It is very hard in this day and age choosing the right time to give your child a mobile phone, so we have decided to take a little time to discuss about the pros and cons in choosing the perfect age. Young children are always going on at their parents for a new shiny handset, and this is where mum and dad have a hard time deciding if they are just too young to have one.
There are many factors to look at here, are mobile phones a perfect tool for essentially staying in touch, or are they just a base for sexting, cyber-bullying, buying apps when they shouldn’t be and of course inappropriate Internet use that no parent wishes to see? These are some of the things parents think about when deciding if their child is at that right age for a mobile phone.
When should children get mobile phones and what is the right age? Well, this is a major debate and of course it depends on the parent. Personally we here at Phones Review say there is no right or wrong age, it is a matter of getting all the right things into place to give you peace of mind and we will give you a few pointers.
There is no major rush to give your child a mobile phone, but if say they are 11 years old and going to school and they walk home with friends, we would say that a mobile phone is a good tool in keeping in touch. There are many things you can get into place so that your son or daughter does not go beyond what you gave them it for in the first place. We are in 2012 and Christmas is coming you can bet all the money in the world your child will ask for a mobile phone, and we know for a fact that you will sit there going over all the good and bad points in deciding if this is the right time. Technologies have come leaps and bounds and worrying is not so much of a problem as they used to be.
There are many children out there that have medical issues such as diabetes etc, and to be in touch with parents or emergency services is a must as every second counts. Some children and even parents feel secure knowing that they are in contact with each other, but we must stress that there are many schools that are great in working with kids with medical problems. There are always going to be ups and downs in deciding what is the right age, so here are a few tips if you are considering letting them have a mobile phone.
Children nowadays have access to gaming consoles, computers, laptops, TV’s, DVD’s etc, so the technology is already in place at their homes, adding a mobile phone will not make it any better or worse to be honest.
The main thing parents should do is guide their children in the right direction to use a mobile phone, they are educated at school so educate them at home. If you have decided yes you will get them a phone then choose the prepaid (Pay as you go) option, contracts will spiral out of control as they can use when they want, if you choose the prepaid option then you can opt how much credit you give them.
Give your child a limit on when they use the phone, do not use during school lessons, do not bring handset to the dinner table, set a limit on credit like we said above, teach them not to send bad text messages to friends, if they are under a certain age make sure that they do not sign up to a social network such as Facebook etc. Do not give them access to buy apps, if they want an app because their friends have one let them ask you first, this gives you the option to check the application out first before installing it to the handset.
If in doubt allow your child to use your phone in your presence until you feel they are ready and responsible to use their mobile phone on their own, help them along the way to use it with care.
PROS: Mobile phones are good if children have medical problems, peace of mind, both parent and child feel more secure.
CONS: Misuse of mobile phone, texting too much, overdoing it when buying apps, using social networks for wrong reasons, using mobile phones at the wrong times such as in school, at dinner tables etc.
Please let us know what you think the perfect age is for your child to use a mobile phone?