What age would you allow your child a mobile phone?

[CarlyP]

I think once DS starts to go to sleep overs and playing out with friends etc then we will get him one.

 

[KittyVentura]

When they start secondary school I think.

In cases where parents are separated I think a child should really have one as soon as they can operate a phone really. Assuming there is a custody agreement. I think a child should always be able to speak to the other parent when THEY want to xx

 

[bumphenders]

I am nowhere near this point yet, but I got my younger step sister a cheap (£20) phone last year when she was 8 to teach her the importance of looking after things, and also so that I could keep in touch with her as I don't live with her and I don;t get to see her as often as I would like...

She receives pocket money off my Dad and step mam and if she chooses to use some of it to top up her credit with then that is her choice...Again, if she spends her pocket money on other things, then she won't have credit on her phone so its another way to teach her to appreciate things more.

 

[mandy81]

My daughter bought herself one last christmas when she was 8 !!! x

 

[Coxie]

I got my daughter one when she was 7. She spends every summer away from me at one or both of her Grandparents which is all the way across the country. I wanted her to be able to call me whenever she wanted and I wanted to be able to contact her when I want. Ya I could call my parents phones but to be honest my Mom is so technically challenged she doesn't even know how to operate or find her cell phone half the time. It has come in handy also when she goes to sleepovers or when I am running late to pick her up from sports or school.

 

[sarah0108]

When they go to secondary school, so, 11-12?

 

[Mummy2B21]

I would consider at age 11 when they move to senior school.

 

[amore]

I agree once they start secOndary school, I have 13 & 10 yr old step daughters. The older one got bought pho e for her 11th birthday (which I disagree with) as now the 10 yr old is expecting one for her 11th birthday!! Although she has accepted that she does t need one but still causes issue.

I did t get phone til I was 18 and I had 1 1/2 hour bus journey to school I survived without phone!!!

Totally agree

I dont think I will let my boys have phones until they are atleast 14 as I just dont see why they would need one personally I used to walk to school and back each day and I survived just fine. When they are at a friends house I can just call the house phone of his friends like my mum used to do

 

[holly2234]

I had one the christmas before i started secondary school. Just after i turned 11. Nothing special, just a cheap one. I definitely wouldnt be getting Erin a contract one, ever!

 

[more babies]

When my daughter was 8 I went out and added a phone to our plan. The phone itself was free (just your basic phone) and it only cost $10 a month. This phone line will eventually be hers but right now its our "extra" or "emergency" phone. The original reason I got it was because she was doing a sports camp and I didn't feel comfortable leaving her there all day without her being able to get whole of me right away if needed. She also takes the phone if she goes out riding her bike with the other kids on the street. Its more of a comfort for me. I don't plan on giving her the phone any time soon and now that she's 10 and all her friends are getting them she's been asking for one but I can't see any reason she would need a full time phone at 10. I told her she can have a phone when she can pay for it and she wasn't to thrilled with that answer.

 

[hopeandpray]

UK government advice is to minimise phone calls under 16 because of possible health risks. I would let mine have a phone but maybe have them use it with earphones and try text whenever possible instead of calling.

 

[kel21]

Mine is only 5 right now, but I would just say when need arises. Hopefully not until teens. My big thing is that we want a gps in it! We live out in the country, and kids party out here! I want to know where he is at all times, not just what he tells me! But that kind of phone won't happen until he is at least 16!

 

[Tegans Mama]

Its probably gonna be a lot sooner rather than later for us. At the minite we rely on a baby monitor to let us know when Tegan wakes up (she's paraplegic and can't get herself put of bed or down the stairs etc). As soon as I feel she is ready I'll be getting her a mobile phone instead so she can call/text me to tell me she's up. She has severe health problems and shell need to e able to reach us in emergencies, so as soon as she can operate a phone independently shell have one. It will only have two numbers in though, mine & my wife's.

 

[angiepie]

I think when you start high school is a good time. We never needed them in primary, but suddenly everyone had one in year 7 and I felt soooo left out. So halfway through the year I got one for my 13th birthday [although it was a cheapie and my parents only had to put credit on it every few months coz I had no one to text!]. Round about year 9, when I was 14/15 is when I really started to text a lot and when I turned 15 I got a job, anyway. I think it's important for the child to be able to pay for the phone. It's a good way to teach them to save. I would've had a lot more credit if I hadn't spent so much money at the school canteen.

 

[Mighty Max]

I gave my daughter her first phone at 6! It wasn't an iPhone! But it did what I wanted it to do, ring and text me. As a single dad, I had to work, and after school she would have to go to other children's houses after school. Our neighbours usually took her but often enough, I had to make other arrangements. So I would text her asking her if she was ok with going with such and such a person today. And my daughter was constantly (still does) forgetting her gear for practice. So i'd often get a text asking me to drop off gear bags and sometimes lunch or money. And on a couple of occassions the parents I had asked to collecct her had forgotten to pick her up or mixed up the dates! Once, she forgot her phone on one of those days. She was left on her own outside the sports field for an hour (6 o'clock, on a winters evening, it was dark) until I realised. She didn't want to leave the field because she was afraid and she didn't want me to show up and she not be there. She was 9 years old! That phone helped us so much! She's almost 13 now, and she has a smartphone. I must say, she's great. In all fairness, her bill is never more than €20, compared to my bill of €200+. She doesn't text much. Most of her bill is internet usage. She goes on youtube, downloads music, plays games and all that crap! And if you were to go through her logs, 90% of the calls and texts are to me!

EDIT - Did I mention it contains a GPS tracker? I rarely even use it. But it 's a handy device!

 

[Family]

Harry is getting his phone this year (turning 13). I think that 12-13 years old should be getting a phone!!!

 

[lizardbreath]

When I.was 13 I got my first phone and I was told then I had to pay for it my children will be told the same the can have a cell phone when.they can pay for all costs

 

[nugget80]

my girls bought themselves a phone when they were 7 & 8. i wasn't happy but i had said i wanted nothing to do with it so they went in and bought them without me! tbh though once they had them i felt happier about them playing out and going to park alone. their dad got them contracts last year without asking but as he pays bills I've not said anything... they use them lots to text friends and arrange to meet outside of school and as i can always contact them i don't mind them venturing further when with others (never alone)

 

[lozzy21]

I think once they are going out independently then they can have one. I got one once i started going into town with my friends or to the cinema on a weekend.

 

[motherofboys]

Well my 6 year old son came home the other day telling me how some girl in his class has just got a phone for her birthday and shes 7 and could he have one for christmas as he will be nearly 7. He wants to use it to send texts to his friends (how many of his friends will actually have a phone, I ask you lol) and his family "who don't live in our house"
I don't think I will be letting him have one until he is at the age where his going out alone with friends.