you insure it & is it worth it) & there is the basic MSE tenet of "Do I need it?"

I ask since I sense it being considered as a Christmas present & I'd like to do a bit of expectation management without being completely sure who or what I'm managing.
So I need to agree to a mobile at some stage - just what is reasonable, when?
And how do you gracefully suggest that this device is reasonable whereas another is a bit heavyweight for a schoolchild, even as said schoolchild whoops "Wow!" etc? I did try to say, clearly, he does not need one yet. I'm not sure it sunk in.

I do not want to upset any loving propositions by getting in first with the lowest spec device my supermarket offers, but that is about the level I think he should be starting at, in another school years time.

There is the additional quirk that whatever rule I lay down for one, I may be expected to apply even-handedly on siblings in future. As I say, Minefield...

All advice (even that which says all eleven year olds should go equipped just to bug their Luddite mothers) appreciated!

kindofagilr

I personally dont think children should have mobiles.

I didnt get one till I was 17, I know times are different now and evey tom !!!!!! and harry seems to have one

But I know I wouldnt be buying my 10 year old one for example

doogle_chick

Hi DGV
It is, as you say, a minefield and I'm sure you'll get quite a few different responses on here.
For what it's worth. we allowed my brother to buy one for my son when he was 10 (earlier this year). It's a fairly basic one - it's a samsung with camera - and is on the Tesco tariff. We chose that one because he gets half price calls to designated numbers which we set up as home, mine and OH's mobiles, grandma's home and grandma's mobile.
It's on PAYG and I stressed to him when I bought it that I had used my money to top up the phone initially and that it was not to be wasted on texting his friends, he should use MSN for that as it was free!! Any future top ups needed would come out of his pocket money and that it was essential he had at least £1 credit on there at all times. The other condition was that he asks me first before he gives his mobile number to anyone.
He has since used it mainly if he's been walking to grandma's on his own (10 minutes!) or if I've dropped him off at an activity so that he can call me if he finishes early or late.
TBH he's been really good with it. He hasn't taken advantage at all and still has half the credit on there from originally and it gives me peace of mind.
I am expecting his use of it to change as he gets older but at least he's shown me he can use it responsibly!
HTH

anonymousie

Hmm I have kids aged 16/13/10 they all have mobiles. Their mobiles (yes even the 16yr olds) are pretty basic and are tools to allow them to live a fairly independent life without me panicing all the tim1:o

We live in a big city, the elder 2 bus to school and bus/train to town for rehearsals etc. THe little one now walks herself home- 10mins walk, and rings me when she leaves and when she's coming up our road and I go and cross her over- it is a rat run. THis means she has some independence and if I have been delayed at work then she is aware I shall be a few mins late or what ever.

THe older 2 had them at age 11 to go to secondary, but the youngest is much more independent than they were at 10.

Interestingly even the 16yr old doesn't yack for hours or spend all night txting friends even.

We have the £7.50 "family and friends" pack from O2 to cover all txts and calls between all the family- it's a great deal, esp whenthe kids calls are mostly "coming home now" or "the train is late" or what ever.

DD1 (16) phone is dying after 4yrs so looking at getting her a bit posher one for Xmas (maybe a tocco lite) but with a fairly basic phone the kids know it isn't the end of the world if it is stolen/lost (DS las lost his once and poor DD1 had hers stolen from an apparently locked cathedral vestry- poor thing) and were they ever approached with meneces , for the phone they just hand it over or hurl it at the hooligans and run! Again, withthe family deal the phones have little credit and are of almost no use to any thief.

If you are gifting a phone, please get a pretty basic, "non precious" one and make sure they know just to hand it over if threatened. THese things aren't worth getting hurt for.

knidofagril I see where you are coming from, but, as a parent it is much easier to let them use public transport etc if they can contact you easily. We have had DD1 at 11yrs turned off a bus in the middle of an area she didn't know because there had been a crash that shut the road, for instance. SHe called me and I sorted her out (she was on the way home from school and just a 10 min drive away, but as she had only been at secondary a few weeks seeking an alternative route or walking the 3 miles home was just not something she could handle on her own at that time- and, as a parent you don't forsee that sort of thing- they get on the bus and school and get off at home- yes - most of the time!).
AS I say, tool not toy.

mirrorimage0

you will get so many different opinions on here, a saying about can of worms being opened comes to mind lol. x

i will be giving my son a mobile phone as he starts senior school so that i he can contact mo or i can contact him when necessary as he will be having longish bus journeys to contend with and it will give me peace of mind although he has been asking for the past two yrs to have one he is ten this month but only in yr 5 so has another ful school yr after this one to wait but half his friends already have them

laurel7172

It's very much expected at high school. You look deeply weird if you don't have one. At least, I assume you would, because I don't know of a child that doesn't. Everybody has a mobile phone by year 7. I don't believe in succumbing to peer pressure all the time, but it would be a cruel parent who could afford a phone and didn't, because it's a huge part of their social world. And it doesn't have to be a very expensive phone-OK, a few boys will posture, but the girls soon cut them down to size!

Most kids around here start off earlier with a hand-me-down, which they don't use, but makes them happy. I wouldn't buy a new phone for a primary school child.

HariboJunkie

laurel7172 wrote: »

Most kids around here start off earlier with a hand-me-down, which they don't use, but makes them happy. I wouldn't buy a new phone for a primary school child.

That what we did. My eight year olds have our old phones which they love but have never actually used.:D
They asked for MP3 players for Christmas so we are getting them a cheap phone that doubles as one but it will purely be for me to phone them and they will primarily use it as an MP3. Most of their friends have better phones than I have and use them constantly.

Lunar_Eclipse

laurel7172 wrote: »

Everybody has a mobile phone by year 7. I don't believe in succumbing to peer pressure all the time, but it would be a cruel parent who could afford a phone and didn't, because it's a huge part of their social world.

I agree.

My eldest (9, Y5) has expressed a desire for a mobile for probably two years now, mainly because she actually quite likes mobile phones and I suppose sees Mums at school constantly on them. I use my mobile daily and always take it out the house with me, primarily so I have a phone in case of emergencies. I will often leave it in the car when out for a day's shopping, so it's with me, but have no desire to be contactable and carry it around in my pocket all day. I sort of love-hate mobiles.

DD has absolutely no need for one and is therefore not having one. I have said she can have one when she's 11 and going to secondary school like everyone else. We will probably buy her one, but might have an old one she can start with.

In answer to the OP's question, I think 11+. Ideally at the end of Year 6, which also seems to the fashionable age for having one's ears pierced. I think we'll give it to her as a last day gift, although I know she's got 11th birthday in mind, which falls at Easter.

peachyprice

There's a whole recent thread about it here:


http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1876919

onetomany

my oldest got one when he was 10 when he started to walk to school on his own he had to hand it in to the office, i brought a middle range one on payg, then 3 years later he brought his own phone £149 phone which he is glued to all the time, its a tricky one because i got fed up with putting credit on it, when he ran out it made things harder work for me eg he couldnt ring if he was running late etc, so i got the great family deal from o2, £7.50 and unlimted calls , texts , pitcher messages to five people which are grandad, brother, mum, dad and his number which works out great because he dont even have to have credit on his phone so means he pays for his friends calls i pay for the home ones, he gave his old phone to his younger brother which is silly as he is only 7 and dosent go anywhere alone but he likes tring his grandad on it and makes him feel grown up or he wouldnt have one so i think if they are old enought to walk to school then they should have one

Peanuckle

All 4 of our children have mobiles (16, 15, 15 and 10) but they are for a reason and not fashion accessories. DD (15) has one that doubles as an MP3 player since she is heavily into music and it avoided her having to carry 2 things (and miss calls as she can't hear the phone :rolleyes:)

We live about 3 miles from the nearest bus stop or shop and therefore they can contact us when out and about (or when they miss the bus). My 10 year old stepson has one so he has access to ringing his Dad and siblings that doesn't rely on his mother allowing him to use the house phone or even topping it up as the Vodafone family package we have mean all calls between us are free. He has a very basic phone though as he's not mature enough to look after it yet though