When Should a Child Own a Smartphone?
My seven-year-old son boldly walked up to me sometime last month and asked, Mum, when are you going to buy me my own phone? Your own phone? I asked him, and he nodded in agreement. I was confused about where the question was coming from because I didn't promise him a phone, nor did I buy one for his elder brother of ten years, and then he came to request his own.
Upon further questions thrown to him, he told me that some of his classmates already own a smartphone of their own, NOT a kids' tablet , but Androids. He went further to tell me the reason, which is that they are googling their homework instead of disturbing their mummies when the need arises. What a reason! Grade two students, not up to ten years old, respectively. Of course you should know the answer I gave him by now.
A lot of things have changed! That's the reality. The world has gone digital, and children are not left behind either. Back then, you would hardly see a child of less than 18 years using phones, at least in this part of my world. I can't say it's the same for those in other countries, anyways . But in those days over here , children were more occupied with physical games and television , but now, even a two-year-old child plays with phones, and some children who don't even know their left from their right own phones, chat with their friends , and surprisingly create social media handles simply because their parents are well-to-do and can afford it. Is that not just interesting?
Smartphones are a nice tool , no doubt about their importance in the lives of our kids in our digital world today, especially if handled well, but the question is , at what age should a child own a phone ? , not borrow from Mummy or Daddy to do homework or whatever , but own it and own social media accounts?
I think there is no wrong or right answer here. It depends on what the parent thinks about their child; it also depends on how much mental maturity the child has. Of course every child is different, and sometimes it's not all about age to so many parents but what the child knows. His mental capacity , his level of self-discipline—what does this child know about social media and its effects? Have I done my job well enough to handle a smartphone for my child and allow him to own social media accounts? Every parent has a different age they deem fit to allow their kids to use a phone depending on several factors.
Personally , I should know my child very well , teach him what he should know , watch him closely, and be satisfied that indeed, he can handle a phone at this age no matter how much he needs a phone for academic activities. Remember, once you say, this is your phone, it becomes a different thing...it boils down to the child in question. Is he mentally ready? Have I done the needful, teaching him most things he should know? Even though I can't control everything ...or just give my child a phone because I can comfortably afford it?
As much as I wouldn't want my kids to feel left out with the social interactions that come with smartphones , I also wouldn't rush them into the world of social media, where even adults struggle to manage sometimes. Until all these factors I mentioned above are ascertained, I won't allow my child to own a smartphone and own social media accounts. It could be at any age I deem fit; they could even own one earlier , perhaps before the end of their secondary school or after, or before their adolescence age, but sincerely , I would prefer after their secondary education, until then, I will see to it, can't say much for now, anyways.
Ultimately, It's about their level of maturity. If not, they could face some issues such as exposure to harmful content, addictions , cyberbullying, etc., without the ability to handle it, and then it becomes a problem that could birth more problems.
This is my response to the #hivelearners community contest on the topic titled , Smartphone Age
Images were taken from canva
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I agree with many of your points. Those who have knowledge or experiences from two decades ago know that you can live without being exposed to hyperconnectivity. Unfortunately, it's not just about being connected, but exposed to a world with very thin borders.
Exactly ..is not about being connected but majorly what you are exposed to
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Hmm, this issue is deep but I agree with you.
For parents, you need to be sure that the child's mental, emotional and social maturity are on before handing them phones.
Personally, I won't give my daughter "her phone" until she's done with her senior school exams. The amount of junk being put out there nowadays is scary and I don't want my child to be exposed to things that can mislead her except when I'm sure that she can handle it.
My phone came when I was almost eighteen because that's when I finished with school. The phone self was Nokia 3310. It took some years of savings before I could pay for a smart phone 😂
Hahaha ..those Nokia back then
My dear..emotional maturity is important, otherwise these kids get exposed to things they can't handle well
Exactly oo😂😂
It kind of depends on the kid and their maturity level but I don’t feel like most kids are ready for phones till about age 12 and even then they might do some irresponsible things with the phones.
I don’t have kids of my own yet but this is something to think about because as you say, times have changed. Hopefully parental controls have caught up to some of the dangers that come with kids have phones of their own.
!BBH
Are 12 is too early for me..I can't even try it lol..yea, things have changed but still..i.mudt be in the guard to avoid unwanted stories
First of, all social media platforms screens age of users before they can be allowed to register or sign-up, an indicator of the fact that the space is not meant for children.
I would rather suggest that laptop that is restricted on adult contents site be allowed to children.
My dear..these kids changed their age sometimes oo
It's just difficult
But laptop sounds good
I agree with you. A lot of things should be considered before a child is allowed to own a phone because this days unrelated contents pop up on phones even when you didn't request for it. I had to turn off all notifications from my chrome recently because I keep getting nudes and rubbish stuff that I can't even explain how it happened.
Imagine a child using the phone and that happened....I don't wanna think about it 😕
Hmmmm, infact, u just reminded me to go turn off mine too..because the rate of nudes this days are alarming
I think the reason he wants it should also play a major role. Does he want the phone simply because his mates have one? Or does he want it because he genuinely wants to use it to learn and run his assignments. The answer would be able to help you make a better decision.
My dear, he want it simply because his mates have one ..he never ready ...until he comes clean ..lol
What does he even know..lol
Thanks for the Curation
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Thanks for the curation ♥️
I can guess the situation, and in some cases, I also think children deserve a smartphone, but when I consider risk, I think risks are huge compared to the benefit one kid can get from a smartphone. So, It's better not to give a smartphone early as they don't know how to make the best use of it and they may end up wasting their time.
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Exactly ..it has benefits but then, it must be handled by children when due to avoid unnecessary drama