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Just gave an 8 year old his first iPhone, am I crazy?
- Thread starter dontwalkhand
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seems fine becus only an iPhone 1st gen my parents however because we were on sprint at the time had a 5 family plan with 2 teenagers and an 8 year old becus of how sprint works with the data plans it didn't make sense to give him a sucky phone when ur paying for data so we got him the eve slide or whatever it is called
he was so embarrassed he never used it cus hardly any kids had phones and now hardly do but he had the best so he literally never touched it (and naturally as androids they never worked...)
but now that we switched to att and all got iPhones but him (which are amazing) we have a 4 person plan and he is using a monthly -lan on a samsung evergreen which we found used but perfect condition on ebay for 20 bucks and he has no contract and actually uses it
he was so embarrassed he never used it cus hardly any kids had phones and now hardly do but he had the best so he literally never touched it (and naturally as androids they never worked...)
but now that we switched to att and all got iPhones but him (which are amazing) we have a 4 person plan and he is using a monthly -lan on a samsung evergreen which we found used but perfect condition on ebay for 20 bucks and he has no contract and actually uses it
My son is 8.5 and has our old iPhone. He's mature and knows how to use it and when to use it too. He really mainly uses it as an iPod Touch, but I like the fact that he can call when needed and I can track where he is.
Depends on the maturity level of your kid. Mine plays game on it occasionally but he is a HUGE Reader and will gladly choose a good book over Wii or the iPhone at any given time. Perhaps most won't then I'm proud to say he's not like most kids.
Depends on the maturity level of your kid. Mine plays game on it occasionally but he is a HUGE Reader and will gladly choose a good book over Wii or the iPhone at any given time. Perhaps most won't then I'm proud to say he's not like most kids.
No, you're not crazy. You are crazy to have iPhone on T-Mobile though. If you love T-Mo that much, get an Android phone with AWS 3G, or switch to AT&T if you really love the iPhone that much...
for those that said, "It's crazy"... this is 2012, NOT 1965. As a child of the 80's I never used the phone until I was a bit older. I didn't have a tv in my room until I was 16 and I NEVER had a phone in my room. I didn't have my first cell phone until I was 30? lol.
In my NSHO, if an 8 yr old is going to be using 500 minutes and texting 100's of texts, then an 8 yr old DOES NOT need a phone. That's the WRONG reason to get them one. they need to be out interacting w/ their friends (save for the occasional video game.), playing and running.
Now, that said, my 9 yr old has had an iPhone for about a year now. It's a 3GS. It's technically not his phone. It's his father's. His father got ATT and the 3GS about 3 years ago, maybe 4. He got an unlimited plan. Unlimited EVERYTHING. Texting, data and minutes. He has since added 2 more phones onto the plan so the total monthly bill is about $269. About $90 per phone. If he suspends a phone, it costs him an extra $35/month. So he keeps them on. I an getting a 4S in the next couple weeks. (yay me!)
I don't think my son has EVER made a phone call with it, maybe once or twice to/from me. he's only texted maybe 100 texts.. ( a little more if you count texting Emoji pics of Poo to his friends, lol).
for all intents and purposes, the iPhone for my 9 yr old son is a glorified iTouch. He has only one song on it (Higher) by Tao Cruz.
His favourite apps? All the "Talking ????", Angry Birds, Tiny Village, Camwow, and Doodle Buddy. oh and the face Goo one. We do not have parental settings on, (not hard to figure out if he's looked at anything inappropriate, we know how tech-smart he is), and he's NEVER bought a paid app w/o asking. EVER. Gosh he even asks for the free apps and I keep telling him he NEVER has to ask for free apps, lol
My boy is a good kid.
Depending on what an 8/9 yr old's intentions are with a phone depends on whether a parent (or brother) should give them one.
In my NSHO, if an 8 yr old is going to be using 500 minutes and texting 100's of texts, then an 8 yr old DOES NOT need a phone. That's the WRONG reason to get them one. they need to be out interacting w/ their friends (save for the occasional video game.), playing and running.
Now, that said, my 9 yr old has had an iPhone for about a year now. It's a 3GS. It's technically not his phone. It's his father's. His father got ATT and the 3GS about 3 years ago, maybe 4. He got an unlimited plan. Unlimited EVERYTHING. Texting, data and minutes. He has since added 2 more phones onto the plan so the total monthly bill is about $269. About $90 per phone. If he suspends a phone, it costs him an extra $35/month. So he keeps them on. I an getting a 4S in the next couple weeks. (yay me!)
I don't think my son has EVER made a phone call with it, maybe once or twice to/from me. he's only texted maybe 100 texts.. ( a little more if you count texting Emoji pics of Poo to his friends, lol).
for all intents and purposes, the iPhone for my 9 yr old son is a glorified iTouch. He has only one song on it (Higher) by Tao Cruz.
His favourite apps? All the "Talking ????", Angry Birds, Tiny Village, Camwow, and Doodle Buddy. oh and the face Goo one. We do not have parental settings on, (not hard to figure out if he's looked at anything inappropriate, we know how tech-smart he is), and he's NEVER bought a paid app w/o asking. EVER. Gosh he even asks for the free apps and I keep telling him he NEVER has to ask for free apps, lol
My boy is a good kid.
Depending on what an 8/9 yr old's intentions are with a phone depends on whether a parent (or brother) should give them one.
I had my Transformers toys lol
Kid having a cell phone, not a big deal, but a smart phone I think it nuts.
i got a green migo phone (the verizon one with 4 people u can call) in 6th grade, then in jr high i got a env2, then in high school i got an iphone 4
6th grade: no one really had any, plus it was free
7th grade: went to a lot of places and stuff, needed one just in case
10th grade: iPhone has become an essential tool for me with many educational apps.
16 vs 8 year old is a 8 years difference...
I dont think kids need one that early.
6th grade: no one really had any, plus it was free
7th grade: went to a lot of places and stuff, needed one just in case
10th grade: iPhone has become an essential tool for me with many educational apps.
16 vs 8 year old is a 8 years difference...
I dont think kids need one that early.
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>.<
i failed lol. been studying for finals since 10 AM...
its 8... in case u guys didnt know that already lol
i think my mistake is forshadowing how im going to do on my precalc final >.<
I have been with my bank for 14 years.
I have been with T-Mobile for 10 years.
Seniority is good with a company, it generally gets you perks that other customers don't get.
I can't get Android as I have started with an unlocked iPhone first generation in 2007, and have too much money invested in the Apple eco-system, it would cost thousands of dollars to leave the eco-system, specifically Home Automation from X10, and numerous docks, speakers, and car equipment.
I did switch to AT&T, but I went back to my parent's family plan to save money, as cash now is kind of tight for me but not for my parents. I would much rather pay my parents $30 a month than have to pay $170 a month for a cell phone, when I have insurance, and rent at my apartment...and within a few months, a mortgage. With these payments, I am thankful that my parents let me stay on their cell plan, and bought me a car, as those are payments I don't have to worry about, and I can concentrate on paying for the house.
My room at my parents house has been converted into a room where my dad and I work on projects, such as FCP and iMovie...silence is key.
soooooo... money is tight and you bought an 8 year old an iPhone that has a data plan???
Then he doesn't need a PHONE. All you've given him is a very expensive iPod Touch.
Texting is not the equivalent of practicing spelling. Kids who learn how to spell by texting will think "you" is spelt "u", "are" is spelt "r" and "what" is spelt "wot". Sure, the iPhone has auto-correct, but that makes it even worse in a way, because the kid wouldn't even need to know how to spell words properly. They'll think that they can just use text language all the time because their phone will autocorrect it.
Ever heard of reading?
Loyalty gets you nothing with companies these days. There are some grandfathered plans, but they will just squeeze you off of them, since they don't seem to have the balls to just kill them off for real.
You're saying money is tight, yet you've built up an empire of iAccessories? It's never good to buy device-specific accessories, specifically for that reason, other than chargers, screen protectors, and cases.
Also, you're paying for a service that you're not really able to use, since you only have EDGE. That makes no sense.
soooooo... money is tight and you bought an 8 year old an iPhone that has a data plan???
Ya, that makes no sense. If money was actually tight, a Tracfone would be the way to go...
T9 actually would help, as you have to know how to spell to use it. Spelling, grammar, punctuation, and proper formatting of stuff is a big problem, although texting and good spelling and writing can coexist. and you can text properly. most of the people I text do, and I do, other than caps.
I wish you better luck than our family had. My kid is a good kid as well, and the second person who tried to groom her used her reluctance to disobey an adult against her. Moreover, my kid was also not tech-savvy, but the pedophile was and manipulated her into disabling some of the layers of parental control we had installed. Obviously parental controls aren't perfect, but they slowed the process down and allowed us to detect the grooming before direct abuse occurred. I apologize for droning on about this, but you'd understand if you had experienced years of your kid screaming out in the night due to nightmares. Please believe me when I say you don't want to go there....
Edit: FWIW, in the UK there is some good advice from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre
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Agreed, VulchR. Anyone who turns a young kid lose with a phone (or a computer) without parental settings is a FOOL.
It's not about your kid being "a good kid" or "responsible" or whatever other wishful-thinking term you want to come up with. It's about recognizing all the predatory and sleazy people who are out there just waiting for your good kid to wander by.
I always cringe when I hear parents of young children talk with such naive confidence. I cringe because I was just like them until the realities of the world we live in today reached out an slapped me with my own kids.
You can't stick your head in the sand and just assume nothing bad can ever happen to your kid.
soooooo... money is tight and you bought an 8 year old an iPhone that has a data plan???
It was not bought, but rather one that we already had around. I said money was tight for ME, but not for my parents. I am not the one footing the bill for them, I only supplied one of my old phones.
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Money is tight NOW, these accessories were not all bought at once. It was purchased over the course of time, since my first iPhone.
Sounds pretty stupid to me. But I suppose their are worst parents out there. I'm 19 and I've had a phone since middle school, but this still sounds pretty stupid to me.
I suppose there are worse parents out there...