What age do you think is old enough to own an iPhone?
My daughter has an impending birthday and that's what she wants.
My daughter has an impending birthday and that's what she wants.
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How old for an iPhone
- Thread starter danielowenuk
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I got my first iPhone on Christmas when I was 17 (it was an iphone 5), now I'm 18 and I'm loving every single bit of it! As for the age, I would say 16 is probably a good age to start. That's when most of us start working and begin to take care of more responsibilities.
If the child is old enough to understand how to use it--then they are old enough to have one. Just make sure they understand what the rules are at a particular school for its use. If you've got a daughter who can't stand to be off facebook or not answer a text while she is supposed to be paying attention in class--then obviously that is something to consider.
I have two qualifiers for this.
1. Is my child mature enough to be responsible with the phone/device. I.e, can I trust my child.
2. Is it necessary.
Number one can be met, but unless it's necessary for me to have a means to contact my child because they are not in a place where there is a phone available then my answer is no.
I have a 5 year old and a 10 year old. They both go to the same school. Other than school, they are either at home or with me or my wife or both of us together. So, they have no need for a phone. If they need a phone during school hours to call me or my wife, the school has a phone and will most likely do that for them.
When the day comes that my 10 year old has friends and is in other places than school and I need to get a hold of him then number 1 will be evaluated.
All of this of course is based on me purchasing a phone. Most likely, my son or daughter will get one of my used one's reactivated. My son or daughter buying their own phone is a different matter and will be evaluated should that ever happen.
1. Is my child mature enough to be responsible with the phone/device. I.e, can I trust my child.
2. Is it necessary.
Number one can be met, but unless it's necessary for me to have a means to contact my child because they are not in a place where there is a phone available then my answer is no.
I have a 5 year old and a 10 year old. They both go to the same school. Other than school, they are either at home or with me or my wife or both of us together. So, they have no need for a phone. If they need a phone during school hours to call me or my wife, the school has a phone and will most likely do that for them.
When the day comes that my 10 year old has friends and is in other places than school and I need to get a hold of him then number 1 will be evaluated.
All of this of course is based on me purchasing a phone. Most likely, my son or daughter will get one of my used one's reactivated. My son or daughter buying their own phone is a different matter and will be evaluated should that ever happen.
Some good input there.
My daughter is coming up to her tenth birthday. She has an iPad mini so could comfortably find her way around an iPhone (had a iPod touch before that).
If I do decide to give her an iPhone for her birthday it will be my 4S, as long as Apple get a shift on with the 5S.
I was quizzing her on number 2 last night and she was struggling to come up with a valid reason why she needs one, but I could probably make that argument for almost anything she wants for her birthday, she is 10 anything she doesn't have that she NEEDS is my responsibility to provide anyway.
13 would be the minimum.
I'd give her a dumbphone when she's 10 and wait until she's 14 to give her an iPhone.
That way she can be responsible, and give it more value. (If she gets an iPhone as her first phone, she'll think that she'll get another if she breaks it, so she'll be careless)
That's my opinion.
My step daughter got a dumb phone at 10 and my used iPhone 4S at 11. Due to both her Mother and I working and us living in a school district where kids walk to and from school we felt she needed a phone. Our main rule was that the iPhone stayed in a sturdy case all the time to prevent accidental breakage. An added bonus was that giving her my old phone made her data plan "month to month" so we had the available threat that we could cancel and send her back to the dumb phone if necessary. Everything has been going fine and she is now using a white 5 16 GB.
Ha! The truth comes out. This isn't just about your daughter wanting an iPhone -- its about you getting the 5s when its released.
My children were 10 when they received their first phone. It was a dumb phone with minimal plan just so they could call home in an emergency. My oldest boy has had an iPhone since he was 15 and was working to pay for it himself. My younger son (15) still has his dumb phone and is not interested in having a smartphone. That may change now that he is in high school, but if it does, then he will pay for it on his own. They showed responsibility with their phones, so never had them taken away.
Ha! The truth comes out. This isn't just about your daughter wanting an iPhone -- its about you getting the 5s when its released.
Oh hell no, I am having the 5S, it's just whether I pocket the cash from selling my 4S
That's the balance though. My son was about a year old or so when he first started pounding on a keyboard. He got his first Mac (an old iBook) when he was around 6. He's grown up with PCs and Macs. He uses the PowerBook G4 he has now for games. And there is an iPhone 3GS (unactivated) in the house that he shares with his sister, mostly to watch kids shows on.
But he doesn't NEED an iPhone, or any phone for that matter. I let him take the iPhone 3GS to Starbucks when we go and he asks, but he couldn't dial out even if he had a number to call. The other day he wanted to call a friend, so he used my wife's iPhone.
So, you're right, as parents we are responsible to provide what our children need. The hard part is determining what is a need versus a want. Sometimes you grant your child what they want because you love them. But at other times doing so does not benefit them and can even hurt them. I'm not saying don't, only you can determine what is best for your daughter.
My parents got me my first phone when I was old enough to drive since they wanted me to be able to check in when I was away from home. Unless your kid is in some sort of situation where they are often away from home on their own I wouldn't recommend a phone before that, and for a smartphone probably not at all until they are able to pay for it, or maybe as a high school graduation present.
In addition to making sure they know the school rules. you might want to enable some restrictions on the device. The first restriction I would set is to turn off in-app purchases and possible disable changing accounts so someone else can't screw up your kids phone by logging in to different accounts.
Would just replicate iPad settings, including DNS content filter settings etc.
I like the idea of waiting till you are old enough to pay for the device, but what if my daughter wants to spend her pocket money on the device, or do chores to pay for calls?
She would be on a capped contract/"pay as you go" anyway.
2 trolls voted 6-7... thats just laughably ridiculous.
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i got a really cheap brick when i was 11, it was jsut for texting and calling,black and white with a quite a neat game of snake on it. got my first iphone at abt 13.5, and used it well.
id say 13.
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i got a really cheap brick when i was 11, it was jsut for texting and calling,black and white with a quite a neat game of snake on it. got my first iphone at abt 13.5, and used it well.
id say 13.
I didn't get an iPhone until I was 22 (2 years ago).
I didn't get my first cell phone until I was able to drive at 16. It was a basic flip phone that called/text, with a horrible camera.
Times have rapidly changed. Kids should be outside playing cops/robbers but instead they're inside on the couch playing a new game or app on the iPad/iPhone. Sad.
And the amount of kids that are under the age of 16 that own iPhones disgusts me.
I think any age older than 16 is ok for an iPhone.
I didn't get my first cell phone until I was able to drive at 16. It was a basic flip phone that called/text, with a horrible camera.
Times have rapidly changed. Kids should be outside playing cops/robbers but instead they're inside on the couch playing a new game or app on the iPad/iPhone. Sad.
And the amount of kids that are under the age of 16 that own iPhones disgusts me.
I think any age older than 16 is ok for an iPhone.
Agreed.
Better to teach her how to earn her own things than to expect things.
But I'm no parent so it's up to you to decide if she really *needs* it. A phone is necessary nowadays, not necessarily a smartphone, however.
I was a freshman in high school when I got my first dumb phone. I was involved in after school activities where I traveled to other area schools and needed a way to contact my parents to pick me up from school. It was a Samsung flip phone that could only call (no texting on the plan until I was a Senior).
My first smartphone was a BlackBerry when the dumb phone finally died in college. I got my iPhone 5 a few months ago when the BB died.
Even though I'm not a parents, I've learned from my parents and others about how to manage such things. I went to preschool, and they were concerned about my intelligence because I couldn't tell them my phone number for home. My mom told them she hadn't considered teaching it to me because I was either with her or at school while she was at home and could be reached there by a teacher. Of course remembering seven numbers (area codes weren't important in the 90s) was pretty easy. Giving kids cell phones when I was growing up wasn't even a thought for most parents. My dad had a brick for his job, and we had a land line at home. My older brother was 19 and going off to college before he and my mom went and got feature phones. It's still a little surprising that he went through high school without one.
So if your daughter is often not with a parent at somewhere other than school or with friends then maybe she needs a phone but probably not an iphone unless you really trust her. Give her a dumb phone than can call and text. Maybe an older iphone that can't access data but could use wifi at home.
And of course my opinion could be because I'm 22 and grew up in a different era. Kids these days...
My first smartphone was a BlackBerry when the dumb phone finally died in college. I got my iPhone 5 a few months ago when the BB died.
Even though I'm not a parents, I've learned from my parents and others about how to manage such things. I went to preschool, and they were concerned about my intelligence because I couldn't tell them my phone number for home. My mom told them she hadn't considered teaching it to me because I was either with her or at school while she was at home and could be reached there by a teacher. Of course remembering seven numbers (area codes weren't important in the 90s) was pretty easy. Giving kids cell phones when I was growing up wasn't even a thought for most parents. My dad had a brick for his job, and we had a land line at home. My older brother was 19 and going off to college before he and my mom went and got feature phones. It's still a little surprising that he went through high school without one.
So if your daughter is often not with a parent at somewhere other than school or with friends then maybe she needs a phone but probably not an iphone unless you really trust her. Give her a dumb phone than can call and text. Maybe an older iphone that can't access data but could use wifi at home.
And of course my opinion could be because I'm 22 and grew up in a different era. Kids these days...
I got the original iPhone when I was 12 - it was a bit beaten up, but my dad had just got a free upgrade to the 3G and I absolutely loved it. I took care of it and it meant I could call him when he was away, and I could take photos to show him what I'd been up to.
Sure, you could argue I was too young, but he always said that I had one because I could be trusted not to be stupid. I used the iPhone and subsequent versions I purchases/received for a variety of tasks, including helping with schoolwork.
I'm definitely very grateful, and hopefully will be able to offer the same opportunity to my children if I ever have any.
Sure, you could argue I was too young, but he always said that I had one because I could be trusted not to be stupid. I used the iPhone and subsequent versions I purchases/received for a variety of tasks, including helping with schoolwork.
I'm definitely very grateful, and hopefully will be able to offer the same opportunity to my children if I ever have any.
When the child is able to pay for both the phone and the monthly bill themselves. Otherwise, they will have to make due with an iPod Touch.
I was 18 when I got my first cell phone back in 2000 (paid for both the monthly bill and the phone myself). You know, the days of the Nokia phone where you could buy different interchangeable face plates for the front of the phone.
I was 18 when I got my first cell phone back in 2000 (paid for both the monthly bill and the phone myself). You know, the days of the Nokia phone where you could buy different interchangeable face plates for the front of the phone.
That's the crazy thing. Parent's buy their children 200$ iPhones and the kids break them over and over and the parents never learn. (enter iPhone 5C)
Growing up, I literally got the cheapest on contract dumb phone. Of course I realize that smartphones are now everywhere, so it makes sense so many kids have them, but honestly if I were a parent and wanted to buy my kid a smartphone I'd probably buy them a cheap basic Android until they knew the value of a dollar.
I see kids all the time (ages 3-8) throwing around their parents iPads/iPhones, carrying them about like it's their stuffed animal. Kids look at screens too much, they are so out of touch with reality anymore. It's funny I'm only 24 saying this, but things have really changed in the last 7 years.
8,9,10 year olds with Instagram and Snapchat, what? I love technology, but it's too readily available to young people. I know that it's important nowadays that young people learn technology because it's the generation they are growing up in, but it's really out of hand. When I was a kid (mid/late 90s-early/mid 2000's) I loved being outside, playing games in the yard, exploring in the woods, helping my dad work on his car. Kids these days would take playing candy crush, or checking their Facebook over that.
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My son (3) has a 5th Gen Touch.
I wish it had GPS. I am seriously considering giving him my wifes unlocked 5 when we upgrade, getting a prepaid card, and swapping it out without him noticing (he loves his "Meepad" as he calls it).
It would be nice knowing if he were to lose it (or worse) that there might be a CHANCE (even though I realize it'd be SLIM), that we'd recover it.
Once the iT is gone, it's gone.
So far (3 months into the experiment now), it's gone FABULOUS.
He is learning like crazy, quiet on trips, goes to bed with the lights out, thought potty training was fun (thanks Elmo app), and an iPhone would just add to the experience from a tracking standpoint.
We'll see, but I didn't see 3-4 as an option =P.
I wish it had GPS. I am seriously considering giving him my wifes unlocked 5 when we upgrade, getting a prepaid card, and swapping it out without him noticing (he loves his "Meepad" as he calls it).
It would be nice knowing if he were to lose it (or worse) that there might be a CHANCE (even though I realize it'd be SLIM), that we'd recover it.
Once the iT is gone, it's gone.
So far (3 months into the experiment now), it's gone FABULOUS.
He is learning like crazy, quiet on trips, goes to bed with the lights out, thought potty training was fun (thanks Elmo app), and an iPhone would just add to the experience from a tracking standpoint.
We'll see, but I didn't see 3-4 as an option =P.