First Phone

How old should a child be when they get a phone?  The median age in England for a first phone is eight years old, and the main reason they have them is because parents think their children will be safer with one. And that might be so, but eight does strike me as being pretty young.

I wish I could give you a suggested time table, but the big problem is children vary so much in their maturity. There are some 8 year olds that are more mature than I am and plenty of teenagers who repeated prove they haven’t got the sense to be trusted with a phonebook let alone a phone.

The best approach is to look at your own child and ask, ‘How mature are they?’ The way they handle other things will give you an indication of how they will probably handle a phone. ‘Do they handle money well?’ Phones can run up bills, especially if they use data. If your kids are good with money then they will probably hand a phone responsibly. If not, wait for a while.  ‘Do they have good self control?’ Phones provide huge opportunities for kids to get up to mischief. A child who is normally well behaved will probably be fine with a phone but, if they tend to get into a trouble for other things then they probably aren’t ready for the responsibility of phone ownership.

Phones are valuable and can be broken or stolen so, ask yourself: ‘Is my child good with property?’ Yes? Then they will probably treat a phone well. But if they often lose things and you frequently have to replace their shoes, sweaters and coats then you can probably expect to replace their phone, too.

This is a situation where you have to consult an expert. Is there an expert on your child? Yes… you!   By all means check out what other parents do and what experts say, but you know your child best.

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