Would you let an 8yr old have a PAYG Phone?

Lucee

Hi

I'm sure this subject has been discussed many times before and is potentially explosive! and for that I apologise but I would really like some other peoples opinions, my friends/family think I'm being a bit harsh and in this day and age she is probably one of the oldest not to get a phone yet.

My daughter who will be 8 shortly would like a cheap phone for Christmas, she seems to have her heart set on one, she has friends that already have one and wants to be like them.

I am torn, my head is telling me not to get her one yet she is far too young but my heart is telling me different!

If I was to get her one, it would definitely only be a cheap phone and I wouldn't be buying any kind of smart phone. It would be calls/texts/games only.

My head is winning this fight at the moment - she's too young, but I know that I will feel horrible when she realises that she won't be getting one.

Am I being too harsh? and is it really acceptable these days for young children to have mobile phones?

TIA

L x

mrcow

No. You're not wrong at all.

What is an eight year old going to do with a phone? It's a stupid idea. I'm sure there are many things that you could get her for Christmas more fun than a phone.

Just because others are doing it, doesn't mean that you have to be one of the sheeple too. My son is 10 and he's not getting one either.

tea_lover

I'm definitely on the 'too young' side of the argument. My personal opinion would be that there's no need to even consider phones before children are going places by themselves.

j.e.j.

The jury is still out re. potential health risks of using a cell phone, and microwave radiation, so from that viewpoint I'd say an 8-year-old should not be using one.

I am not sure about whether or not it is the norm for junior school age kids to have mobiles? I'd like to hope it isn't, but if 'everyone else' has one your DD might feel left out if she can't.

Maybe it's a generational thing but I just can't see why a child would need a phone.

balletshoes

you decide, if you think she's too young, then thats the decision made . To be honest, this is one of those topics where some folk would say yes, some would say No. It really doesn't matter what other folk think, if you think she's too young (you know your daughter best) then thats it.

Nan63

In a word No.

I'm with the poster above who says 'I just can't see why a child would need a phone'.

balletshoes

j.e.j. wrote: »

The jury is still out re. potential health risks of using a cell phone, and microwave radiation, so from that viewpoint I'd say an 8-year-old should not be using one.

I am not sure about whether or not it is the norm for junior school age kids to have mobiles? I'd like to hope it isn't, but if 'everyone else' has one your DD might feel left out if she can't.

Maybe it's a generational thing but I just can't see why a child would need a phone.

that might depend on the area etc - but at 8 I'd say just about everyone in my DD's class had a mobile phone. Most of them (including my DD) hardly ever used them once they got them - which is why, like the OP, my DD got a cheap phone (I'm talking £10) on payg.

Do they need a phone at that age? Absolutely not.

krlyr

How about a compromise - not sure of your budget (but second-hand could be an option) but something like an iPod touch has many features of a smart phone without the safety risk of an actual phone. Something she can put apps and games onto and feel part of 'the club' with her friends, but no monthly fee (not really interested in them myself, but I'm pretty sure you can get them without sim cards and just use Wifi internet) either.

Bean_Counter

It looks like I'm going against the trend here, but my daughter is 12 and has had a phone for several years. Main uses in the early years were when she missed the school bus or trying to find her when she was out playing with her friends without trailing round all over the place.

Moomum

I'm against grain here too, my son is 8 and has had a phone since last September. I was hugely against it, until the school coach didn't turn up one day and I had a coronary trying to find him. Now he just sends me a quick text or a call if any problems at all. I didn't think I would get him one just because he wanted one as he never uses it for anything else and got over the novelty very quickly.

ALIBOBSY

We live in a semi rural area where its pretty safe for the kids to play out and cut through to each others houses. TBH all the friends of our 9 yr old had them as did her big bro, and its easier to be able to ring her to come home than walk the area as we did before lol. Living where we do there are small wooded areas they play and make dens in and they get the sort of freedom we got in the 70's so a phone is handy. But as I said quiet area, low crime, semi rural, and up north.

If you are in a big town/city and she rarely goes anywhere on her own not much point really.

I have to say you will probably find she would only use it for a few weeks then get bored, often DD1 forgets to charge it or in fact forgets it altogether anyway.

But at the end of the day its your decision, not her friends or school or hers.

I found with our eldest I was more concious of not just falling into line with all his classmates and insisiting he was too young. He only got a second hand phone off his dad when he was 11 and a new one at 13. I guess with second one I am a bit more relaxed and know how often it just gets left in a drawer anyway lol.

Whatever you do I would tell her your decision so she doesn't get a massive dissappointment on christmas day. Perhaps you could set an age at which you will buy her a phone say 10 or 11 birthday? So at least she knows its not forever.

Ali x