What age is acceptable for a kid to get a mobile phone?



VINCENT VEGA said:
13-14 anyone letting their kids have are mobile phone with Internet access before that age are terrible parents.
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Agree if its full unmonitored internet access. Proper parental controls and i'd say its ok. We let ours on theres too much mind..need to reign it in a touch.

Some families are far worse though...loads let their kids on anything and everything at a young age to get their peace.
 
mcq10 said:
As per the title.

The oldest little miss mcq10 is in year 4 and is 9 years old.

Iā€™m of the opinion when she starts secondary school she can have one as she will be getting the metro or walking to school.

Mrs Mcq10 reckons half her class already own one so we should let her have one.
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Iā€™ve always thought the same as you. It frightens me how many kids seem to get their hands on a phone before the age of 10 now
 
Roker Mackem said:
Agree if its full unmonitored internet access. Proper parental controls and i'd say its ok. We let ours on theres too much mind..need to reign it in a touch.
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Seriously think its a massive issue some parents are either massively naive, lazy or don't give a fuck. Kids are being exposed to things they shouldn't be far too young. It's just getting worse now with young kids being given the latest smart phones. Terrible parenting.
 
mcq10 said:
As per the title.

The oldest little miss mcq10 is in year 4 and is 9 years old.

Iā€™m of the opinion when she starts secondary school she can have one as she will be getting the metro or walking to school.

Mrs Mcq10 reckons half her class already own one so we should let her have one.
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The bairn is in year 5, has one for checking the footy scores when we go to the match, likes to take pics, has a handful of pals on WhatsApp. Mostly use in the house.

Their mate has just got a phone because mate's parents are ready for them to walk home and wants to be able to keep in touch.
 
HorsePills said:
Their mate has just got a phone because mate's parents are ready for them to walk home and wants to be able to keep in touch.
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There are pros and cons to children having mobile phones. They are part of the 2020s though.

I don't totally get the keeping in touch bit because children who can't always get in touch with their parents for help, learn new skills for coping when out and about. When "mam" or "dad" are always on the end of the line to help them,what do they learn? They need to sort their own problems out sometimes without recourse to a phone.
 
Same sanctimonious people, different subject. There isnā€™t an age. Maturity of the child, understanding of both parent and child of the technology and need to remotely communicate are some of the factors.
 
JAZZMANB said:
Even us adults are told ,find time in your day to leave the phone completely etc
They're addictive ,when you do decide to get a kid one you have to make an effort to create non phone activity .
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Absolutely this.

There is a brilliant feature in the last issue of Aquila giving ideas and instructions on how to build a painted flat model of a Saturn V rocket from bog roll and corrugated cardboard. It looks awesome when painted and my younger boy is dying to get cracking to make it. The older one isnā€™t interested currently.

Following the link from that article to the authorā€™s own website he has done dozens of examples of that kind of thing with egg boxes, mill cartons and big rolls for schools. Weā€™ve got rainy weekend afternoons covered for months ahead.

Doesnā€™t mean to say itā€™s a Blue Peter household though. Of course we also watch films and the boys play lots on their Play Stations, and theyā€™re out playing footy with friends or walking the dog with me when itā€™s not raining.

But the point is exactly what you have written that there needs to be a bit of effort there to put the fecking phone down (adults and kids alike) and also do something more constructive.
 
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Oldest Bairns got a smartphone for secondary, the youngest earlier with a dumb nokia during last year's of primary, then a old iPhone/android after. The oldest moaned about the unfairness. But with the last she got bus home on her own, the others were always in a pack together.

Now at secondary they're all on new, or hand-me-down, iPhones it makes consolidated tracking simpler. The location tracking was the key especially with school then ECA then evening clubs etc. Now my kids school in the next city over it feels more important and gives better piece of mind.

Tracking works both ways though, as now they can see where I am at any time. So they don't feel victimised.

Guess it depends on the maturity of the kids and the situation rather than a strict age.
 
Kent_Mackem said:
Absolutely this.

There is a brilliant feature in the last issue of Aquila giving ideas and instructions on how to build a painted flat model of a Saturn V rocket from bog roll and corrugated cardboard. It looks awesome when painted and my younger boy is dying to get cracking to make it. The older one isnā€™t interested currently.

Following the link from that article to the authorā€™s own website he has done dozens of examples of that kind of thing with egg boxes, mill cartons and big rolls for schools. Weā€™ve got rainy weekend afternoons covered for months ahead.

Doesnā€™t mean to say itā€™s a Blue Peter household though. Of course we also watch films and the boys play lots on their Play Stations, and theyā€™re out playing footy with friends or walking the dog with me when itā€™s not raining.

But the point is exactly what you have written that there needs to be a bit of effort there to put the fecking phone down (adults and kids alike) and also do something more constructive.
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Me and my son were in the lakes in the rain and had no signal up this climb most of the day and it added to the experience
The whole " remote " thing
He still talks about it
They need a hand to find stuff like that
 
I think itā€™s when they have sone sort of independence. Mine were walking home alone from about age 9 so we got them phones then (pass me downs to begin with). Iā€™m some ways itā€™s not ideal but Iā€™d prefer they started having sone independence than relying on parents to chauffeur them everywhere until theyā€™re 12 or whatever.
 
Secondary school, unless thereā€™s a travel need and you can get them a ā€œdumbā€ phone.

Forget being ā€œleft outā€. Smartphones enable the absolute cancer that is social media. Itā€™s no wonder teenagers mental health declined massively with the proliferation of smartphones, giving them 24/7 access to things like Instagram and TikTok.

No primary school child should have a phone, and they should be locked away in secure lockers during the school day for secondary school pupils.
 

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