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How old for an iPhone
- Thread starter danielowenuk
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No offense but 3-4 isn't an option, because no 3 year old should have an iPhone. Even giving your 3 year old an iPod touch is a little outlandish. Give him a yoyo or a book. You think he goes to bed with the lights out because of his iPod? What?
I think parents hand their kids devices so young because they know the kid will just shut up and play with it all day and the parent wont have to do anything. We are more connected than ever on our devices, but so disconnected at the same time. Parenting is now so unconventional. It's lacking.
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There have been reports of children addicted to smartphones and tablets and providing these type of devices before they have the required cognition and emotional stability can be counterproductive and could also affect their creativity as well
I work in addictions and I have seen children affected by this
I would personally not give a premium device worth £525 to a child who may not understand the value of it, and I would consider to do so when they are able to earn it or deserve it. Paradoxically, giving away expensive products at an early stage can decrease their earning ability and chances to afford these devices in the future
This is in their best interest
Peer pressure can be an issue but this situation can be dealt with
This is only my opinion and also based in my own experience as a kid. Despite the fact that my parents had some financial means, they never inundated me with expensive items at an earlier stage of my life. I am very grateful for that
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I agree 100% with firedept and menel statements
I work in addictions and I have seen children affected by this
I would personally not give a premium device worth £525 to a child who may not understand the value of it, and I would consider to do so when they are able to earn it or deserve it. Paradoxically, giving away expensive products at an early stage can decrease their earning ability and chances to afford these devices in the future
This is in their best interest
Peer pressure can be an issue but this situation can be dealt with
This is only my opinion and also based in my own experience as a kid. Despite the fact that my parents had some financial means, they never inundated me with expensive items at an earlier stage of my life. I am very grateful for that
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I agree 100% with firedept and menel statements
@OP: You have to judge not only whether you trust your daughter, but also anybody that might get her number. We made a mistake in this regard and my oldest suffered (to the extent that the person who harassed her was convicted in court). Regrettably the impact of that trauma has lasted into her 20's.
Certainly if you are considering this, there should be rules, like she has to hand over the phone for inspection, no phoning in private places in the house (it's simple enough to make a rule that the phone has to be put on the kitchen table when she is at home, for instance), absolutely no videos or pictures to be shared, no use of social sites without giving you the password, etc. Obviously, it would be wise to have the discussion with your daughter about the risks of giving out her phone number (including the fact that anybody she gives her number could share it with others), to have a healthy skepticism about people she has not met in person, etc.
And before I get the usual comments about teaching kids being the best defense against twisted people on the phone network and internet network, you have to understand that there are adults who target well-behaving kids, trick them into doing something about which they feel guilty, and then use that guilt against the child to get them to comply. The problem is not so much that these perverts get their cheap thrill, but the damage from the guilt. Probably most kids would never have a problem, but it is not as though giving a kid a phone is risk-free.
Certainly if you are considering this, there should be rules, like she has to hand over the phone for inspection, no phoning in private places in the house (it's simple enough to make a rule that the phone has to be put on the kitchen table when she is at home, for instance), absolutely no videos or pictures to be shared, no use of social sites without giving you the password, etc. Obviously, it would be wise to have the discussion with your daughter about the risks of giving out her phone number (including the fact that anybody she gives her number could share it with others), to have a healthy skepticism about people she has not met in person, etc.
And before I get the usual comments about teaching kids being the best defense against twisted people on the phone network and internet network, you have to understand that there are adults who target well-behaving kids, trick them into doing something about which they feel guilty, and then use that guilt against the child to get them to comply. The problem is not so much that these perverts get their cheap thrill, but the damage from the guilt. Probably most kids would never have a problem, but it is not as though giving a kid a phone is risk-free.
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Depends on the child. I'd say 12, as long as I could jailbreak it and put on iBlacklist to control the calls and texts for the protection of the child.
I'd say an iPod touch is probably a better device for the kid and have them use a cheap phone for calls when or if they need to be calling.
My son is only two, so I have some time before facing this issue.
I'd say an iPod touch is probably a better device for the kid and have them use a cheap phone for calls when or if they need to be calling.
My son is only two, so I have some time before facing this issue.
I'd say high school at the very least. I didn't get one until I was in college, but I had my trusty BB Bold 9700 in high school.
This is always a good discussion for parents. Personally, I think it's good to keep track of your kid and to allow them to have communication abilities that are appropriate. That said, even a young child around the age of 3-4 I think should have some kind of tracking device just in case something happens. Maybe I'm a little paranoid as a parent but I'm constantly concerned with my child's well-being and safety. An iPhone however does other things. I would say around the time that your child can start socializing and interacting with other children and can know the difference between responsible communication usage and irresponsible communication usage is the age that they should have an iPhone. I would of course use parental controls, restrict usage, and also monitor usage of the iPhone because it's the responsible thing to do as a parent.
Same, no phone til I was 18 and it was in my name, and it too was a Nokia.
I see no reason a preteen needs an iPhone. I could see giving a 16 year old a dumb phone once they can drive, but an iPhone? When they are 18 they can buy it themselves.
Ridiculous. Give the kid a ball instead of an automated babysitter.
My niece is 14 and has had an iPhone for a couple of years, longer than me in fact. They are incredibly simple to use and I think children from at least 10 and up are more than capable of using and owning an iPhone. I would imagine a Playstation or XBox are more complicated to use!
It would be interesting how close the poll would be if we did this for iPads / iPod touch.
Is it mainly the ongoing cost element, the inherent portability, security, or something else that make people choose an option higher up the scale?
Is it mainly the ongoing cost element, the inherent portability, security, or something else that make people choose an option higher up the scale?
Much lower age for iPad/ipod touch, main reasons, monthly bill for the phone, iphone requires data plan, so, they should be able to contribute to the bill, also, texting/email enables private conversations you need to track when they are below the age of understanding when someone is being inappropriate with them. (No experience with how to do this).
It's a tough call though, this day and age, it might be nice to have that connection, but, I think it could be a bit too risky.
The iPad mini is more than I ever had as a kid! And I'm sure provides quite a bit of entertainment.
Does this iPhone 4S use a SIM card? If so, you could take it out, she could use it as an iPod touch...eh, but, she already has iPad mini. You could use it as an iPod touch for your car, if you have lots of music.
OR, just take the SIM card out, use it as iPod touch, or hide it somewhere safe, when Apple comes out with the iWatch next year, then sell the 4S and get the iWatch? (You know she'll want one!)
Am I helping? (I voted 15+)
Phones were the size of briefcases when I was 10!! A contract would probably have been 100 quid a week too lol
I voted 12-13. My oldest is 4. Her and her 3 year old sister are very proficient with iPads. They are not careful enough with them yet and no way I would give either of them a phone for quite a while. As others have said, they will need to be responsible with it and will have to be old enough to be out of sight long enough that I feel it is necessary to have a way to communicate.
Your kids walk to school? How close to the school do you live? Are you/your spouse able to walk them/drive them?
This tracking thing is just weird. Me, my 2 brothers and sister grew up perfectly fine and safe without my parents having to track us with a cell phone.
Smartphones really make parenting easier, apparently. Raising kids used to be hard work, now just hand them a smartphone and wala!
I voted in the 12-13 range due to the fact that I received my first cell phone when I was 12.
My parents were very protective and wanted me to be in close communication if need be.
They had a VERY strict rule... If I didn't answer or call back within reasonable amount of time my cell phone would be taken away. No if's ands or but's about it.
Oh and if I lost it, forget it, they weren't going to buy me a new one till I did an array of chores or deeds.
My parents were very protective and wanted me to be in close communication if need be.
They had a VERY strict rule... If I didn't answer or call back within reasonable amount of time my cell phone would be taken away. No if's ands or but's about it.
Oh and if I lost it, forget it, they weren't going to buy me a new one till I did an array of chores or deeds.
Any citation for these "reports"?
Kids can develop bad habits from ANYTHING. Church, school, baseball, TV, GIRLS... It's your job as a parent to make sure that doesn't happen. If it does, it is partly YOUR failure.
My reports indicate toddlers with iPhones all grow up to be happy multimillionaire models with beautiful loving spouses and 178 IQ's (the IQ's are just an average though, in fairness...). And no, I have no citations either, I just figured if we were making stuff up to bolster our feelings/beliefs I'd try it out too.
It's been great, and I fully plan on doing it again if my daughter shows interest (just turned 1).
If you can't afford to do it fine. I went in to my experiment fully realizing my 2 year old might break it and I'd be out $$$. It will still probably happen at some point.
So far he's managed to learn to count to 40, mastered his ABC's, learned TONS of new words, potty trained, become an amateur photographer, and much much more.
If anything, it's helped his interpersonal skills. Not all of it is from the iPod, but being able to communicate better with the other kids he plays with AND being able to tell us in much better detail what he wants has been really incredible (and yes, I realize it's partly just him learning naturally too, but this has literally turbo boosted his growth).
Seeing as most adults spend FAR more time with their smartphones than the limited time he does, I'm not overly concerned about addiction lol...
We ARE doing the iPhone 5 swap for his iPt5G. I'll let everyone know how it goes, but we're excited about the possibilites of GPS and think it might be worthwhile to be able to call him every now and then (grandpa too =)).
I don't think his iPod touch has anything to do with his learning. People have grown up fine and well educated without the use of smartphones/tablets, etc. as a child, for YEARS.
There have been studies that show children who are constantly on devices, especially starting at such a young age, lack certain social skills than children who would rather socialize with other actual living human beings and use their own imaginations instead of staring at a screen.
Our parents used to limit us to computer time when we were kids. A desktop computer in the 90s that had limited capabilites, we had AOL, the game minesweeper and Paintbrush. We got maybe an hour or less each day. This was before we had smartphones and tablets, and iPods.
We played outside, played sports, stayed active, did kid things. Kids aren't as active these days, which is why diabetes and obesity is becoming so common for young children.
You can't sit there and say that electronic devices are nothing but beneficial. They probably have some benefits, but I do believe that young children these days do have an obsession with devices, we should call them "generation smartphone".
Again, It's good for them to learn technology, as they are living in the age of technology, but it's becoming too relied upon. It's making things less personal.
I'm not trying to tell you how to raise your kids, raise them as you like, but I would be careful.
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I got my first phone (which was coincidentally the iphone 4) when I was going into my senior year, and I regret it.
In this day and age, a phone (any type) is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
At 10 I would give my kid a dumb phone.
At 13 I would give them a smartphone, although it would not be a brand new model.
Smartphones are TREMENDOUS tools. My iphone is a close second to my macbook for the most useful device I have in college. It handles all my HW, all my appointments, basic reminders, alarms, replaces my alarm clock, easy and constant communication with professors (emails, texts, and even calls sometimes, and lets me keep track of my to-dos).
I have all sorts of useful apps for my classes. Ex: calculator, converter tool, programming calculator. If not for the fact that I use my macbook for all my notes, I would probably pick the phone over the laptop for importance.
Honestly it makes me sad when people (like me) grow up without the tremendous boons a smartphone gives me. I was so stupid to think I didn't want/need one while I was in high school. It would have made it a lot easier.
I think 13 is a good age for a smartphone. You're old enough to not be a total moron with it and appreciate it for what it is.
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In this day and age, not having a phone until you're 16 is the ridiculous thing.
In this day and age, a phone (any type) is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
At 10 I would give my kid a dumb phone.
At 13 I would give them a smartphone, although it would not be a brand new model.
Smartphones are TREMENDOUS tools. My iphone is a close second to my macbook for the most useful device I have in college. It handles all my HW, all my appointments, basic reminders, alarms, replaces my alarm clock, easy and constant communication with professors (emails, texts, and even calls sometimes, and lets me keep track of my to-dos).
I have all sorts of useful apps for my classes. Ex: calculator, converter tool, programming calculator. If not for the fact that I use my macbook for all my notes, I would probably pick the phone over the laptop for importance.
Honestly it makes me sad when people (like me) grow up without the tremendous boons a smartphone gives me. I was so stupid to think I didn't want/need one while I was in high school. It would have made it a lot easier.
I think 13 is a good age for a smartphone. You're old enough to not be a total moron with it and appreciate it for what it is.
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In this day and age, not having a phone until you're 16 is the ridiculous thing.
I know some nutty people that gave their 3 year old an iPhone... he doesn't even know what to do with it.
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