At what age should a kid be able to have a phone or tablet? No, not a Leap Frog or a basic cellphone (the one where you can only call and nothing else) but a real one that they can go on the internet, watch videos, and interact via social media. Would you allow it when they are in elementary school, middle school, or highschool? Are there going to be any parental controls?
This question came up because I see a lot of kids around age eleven and younger on social media. Sometimes I even hear about kids that have gotten hurt. They watch a video or read what a person wrote and end up hurting themselves because of a misunderstanding.
In my opinion, kids should be able to have an actual phone around the age of twelve or thirteen. Anything younger than that seems too young and anything older is too old. Add a child lock, check what their watching, and it should be fine. Trusting your child is also very important. Do you think that they will be responsible? If you do not trust you kid then maybe older is better. Having a phone is a privilege and it can be easily taken away.
- Mycah Reece
I agree with the idea of giving out a phone at the age of 12 because that's the age where the responsibility begins to kick in. The kid starts going out with friends and growing up. A phone at any younger and I'll just be buying a 500 dollar phone for it to be lost or broken. Phones are extremely useful as they can provide as an excellent study prop, a navigator, and of course a source of communication. As long as my child keeps the phone in tact and responds to any and every text or call I send them then that would enforce my trust in them. Honestly, I wouldn't feel safe leaving my child out and about without a phone. The phone enables access to my child if I need to ensure he or she is safe.
ReplyDeleteGiving a child a phone does not have a lot to do with age because it mainly depends on the child's maturity. Parents need to make sure that they can trust their children to be responsible with a smart phone. Raqsmey made a valid point bringing up the expensive price of smart phones. I would not let my child have a smart phone knowing that he or she is likely to break or lose it. Therefore, I would need to start my child off with a regular cellphone made for only calls and texts in order for me to be able to trust that they can take care of something simple. Once they have been able to prove that they can be responsible with a simple cellphone, then I will reward them with the privilege of having a smartphone. However, I would still need to know that they will not take advantage of the phone. In the article, "What's the Right Age for a Child to Get a Smartphone?" it stated that 50 percent of children admitted to being addicted to their phones, so it is best to teach children that a phone should be used in moderation. Consequently, I think that thirteen is a good age for children to get smartphones if they are mature enough. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/21/technology/personaltech/whats-the-right-age-to-give-a-child-a-smartphone.html
ReplyDeleteI think parents should be responsible when giving a child a phone. Proper cautions should always be taken. A lot of pedophiles, bullies, hackers and other threats live among us. Nowadays you can find apps for everything like; controlling what your child can see and do on the internet, who they can talk to, what they can download, and to track a child’s location. I got my first phone in the second grade because my parents were no longer together. I got a phone so they could get a hold of me at any time of the day. It was a basic phone to allow phone calls and texts only. My mom did monitor my phone at all times. There was no downloading, no internet, or email on my phone. I agree with Karla, Parents should be able to trust their children with phones. They’re not cheap and they can be stolen or lost. Kids need to prove their responsible to take care of a phone.
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