When to buy your child her first phone?

[JaneDoe]

Dd will be 11 in February. I'm considering, but not convinced I should, buy her a first phone for her birthday.

She is starting to spend more time away from us and to stay home alone for short spurts of time. She plays competitive soccer and there are times when she gets transportation with other families to practices/games. She is an excellent student and very responsible, if that makes any difference.

I've had moments when I've thought if only she has a phone I could get in touch with her at that moment. So, would age eleven be an appropriate time?

What kind of restrictions/terms have you attached to your child having the privilege of having his or her own phone?

[SoonerTexan]

When to buy your child her first phone?

Sure, but I wouldn't let her get a smartphone for a few more years. Why start the addiction earlier than necessary

[Vanquisher]

Absolutely, yes. And, I would totally get her a smartphone. I have gps on my kids.


Heidi

[Pollyanna]

Absolutely, yes. And, I would totally get her a smartphone. I have gps on my kids.


Heidi

Yes this!

[v-girl]

Our kids get a phone for their 11th birthday.


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[mommax3]

My oldest was 14 (end of 8th grade) middle child was 13 (end of 7th grade), and my youngest was also 13 (beginning of 7th grade). The phone was their birthday gift in all three cases. Around here, 6th -7th grade seems to be the time when kids get them, for exactly the reasons mentioned in the OP.

[migirl]

My kids aren't there yet, but around here most kids seem to get phones at the start of 6th grade.

[diggitydot]

My oldest was 14 (end of 8th grade) middle child was 13 (end of 7th grade), and my youngest was also 13 (beginning of 7th grade).

This is similar to what we've done. When the kids get to the point where they have a lot of extracurriculars with inconsistent times for pick-up is when we usually do it.

Since our last move, we no longer have a landline. Now that DD1 pays for her own cell phone, we activated her old number on our account so that 12 y/o DS has access to a phone when he's left alone for a couple hours.

The rules are the same for all kids. Cut off time is 8:30p on weekdays. Phones/iPods don't live in bedrooms and come upstairs at the cutoff time. If they can abide by these rules, we'll consider allowing them a later cutoff time for weekends after they've proven their ability to use them responsibly.

DD1 never got a later cutoff time on the weekends because she was frequently fucking off and getting her cell phone privileges suspended. We eventually removed her line from her entirely. DD2 earned later weekend cutoffs within the first year.

[Phoebe]

Kids were around the end of 5th grade when DD13's friends were getting them. Our decision was made to buy one when DD and friend got left outside practice in the dark by our neighbor. DD was one of the last of her peers to get one. She paid for half of the phone.

DD11 is going full-court-press for an iPhone since the fall saying most her class has them. I find this interesting since the school system here has a strict no-use policy. DD11 won't be getting a phone anytime soon because she has not shown responsibility for appropriate use of her iPod.

We don't have restrictions on DD13 having her phone at night because she is responsible. We don't allow texting after 8pm on week nights. She doesn't always have access to our iTunes password if she abuses it.

[Deebs]

We just got DD (9) a "Spare One". It's a dumb phone, but now that she carries Epi, I want access to 911 right next to her Epi pen. It has GPS tracking on it, she can call limited numbers, and it has a long lasting backup battery. At this point, it's definitely a tool, not entertainment.


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[peggyfromwastate]

We have a dumb phone for ds13 which we got when he was 11 and went on his first travel meet. I wanted to keep in touch. He barely uses it, doesn't look at it, and so it's kinda pointless. I told him if on the next travel meet (this weekend) if he answers 5 texts in a row within a reasonable time (I won't txt while he's swimming for instance) then He'll get a smartphone. He is very responsible though. Dd13 does not want a phone at all. She has a hard time tracking her iPod and she says she's not ready for the responsibility.

[peggyfromwastate]

I need serious help with the cutoff enforcement though. It's a pain.