At what age would you allow your child to have a cell phone?
My oldest wants one for her birthday she will be 11 but I’m not sure about it
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OogieBoogie · F
Prolly not so much 'what age' but 'what awareness'.
Our daughter got to borrow mine when she went out at roughly that age.
She screwed up with it a few times....or allowed her friends to.
This resulted in talks and consequences.....from which she learnt.
A year or so later she was given an ipad. She loved it ...but also fucked up online a few times.
She also got an old basic phone of mine.
Each time was a chance to talk about stuff, safety, security, wisdom.... consequences....choices.
She was maybe 13?...14? When we gave her her own smart phone.
There were teething problems with that..... teaching her self control....probelm solving ...and to not be a sheep. About realizing its a tool she controls, not the other way round.
And that it can be truned off.
(I admitted was suprised that we had to teach that concept).
So it was a learning thing for me too. It also taught both of us what we considered privacy.
(At some point one has to fully let go the reigns)
Age doesn't define maturity, even though maturity can come with age.
Id say ....talk to her about it.
Also ....make it worth something. Buy her a basic phone to start with.(These days its a security device as well).
Let her enjoy the bonuses it comes with.....and let her make a few mistakes while you are around to have her back and help guide fix them.
- it's the best way we learn
You can tell and tell and TELL people not what to do.... they'll still do it.
Just keep up communication and dont freak out when shit happens.
Teenagehood is made for taking risks. Only by risk taking do we learn how to negotiate future risky situations.
Its an essential life skill.
Phones are a kinda stepping stone to real life. Better to learn what bad choices can do before they find themself in one in real life.
Just my experience and opinion on this 🤷♀
Not saying this is optimal. More.....what we went thru.
I dont feel that kids learn by being held back or deprived of....(Generally speaking. And of course there are definite limits)...lifes experiences. They have so little time to grow up and be prepared.
They will live in a tech driven world.
They need to learn to cope with ....and manipulate it.
Better to do it under your supervision yeah?
Our daughter got to borrow mine when she went out at roughly that age.
She screwed up with it a few times....or allowed her friends to.
This resulted in talks and consequences.....from which she learnt.
A year or so later she was given an ipad. She loved it ...but also fucked up online a few times.
She also got an old basic phone of mine.
Each time was a chance to talk about stuff, safety, security, wisdom.... consequences....choices.
She was maybe 13?...14? When we gave her her own smart phone.
There were teething problems with that..... teaching her self control....probelm solving ...and to not be a sheep. About realizing its a tool she controls, not the other way round.
And that it can be truned off.
(I admitted was suprised that we had to teach that concept).
So it was a learning thing for me too. It also taught both of us what we considered privacy.
(At some point one has to fully let go the reigns)
Age doesn't define maturity, even though maturity can come with age.
Id say ....talk to her about it.
Also ....make it worth something. Buy her a basic phone to start with.(These days its a security device as well).
Let her enjoy the bonuses it comes with.....and let her make a few mistakes while you are around to have her back and help guide fix them.
- it's the best way we learn
You can tell and tell and TELL people not what to do.... they'll still do it.
Just keep up communication and dont freak out when shit happens.
Teenagehood is made for taking risks. Only by risk taking do we learn how to negotiate future risky situations.
Its an essential life skill.
Phones are a kinda stepping stone to real life. Better to learn what bad choices can do before they find themself in one in real life.
Just my experience and opinion on this 🤷♀
Not saying this is optimal. More.....what we went thru.
I dont feel that kids learn by being held back or deprived of....(Generally speaking. And of course there are definite limits)...lifes experiences. They have so little time to grow up and be prepared.
They will live in a tech driven world.
They need to learn to cope with ....and manipulate it.
Better to do it under your supervision yeah?