There are many reasons why children should or shouldn't have phones. Since phones were created so recently we are still trying to figure out the best way to introduce them to young minds. There have been many studies conducted and most of them say you should wait till your child is 12-14 years old or they should be in at least the eighth grade. Now, 42% of children get a phone before the age of 10 and as much as 91% have a phone by the young age of fourteen. Should we be buying children phones this early?
First of all, many parents like that their children have phones because they are able to be in constant contact. This makes many parents feel more secure when their kids leave home. Phones are also great to have because of safety reasons. They could call 911 or anybody that can help them with just a couple clicks of a button. Another reason it's good for children to have phones is because it gives them a sense of independence and maturity. This gives them responsiblity and helps them learn how to take care of things at an earlier age.
There are also many down sides to having phones at a young age. Screen addictions can start especially at a young age. Overuse of phones at such a young age can have poor mental and physical health effects. There is also problems with parents being able to control what their children are playing or watching. With this, cyberbullying can accure no matter how much you try as a parent to stop it.
Personally, I believe that kids should have phones. But only when they are old enough for parents to trust them or they need it because they have extracurricular activities, like sports. I feel like a good time to get a phone would be the seventh grade when many people start school sports or other activities. Otherwise I would say get a phone at the age of 12. Parents should implement their own rules based on what they see fit. For example, I got my first phone when I was in seventh grade. I had screen time and could only have certain apps until I proved to my parents they could trust me. I feel this is what most parents should do in order to help control the amount of phone usage for their child.
What age did you get a phone?
What age do you think children should get a phone?
Why do you think that's a good age?
Source 1: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/is-your-child-ready-for-a-smartphone-or-not
Source 2 : https://www.forbes.com/health/family/best-age-for-first-cell-phone/#:~:text=Recent%20survey%20data%20suggests%2042,placed%20in%20a%20child's%20pocket.
Source 3 : https://troomi.com/pros-and-cons-of-young-kids-having-cell-phones/
Replies
I got my phone when I was 9 years old. I feel like that is a little to young to get a phone, but my situation was different. I think when kids go into middle school is a good time for them to get a phone. I think when you go into middle school you have more responsibilities and activities and you have more need for a form of communication.
I agree with that children should get a phone around middle school. This is because you have more responsibilites and activities like you said, but it also makes you more responsible by keeping track of your phone and by staying in contact with your parents.
I got my first phone in 6th grade, earlier in the year. I think children should get a phone around 10 years old as they are not to young and safety is a good reason to have a phone. Also, if they are in sports its always good to have strong communication with your parents.
I got my phone when I was 11 or 12. I think you should get your phone in middle school, when bigger freindgroups start forming, and it makes it easire to socialize. Kids should not get a phone if there still in primary or elementry school.
I agree that kids should not get phones in elementry school and that they should get them around middle school. I believe that phones really do help you sociallize and stay closer with friends, especially in the summer time.
When I got my first phone I was 10 years old. I think that children should not get phones until they are about 10 years old. I think that 10 years old is a good age because they are not too young to have their own phone but they are also not old enough to drive so they don't really need it.
i got my phone at 11. i think kids should have a phone when there old enough to walk to school because then they can contact there parents if something happens or call for help. and what happens at schools make it hard for a kid to not want to have aphone because sometimes students feel unsafe at school and telling parents that could help.
I agree that if children are walking to school they should have some type of technology that will keep them in contact with their parents whenever they need to be. I believe this for safety reasons and I feel the parents would feel more comfortable if their child had a phone.
I got a phone at 11 years old, and I feel that it was too early. The only reason I got a phone was so I could babysit, but I wish that my parents would have taken my phone away when I didn't need to use it for babysitting. I think that I will give my children phones at 13 but keep them at night, etc.
I got a phone when I was 12 in6th grade. I think maybe in middle school you should start getting your phone because you passed elementary and are on the next step and later you have to deal with sports and all of that stuff and it also depends on how comfortable the parent is for a their child to have a phone.
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