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Thread: First smart ‘phone? For a 10 year old…

  1. #1
    Craftsman
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    First smart ‘phone? For a 10 year old…

    Our eldest daughter will be going to high school next year, which depending on the school placement allocations could involve a 30 minute bus journey to get there. She’s going to need a ‘phone and we’re thinking about getting her one for Christmas. Amazingly some of her peers at primary school already have a ‘phone, it seems mad to me but must be the modern way.

    Anyway, I’m way out of touch on these matters. Any recommendations for a cheap(ish) ‘phone that won’t embarrass her? Would you go PAYG or a contract? I’ve no idea how much data a child might use, could rack up easily I guess. As a parent how do I monitor or control this? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

  2. #2
    Grand Master seikopath's Avatar
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    Personally, i wouldn't be getting a 10 year old a smartphone. I would get them a basic nokia block just so they can stay in touch with you and vice versa. Just my 2p. Childhood is being eroded and the floodgates are open.
    Good luck everybody. Have a good one.

  3. #3
    Grand Master JasonM's Avatar
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    My 10 year old lad has my old iPhone 5s which suits him fine, I control the iTunes account and his email address with my password and make sure if he has a screen lock I know what it is, its a condition of ownership, his on a pay monthly contract with decent data allowance ( 10gig I think ) tied to his Mums Vodaphone contact, I think its only about a tenner a month ( with a company employee discount ) and all usage figures etc come to us too. Seems to work well.
    Cheers..
    Jase

  4. #4
    Grand Master JasonM's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by seikopath View Post
    Personally, i wouldn't be getting a 10 year old a smartphone. I would get them a basic nokia block just so they can stay in touch with you and vice versa. Just my 2p. Childhood is being eroded and the floodgates are open.
    I would like to agree with this, but kids childhoods these days is so entwined with 'tech', YouTube channels etc it is inevitable they want to be part of it, I don't think its being eroded, its just different now, I expect our parents said the same about our childhood with whatever was different to theirs etc.
    Cheers..
    Jase

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by seikopath View Post
    Personally, i wouldn't be getting a 10 year old a smartphone. I would get them a basic nokia block just so they can stay in touch with you and vice versa. Just my 2p. Childhood is being eroded and the floodgates are open.
    As a 10 year old I was damming streams and making dens, so I'd also like to agree with you. But I think Jason's right, it's just different now.

    Quote Originally Posted by JasonM View Post
    My 10 year old lad has my old iPhone 5s which suits him fine, I control the iTunes account and his email address with my password and make sure if he has a screen lock I know what it is, its a condition of ownership, his on a pay monthly contract with decent data allowance ( 10gig I think ) tied to his Mums Vodaphone contact, I think its only about a tenner a month ( with a company employee discount ) and all usage figures etc come to us too. Seems to work well.
    Thanks, I hadn't thought of that, I'll look into adding her as a second phone to my account. We do actually have an old iPhone 4S kicking around somewhere but I think these are no longer supported.

  6. #6
    Grand Master seikopath's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JasonM View Post
    I would like to agree with this, but kids childhoods these days is so entwined with 'tech', YouTube channels etc it is inevitable they want to be part of it, I don't think its being eroded, its just different now, I expect our parents said the same about our childhood with whatever was different to theirs etc.
    Its a big debate jason.
    The main issue for me with smartphones is the use of social media
    All the evidence says socal media has a negative impact on kids and teenagers lives
    Obviously parenthood isn't easy and in some situations you are damned if you do, damned if you don't
    But if i had a ten year old, they wouldn't be getting a smartphone
    Just my 2p, others opinions and approaches are available
    Good luck everybody. Have a good one.

  7. #7
    Master village's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by seikopath View Post
    Childhood is being eroded and the floodgates are open.
    Childhood now is not our childhood so I have to respectfully disagree. I'm pretty sure that if phones and iPads and Xboxes and social media had been the norm when we were growing up we would all have wanted the tech and would've wanted to participate in the social media.
    I don't see any harm in a child of a certain age having a smart phone. We waited until our son started year 7 and then let him have a 5s with certain limitations as to access etc.
    Each to their own though!

  8. #8
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    I'm also in the anti-smartphone camp. I don't care what social norms are, there should be no reason for one at that age. As my parents would say "if Chris jumped off a bridge would you?". For more potential for bad than good imo.

  9. #9
    Master PipPip's Avatar
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    First smart ‘phone? For a 10 year old…

    Having the same discussion at home. My 10 year old daughter will be commuting 20 miles by train to school next year. Trains in this country, as we all know, are completely unreliable. My wife will have the job of collecting our 8 year old from primary school and then driving to the train station to meet my daughter at whatever time South Western can manage. Therefore my wife absolutely wants my daughter to have a phone. However, we have been warned not to get anything expensive as close friends in the same boat have just had to get their 11 year old her 4th phone after she lost the first three. We are thinking either a cheap used iphone or more likely a cheap basic android phone. We’ll buy the phone and do a sim only deal for her.

  10. #10
    Grand Master seikopath's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by village View Post
    I'm pretty sure that if phones and iPads and Xboxes and social media had been the norm when we were growing up we would all have wanted the tech and would've wanted to participate in the social media.
    1)Just because kids want something doesn't mean it is good for them.

    2)Secondary school and peer pressure - dont cave into it. Just my 2p

    3)Otherwise, at this rate they will be chipping up five year olds in the next twenty years. That's for sure. Just my 2p
    Good luck everybody. Have a good one.

  11. #11
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    Ours both got there first phone in the final year of primary, a cheap an cheerful smart phone so they can have a few games etc on.
    Once they can show they are responsible I got them a better phone.
    My lad has data turned off all the time unless he desperately needs it despite having 12GB of data per month.
    My daughter has proved better at not losing her phone than I thought but she does hammer the minutes and texts as well as data.

    Both on contract as I would hate for there to be an issue and they have run out of credit.

  12. #12
    If you have to buy her a smartphone buy her one which you can lock down with parental controls. I know iOS lets you restrict what apps can be used and what websites can be accessed etc. It also restricts what apps can be purchased. You can get it to notify you as the head of the family account of purchase requests. I don't know what the parental controls are like in Android.

    I'd also buy a phone which is rugged or can have a rugged case fitted to it. I'm sure a 10 year old will be more rough on a phone than you would be. Dropping is far more likely.

  13. #13
    It's tough. Personally, I can't stand all of this social media stuff but its the world we are growing up in. My son's school issue ipads to all pupils so they are used to the tech.

    For both of our children, they had a cheap £10-20 Nokia from Tesco for about 5-6 months just for emergency texts and calls.
    The main reason was to prove they could be responsible and not knacker it.

    My daughter then had my old iPhone 5C on a pay as you go.

    Just done the same for our 12-year-old boy who had my wife's 5c.

  14. #14
    Grand Master Passenger's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by seikopath View Post
    1)Just because kids want something doesn't mean it is good for them.

    2)Secondary school and peer pressure - dont cave into it. Just my 2p

    3)Otherwise, at this rate they will be chipping up five year olds in the next twenty years. That's for sure. Just my 2p
    With you on this one.
    Last edited by Passenger; 20th November 2017 at 18:00.

  15. #15
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    Moto g5 on Amazon at £129. Super price for a great phone

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01...fbL&ref=plSrch

  16. #16
    Master village's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by seikopath View Post
    1)Just because kids want something doesn't mean it is good for them.

    2)Secondary school and peer pressure - dont cave into it. Just my 2p

    3)Otherwise, at this rate they will be chipping up five year olds in the next twenty years. That's for sure. Just my 2p
    1.Just because kids want something and you don't think it is good for them,it doesn't mean that it isn't.It is always possible that parents can be rigidly stuck in "I didn't do that/have that when I was a kid" and can be behind the times.
    2.There is always peer pressure for kids and always has been. Allowing them to be on a even footing to some degree with their friends isn't necessarily caving in.

    That's my 3p

  17. #17
    Master PipPip's Avatar
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    I was looking at the LG Leon for my daughter. Don’t want to spend more that £100 and it gets decent reviews.

  18. #18
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    Both my boys have an iPhone, they are 10 and 12.

    With family sharing, they get free access to everything the family has purchased on iTunes and anything else they try to buy, sends through to a parent first for confirmation.

    The App store is regulated by Apple and no dodgy apps can filter through, this is very important in my opinion.

    The other great feature is as a family, you can use Find my Friends to see where your kids are. When Pokemon was the big thing, my eldest boy was out hunting them in the village we live in. Its great to be able to see where they are and for them to be able to call you if they are in trouble.

  19. #19
    My son is 12, he has a basic 20 quid EE payg, he doesn’t care about a flashy expensive iPhone or the like. So not bothered...
    No drama if it gets broken, dropped, nicked then..
    Last edited by sestrel; 20th November 2017 at 18:46.

  20. #20
    Master danmiddle2's Avatar
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    My 10 year old daughter has an iPhone 5s, and I opted for a contract rather than PAYG.

    IDMobile does something called a "shockproof" contract. She gets 3gb data per month and 250mins / 250 text for £5. She is limited to going over that by £5, so I never get a bill for more than £10.

    The 5s is OK for a 10 year old and cheap enough these days. It's also available in child friendly colours (hers is pink)

    She spends her time split between two homes that are a 1.5 hour drive apart, so it offers a great way for her to keep in touch with friends when she is in the other part of the country. Contrary to what others have said I think it is actually really important for her social development.

    Helping her understand when and how to use it is required, like any other part of parenting... I draw the line at having sleepovers where they all communicate via the phone with each other anyway!

  21. #21
    Grand Master AlphaOmega's Avatar
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    Phone is ok I think provided it's controlled.

    Fairly sure there's a link between social media and mental health in children though. Think it was based on ONS stats.

  22. #22
    Grand Master Saint-Just's Avatar
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    As kids we didn’t have mobile phones but I accept times have changed.
    I am more into the dumb phone camp but my daughter will be 12 in 6 weeks and I haven’t made up my mind completely.
    She already has an iPod touch so in a wifi environment can surf all she likes.
    Therefore denying her a smartphone may be pointless.
    On the other hand a dumb phone is rarely flat and therefore can be used if and when there is a real need to call someone.

    In any case I strongly recommend you have a look at an App called ‘Our Pact’.
    'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.

  23. #23
    Master bond's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JasonM View Post
    I would like to agree with this, but kids childhoods these days is so entwined with 'tech', YouTube channels etc it is inevitable they want to be part of it, I don't think its being eroded, its just different now, I expect our parents said the same about our childhood with whatever was different to theirs etc.
    Yes it’s all relative to what’s “out “ or trending at the decade in which we are raised as pre-teens/teen . Mine was just a graviation to games consoles of the 90’s so there wasn’t much option of anything else .

    If I’m right though my now 14year old daughter who is entrenched in Apple had a very simple phone at 10. No touch screen just a little “doorbell” to which she nostalgically looks back to call it . I’m not saying my other younger children don’t have tablets and the rate of takeover by these things is incredible. It’s hard to please with the sheer majority of tech the children now have

    My daughter had this back when she was ten


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  24. #24
    Master bond's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gary1064 View Post
    Our eldest daughter will be going to high school next year, which depending on the school placement allocations could involve a 30 minute bus journey to get there. She’s going to need a ‘phone and we’re thinking about getting her one for Christmas. Amazingly some of her peers at primary school already have a ‘phone, it seems mad to me but must be the modern way.

    Anyway, I’m way out of touch on these matters. Any recommendations for a cheap(ish) ‘phone that won’t embarrass her? Would you go PAYG or a contract? I’ve no idea how much data a child might use, could rack up easily I guess. As a parent how do I monitor or control this? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

    My brother is 28 and uses this and thinks it’s the best thing since sliced bread lol it’s from
    Tesco for £50


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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