One of the biggest questions parents have right now is when they should allow their children to have a cell phone. There are children as young as 5 who carry a cell phone to school. While there are some parents who are standing their ground and not allowing their teens to have a phone until high school.
As parent, you make a lot decisions based on the health and safety of your children. It’s your job as a parent to do that, and that is why it is your choice when it’s the right time to have your child have his or her own smartphone.
For many parents, it depends on maturity and trust. When parents can see that their children are able to use electronics without losing or breaking them, they are more apt to allowing their children to use it. It also has to do with what their children will do with the phone. While there are some apps that will lock many of the apps on the phone, so they can’t get on the Internet or chat with strangers, some parents leave that up to their children. Again, this is a parent’s decision.
It’s a private decision that can be hard for some children to understand. You will likely hear yours proclaim how unfair it is that their 8-year-old friend has a phone, but he or she can’t have one.
There are some ways you can deal with this situation:
- Many times, your child only wants a phone because he or she wants to text friends. If your child has an iPad or iPod, he or she can text while connected to Wi-Fi.
- You can also have your child use your phone. Yes, that means you have to give up some of your privacy and if that’s okay with you, then this can work out well. You know what’s going on and your child can text.
- Some children want to connect with their friends on Instagram, and again, this can be done with your phone in place of your child having his or her phone. Not as fun maybe, but it’s at least something and can be a deal that works out well for a little while.
When your child does get a phone, it might be good to have some rules put into place. This will help prevent any problems down the road.
When it comes time for your child to have a phone, always remember that iResQ is here to solve any problems that may happen. Since most parents get a used phone for their child’s first one, you may need some repairs done, and that is what our certified technicians do best.
Let us know how we can help when you need us.