I mentioned last spring that I was reluctantly considering a smartphone for my oldest (age thirteen), but then read a column by Ross Douthat about resisting the tyranny in our pocket (purse) and did a 180 degree reversal: https://similarworlds.com/2327115-I-Am-A-Strict-Mom/696716-The-other-day-I-mentioned-that-I-was-considering
What I am now considering, and I am told this is available is a flip phone with voice only (no texting, tweeting, etc.).
@beckychandler That is not a bad compromise Becky it would be something that would let her communicate with you and keep in touch. As an alternative you can get her a smart phone but put parental tracking and security software on it so she can only use the parts of it you want her to.
Personally I recommend that path because it lets me keep an eye on what my older girls are up to and I have a way to make sure they are doing what they say they are doing. That way I know they aren't sneaking behind my back.
@beckychandler All the parents in our extended family occasionally sat/sit around and discuss/ed the issues affecting our kids, and we create uniform policy that all agree to, and update them as needed. That way we know how our kids, or a niece or nephew, are supposed to act at any location, and a kid cannot play one adult against another. The phone issue began when the oldest thought she should have one just about the time they switched from analog to digital devices. We started the kids on flips for chat only, and as they matured and demonstrated responsibility, we upgraded to better phones with more features. It came with a price, though. The more features they got, the more monitoring we could do. IOW, no hidden passwords, and we geo-locate the kids any time we please. Safety is paramount, and reducing parental worry is close behind.
