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9 year olds and iphones?

roxics

roxics

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 4, 2013
315
154
So I'm looking to upgrade from my 32GB 4S to a 5c or 5s in the next couple weeks.

My original idea was to just get the new iphone and then pass my 4S down to my 9 year old son so that he can play games and stuff on it; no phone activation. He's a smart kid, but he's still nine and he doesn't live with me full time. So I could see two things happening:

1. He takes it to school with him and it gets stolen

2. He drops it and breaks it and its not worth repairing.

Either way he's bummed out. Whereas if he never got it to begin with, nothing to be bummed about.

So now I'm considering that maybe instead I should just sell it to pay for my new phone. Otherwise what am I going to do with a 4S sitting around the house?

When I upgraded from my 3Gs to the 4S I had the other sitting around the house for months shut off. One day I went to charge it and the battery blew up. It expanded and bowed the screen and seams. I had to throw it out. It was ruined. It had sat for two long with a low charge. So there is no point in potentially having the same thing happen to the 4S.

What are your thoughts on this as a parent or just an iphone user?
 
Not a chance I would ever give a 9 year old an iPhone to take to school. Way way waaaaay to easy for it to get lost.

If anything I'd either :
A) Sell it
B) Give it to him to use around the house only
C) Keep it as a backup in case down the line your new phone breaks
 
One last question to throw in. If I do decide to sell it, can I? I'm still on my two year contract but I'm at my 18 month upgrade point with AT&T. So would stores like Apple or Gamestop or any of those allow me to sell it at this point or would i have to wait till the full 2 years is up?
 
roxics said:
One last question to throw in. If I do decide to sell it, can I? I'm still on my two year contract but I'm at my 18 month upgrade point with AT&T. So would stores like Apple or Gamestop or any of those allow me to sell it at this point or would i have to wait till the full 2 years is up?
Click to expand...
I believe once you re-up for two years, the previous contract is satisfied.
 
user-name-here said:
C) Keep it as a backup in case down the line your new phone breaks
Click to expand...

Like I said that's what I did with my 3Gs and that didn't work out. Not saying the same will happen to the 4S, but I'd rather have it being used or sold to pay for the new phone.
 
terzinator said:
I believe once you re-up for two years, the previous contract is satisfied.
Click to expand...

Ok so I would technically have to buy the new phone first then and reup before I could sell the old one? As in I couldn't use the money from the old one to buy the new one without any other money in hand?

For example, walk into the Apple store, give them my 4S and walk out with a new 5(c)(s). Without giving them a credit card or any other money.
 
roxics said:
Ok so I would technically have to buy the new phone first then and reup before I could sell the old one? As in I couldn't use the money from the old one to buy the new one without any other money in hand?

For example, walk into the Apple store, give them my 4S and walk out with a new 5(c)(s). Without giving them a credit card or any other money.
Click to expand...

Yeah, you could just trade it into Apple and not have to put any money down for your 5s besides the tax.
 
roxics said:
Ok so I would technically have to buy the new phone first then and reup before I could sell the old one? As in I couldn't use the money from the old one to buy the new one without any other money in hand?

For example, walk into the Apple store, give them my 4S and walk out with a new 5(c)(s). Without giving them a credit card or any other money.
Click to expand...

Apple gives you a $200 (or whatever) credit to use that day. So I'd think you could use that toward the new phone. bada bing bada bang bada boom.
 
Cool. Thanks guys. That would probably be the smarter route to take then.
 
All of my kids have iPhones. Youngest got hers (handed down iPhone 4) when she was 10, almost 11.

She had had a cell phone since she was 9. We have no land lines.

It depends on the kid. I started mine out with iPods and/or iPod touch.

None of them has ever broken a phone or iPod.
 
~$60 at apple for battery replacement would have netted you a refurbished 3GS from apple.

Also, if your kid really wants it and can take care of it then go for it; if you are scared of drops get him an otterbox should be way cheaper now for a 4S. I would even put a sim card in it, prepaid no data.
 
roxics said:
So I'm looking to upgrade from my 32GB 4S to a 5c or 5s in the next couple weeks.

My original idea was to just get the new iphone and then pass my 4S down to my 9 year old son so that he can play games and stuff on it; no phone activation. He's a smart kid, but he's still nine and he doesn't live with me full time. So I could see two things happening:

1. He takes it to school with him and it gets stolen

2. He drops it and breaks it and its not worth repairing.

Either way he's bummed out. Whereas if he never got it to begin with, nothing to be bummed about.

So now I'm considering that maybe instead I should just sell it to pay for my new phone. Otherwise what am I going to do with a 4S sitting around the house?

When I upgraded from my 3Gs to the 4S I had the other sitting around the house for months shut off. One day I went to charge it and the battery blew up. It expanded and bowed the screen and seams. I had to throw it out. It was ruined. It had sat for two long with a low charge. So there is no point in potentially having the same thing happen to the 4S.

What are your thoughts on this as a parent or just an iphone user?
Click to expand...

I gave my 13 year old son my old iPhone 4 with no phone activation. He uses it to play games on it here at home. He doesn't take it with him when he leaves the house. Since he doesn't live with you full time, I would be sure and talk with whoever he does live with.
 
My daughters iPod touch 4th gen was stolen from her backpack at school. I told her not to take it but she decided to anyways. I did not buy her another one until the 5th gen came out. She is 13 now and I'm thinking about getting her an iphone when she turns 14. Don't really like kids that age having iPhones but she is a straight A student so I guess it's fair.
 
Carlanga said:
~$60 at apple for battery replacement would have netted you a refurbished 3GS from apple.
Click to expand...

Good to know, but I literally pulled it apart, ripped out the battery and threw it on the driveway in the cold of winter. I watched it expand the phone right in front of me and was afraid it was going to blow up.
 
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