At what age would you say it's appropriate to allow your child to have an iPhone?

I received my first phone at 15 but back then the closest thing to a smart phone was a Palm and my handset had a black and white LCD. One can understand the peer pressure on your daughter to have an iPhone, to be able to call and text her classmates; and inevitably participate in using the 'in' app. As much as her social life is important, her safety takes precedence. Only you can decide if she is responsible enough to be entrusted with a device that could potentially be anything from a distraction to a rift in your communication; as she becomes more engrossed with the apps and people, not necessarily from school, who use them.

I would be considering:

- Her maturity and personality in general: is she honest? does she communicate well with you? can you see issues over certain rules cropping up immediately? how easily is she influenced by peer pressure, to the degree that she would consider doing something rash to get friend's approval or that of a boy?

- Her technology skills: does she know how to set permissions on what the app can access and what information she makes public? is she aware of scammers and predators? is she competent enough to ensure the phone is updated and safeguarded against potential intruders, who could steal details and/or photos under the wrong circumstances?

- Potential benefits: will this ultimately keep her safer, so long as she uses it wisely? will this help her learn new things, particularly about technology, that will reap rewards in the future?

Not an easy decision. Despite the prevalence of smartphones, you do have the option of giving her a basic phone or denying her one outright. It's your parental duty and right to make such decisions; and she should respect them, even if she disagrees. You don't say/do things for no reason.