luckyexwife
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,069 
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Post by luckyexwife on Jun 3, 2015 13:58:49 GMT
We have been debating getting my almost 11 year old a smartphone for his birthday this summer. He is going into 6th grade, and he has been saying for 2 years that he is the only kid without one! After reading the other thread, I do think he needs one before middle school this fall.
What kind of safety nets do I need to be thinking about? What rules do you have with your kids and smartphones? I know my son is ready, but I don't think I'm ready for this!
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Post by cyndijane on Jun 3, 2015 14:05:44 GMT
I don't have kids that age yet- we're still a good 3 years away from MS, but even if we *did*, right now we wouldn't be adding an additional line to our plan. If we felt our child needed a phone, it would be a pay as you go plan. It would have nothing to do with the child, more what I'm willing to pay each month. I do understand that some areas of the country are different than others and many schools are using personal technology in the classroom, but I'd hesitate to get my 11 yr old a phone just because he does't have one. They'll use it in school- that's a different conversation. But again, we're not *there* yet. So much can change in 3 years!  |
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Post by kellybelly77 on Jun 3, 2015 14:12:53 GMT
Our middle school started BYOD a few years ago, Bring Your Own Device. The kids now do assignments and read their chapters on their device. This way the school doesn't have to buy as many actual books and computers in the computer lab. If your student can't afford to bring their own wi fi device they still have a few books and computers in the lab they can use to complete their assignment. The Principal said at orientation that they have rules and if the child is caught breaking the rules they get one warning. If they break them again, they are not allowed to bring their device for the rest of the year. He also said that when they checked into what kids were actually doing when they broke the rules, over 50% of the texts that were sent/received were to their own parents. So do not text your kids during the day!!
We got our daughter an iphone about a month after school started for her 13th birthday and that's what she uses. She didn't have a phone prior to that. She is a natural born rule follower so we don't worry much when she is at school. At home, we have her passwords, we talked at length about sending naked pictures and inappropriate texts, we randomly check her texts and posts on social media, etc. She's had it about 9 months and we haven't had too many issues. Our biggest problem is getting her to put it down and interact with her family. So we came up with some rules once that started to be a problem.
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Post by kellybelly77 on Jun 3, 2015 14:16:54 GMT
Oh, and about being the only kid without one.... that may very well be true! That was my girls! We live in a very wealthy school district and there are kindergartners and first graders who ride my girls bus that have their own iphone. My oldest had to wait until she was 13 to get a phone and my 10 yo is constantly mentioning all the young kids on the bus with their own iphones.
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Post by Basket1lady on Jun 3, 2015 14:28:11 GMT
I would not get one just because "all the other kids have one." That may be true, but that's not why a kid "needs" a smart phone. If your school has a BYOD policy, and uses the phones in class, I would get one. But realize, an iPod Touch will do that job as well.
What I would do is make sure my kid has the ability to text and FaceTime/Skype from a phone, not just a wifi device. That's how kids communicate these days. DD does group projects via FaceTime at least once a week. And I promise, you will find texting just as convenient has your child. Plus, it has the bonus that if your child is in an uncomfortable situation, they can text you and their friends are none the wiser that your child contacted you. I've gotten a few "Pick up please" texts earlier than expected and I'm grateful that my kids had that option.
Having said that, my got cell phones in 6th grade They are high schoolers now and both have smart phones. DD is the younger, but she got her phone in 9th grade. She paid for her phone and we paid for the plan. When she upgraded last month, she paid for the phone again. And she knows that if she breaks it, she will have to replace it ($200 with our insurance.) Same for DS when he finally decided he wanted one. Mostly because his ancient iPod Touch needed to be replaced. Our HS does have a BYOD policy and the kids use them almost every day. Our cell plan actually went down in price when we added DD and then again when we added DS. AT&T was revamping their plans both times and we benefitted from it. Pricing it out can't hurt.
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~Susan~
Pearl Clutcher
You need to check your boobs, mine tried to kill me!!!
Posts: 3,259
Jul 6, 2014 17:25:32 GMT
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Post by ~Susan~ on Jun 3, 2015 14:29:05 GMT
My youngest DD (15) doesn't have a smart phone and doesn't want one. She has a very old dumb phone handed down from her sister. She says it does everything that she wants it to do and doesn't have to be like everyone else. To each, his own I guess.
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smartypants71
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,816
Location: Houston, TX
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Post by smartypants71 on Jun 3, 2015 14:33:54 GMT
My 13yo has had a smartphone for a couple of years now. He has an Android one, and I have his Google Play linked to my account, so I can see what he's doing. It is not linked to any credit cards. I also read his text messages periodically. I follow him on Instagram (his only social media account). He also has Kik, and I have the password to that also. He's a good kid though, so I haven't had any issues.
He knows that the phone belongs to me and he just gets to use it.
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luckyexwife
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,069
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Post by luckyexwife on Jun 3, 2015 17:36:25 GMT
Thank you for all the great replies so far!
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 6, 2024 23:31:49 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2015 18:00:14 GMT
I don't have kids that age yet- we're still a good 3 years away from MS, but even if we *did*, right now we wouldn't be adding an additional line to our plan. If we felt our child needed a phone, it would be a pay as you go plan. It would have nothing to do with the child, more what I'm willing to pay each month. I do understand that some areas of the country are different than others and many schools are using personal technology in the classroom, but I'd hesitate to get my 11 yr old a phone just because he does't have one. They'll use it in school- that's a different conversation. But again, we're not *there* yet. So much can change in 3 years! That's where I'm at as well. Yes, there are lots of kids with smart phones but it is not prevalent as a lot of peas mentioned on the other thread. Assignments at school are never tied into owning a smart phone or electronic device. We live in a poorer school district where most kids are on free and reduced lunch and do NOT even own a phone. |
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anniebeth24
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,716
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Post by anniebeth24 on Jun 3, 2015 20:10:23 GMT
For my DD's first phone, she had a pay-as-you-go phone. Since we were not tied to a contract, we were able to stop service for periods of time when it was being used inappropriately. This was good incentive for her. The monthly plans also have a set amount of data, so there's no way a kid can go "over" an allotted amount and rack up a huge bill. Check out WalMart's Straight Talk.
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