Should children own smartphones?

My kids are home educated and don’t care about peer pressure. It’s not about being cool. They have iPhones (our old cast offs) for educational use and for safety reasons. They have disabilities and their phones allow them independence they could not otherwise have.

While I can see the merits of both ‘for’ and ‘against’ arguments, on balance I tend to think children should be able to have a smart phone from the time they go up to secondary school. I suppose those children whose parents don’t agree or can’t afford to equip them with one might feel disadvantaged. In most cases an ordinary mobile phone is probably sufficient until age sixteen – it provides basic communication and emergency contact without features that can get them into trouble, but many adolescents are intelligent and responsible enough to be able to use a smart phone beneficially.

A £30 phone will do calls and messages, access the internet, take photos – enough for children and to keep them in touch – stick to PAYG . Demanding other phones is responding to peer pressure, like other expensive branded goods. If they really want one, let them save for it themselves from birthday, Christmas, paper round so when they have it they understand it’s value. They may see that having their own laptop is better value for money.

I am quite able to see some potential good points for smart phones for non-adults. I suspect rather unlike Lord Reith, where the idea that the television would become a medium for the cheapest and stupidest of programmes probably never entered his mind, I have grave doubts about the Internet and children.

A mobile phone, sans camera, has very little in the way of downsides and covers the important part of communication in emergencies. The likelihood of being mugged for it or running up large phone bills – after all it should be paid from the childs pocket money – are obvious.

A smart phone is an invitation for sexting, mugging , Twitter addiction, Facebook follies, and conspicuous consumerism. Not to mention potential hearing damage from continual wearing of ear plugs as you listen to your MP3 collection.

http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/03/31/twitter-addiction-advice-from-a-cognitive-therapist/

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/04/07/sexting.busts/index.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/12/051216191834.htm

Now are children basically small adults or developing young with limited reasoning ability? You decide.

I think they need to grow into the responsibility of having an iphone. There are too many distractions on it and remember that friends often think it fun to “rinse” a mobile of credit. It also makes them a target for mugging.

Besides – I don’t have one – yet. I’m waiting for an cast-off. I have a Nokia – which I bought new and which I haven’t used the camera on yet – previous to that I had an even older Nokia cast-off.

well for starters i think that kids who are under the age of 13, who have smart phones of their own are more than likely going to get in to social networking. Which is wrong as you need to be 13 to sign up. Even then I think 13 year old kids are slightly irresponsible when it comes to this as they could see things they are not meant to see. Also smart phones can be expensive, and are kids able to look after a phone.
Although when kids get to a certain age and going out with friends and things its also a good idea for them to have a phone, not necessarily a smart phone, just some way to keep in touch with the kids.