Mobile for 11yo

consumers_revenge

Hi,


Scenario please - Son is about to start seniors school and we are giving him a cheap smart phone ( android ) now not being the most savvy of children he likely to do something like start watching minecraft or similar videos during his lunchtime with his friends and hence chew up a lot of data.


Is there any PAYG sims that will literally not let you have any more data allowance once its used up ( say 2gb )? Also will need to turn of premium numbers as or set up some kind of child lock. I got caught out by a pop up subscription once from some dodgy marketing online place wanting to charge me 4.40 a month. Apparently EE let them charge this way.


Cheers for any help.


CR

pappa_golf

PAYG , = pay as you go , buy £10 credit , use £10 credit then phone will not make any more calls or (2g/3g/4g) internet .


the only unexpected bill is when "junior" asks for his pocket money early to top up his phone

consumers_revenge

That was what I was thinking but haven't personally had PAYG for many years so wanted to check what happens when they try to connect to data. I realise voice just basically tells you to do one :-)

pappa_golf

so does 2g/3g/4g , but wifi will still work , if he can log onto a wifi signal (posh/rich child with "hot spot" enabled ) or wifi at home

esuhl

Can't you just give him a normal non-smart phone? Surely all he needs it for is to call and text?

It'll be less of a distraction at school, too.

agrinnall

At 11 does he really need a phone at all? If you must give him one I'd make it the least expensive one you can find, as I'd say there are pretty good odds that by the end of the school year he'll have lost it, irreparably damaged it, or had it stolen.

warwicktiger

Makes me feel sad, an 11 year old. What happened to childhood, the joys of eating worms and falling out of trees?

sandsy

All kids moving to secondary school have phones.

My 11yo had a hand me down phone. I pay £8pm with EE for so many minutes and texts (can't remember the numbers, more than he uses) and 250mb of data and once it's gone, it's gone.

But if he abuses our rules on usage, eg. Pop ups, screen time, it's taken away.

I think you have to give them a chance to show they can behave responsibly. Taking away every option doesn't teach them what to do.

Cisco001

Giffgaff goodbags? you have to purchase it every month.
https://www.giffgaff.com/sim-only-plans

Once you go over the allowance, you need to top up.

How much do you intend to spend on smart phone?

sillygoose

yup Giff Gaff. Something like a Moto E phone is a perfectly good, quality starter phone and will last a while. Powerful enough to play games well.

Giff Gaff PAYG, do it in your name of course and set it up to recur £7.50 a month goodybag from your credit card. But make sure auto top-up is OFF, its a really simple website to manage these things.

Child gets 250 minutes of call time, 500mb of mobile data per month and importantly unlimited texts as they will send a lot!

If data allowance is used up, then no more data until the auto renewal date. If the call allowance is used up, then same.

(but each doesn't affect each other, the whole point of phones for kids is to let you know the bus didn't turn up etc)

If the phone is stolen, worst case, the thief can use up the rest of the £7.50 worth of calls/data then it won't work - (you will of course have cancelled the auto renewal before its next triggered by then)

-- edit--- if your child does use up all call allowance and you want them to be able to make calls again, you can either add some credit or better still trigger the goody bag renewal early ---

consumers_revenge

don't get me started on giving an 11 yo a phone, I hate the idea!


as a kid if I couldn't shout or find them at their mums house they wee unreachable.......but times apparently have changed ( sad IMHO )


the phone will be a £30 android from Tesco ( clubcard used MSE'rs :-) )


I also intend to engrave the thing somewhere sensible, and if it breaks.......tough. save up and buy the next one.