Off Topic Question not pertaining to gymnastics but for the parents

[gothgymmom]

I know there comes an age where phones become a necessity, and im not trying to be offensive to anyone here. if so i apologize. My dd is 8. she is upset because I refuse to get her a cell phone till she is about 11-12. I think 8 is just a little too young for a smart phone. there are children on DD's team that are around her age and they all have iphones!!! i mean, come on, 8 YEARS OLD!! i didnt get my first cell phone until i was in my early 20's! heres the question. what do you all think? (again i apologize if you are one of the parents who give their dd or ds an iphone at a very young age). how many agree with me and how many disagree? is below 11 years of age too young for a phone? please answer truthfully, I will not feel offended as we all have our own opinions.

 

[MeetDirector]

They have to demonstrate the necessary level of responsibility to have one. Tie it to the need to independently be able to contact you, not anyone else. 11, 12, 13 is about the right age. And then it is allowed ONLY with continued demonstration of responsible use. And , I would start with limited texting and no data use. And, the parents have free and open access to the phone to monitor its use.

Good Luck.

 

[bogwoppit]

Mine got them around grade 9. Texting only, they could call me for free and no internet. They are definitely a luxury and not a necessity. Oldest two got iphones the year they moved to college, so they were 17 with 1gb data. They live in places with no home phones, so the phone was definitely a needed thing.

 

[Bspeeker]

My 7yo has a phone but he only uses it to carry to gym practice and sometimes play games at home. He has some separation anxiety and With having to be at the gym 9 hrs a week it helps him to know we're just a phone call away. I wouldn't have it for him otherwise just to call or text other kids. I know that other parents look at us like we're crazy when they see him with it, but it helps us.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

My eldest had his first at nearly 14, when his after school clubs were subject to change so often it was beyond a joke. He has to show it to me when asked.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

Oh and our gym has a no phone policy

 

[gwenmom]

Ds (11 and no gymnast) has a phone in fact we just upgraded him to an iPhone 5c today. But we have no house phone. And he stays home by himself for short stints.

 

[skschlag]

DS (14, not a gymnast) got one when he went to middle school and was riding the bus home to an empty house, with a walk from the bus stop). We then decided to get rid of our home phone, so ds, 11 got a phone. He is obviously not ready, as he has already lost, and refound, one phone. We are just having him use our old phones for now..

I am surprised by kids with fancy phones though. iphones, Galaxy 4 or 5. amazing to me. but I have a cheaper phone....does just fine

 

[Iwannabemargo]

DS phone was a second hand HTC desire off ebay, cost me £15

 

[skschlag]

DS (11) has a phone so old that when we set it up, they laughed....they couldn't believe someone would have a phone that old.

 

[barcrawler]

My now 13 yr old got a phone (not smart phone) when he was 12 for safety reasons. He started middle school and taking the school bus (instead of a parent driving). We also started leaving him at soccer practice (without a parent). Practice is at a public park.
I have access to the phone on demand and let him know I can see all numbers he calls or that call him on the phone bill.
If there is a safety reason for your 8 yr old to have a phone, I'd suggest a non-smart phone. My 9 yr old middle child WANTS a phone, but he doesn't NEED one. So he does not have one.

 

[kandkfunk]

DD got her first phone when she was 11. It was a prepaid one, so no internet and limited texting. We got it because her babysitter was taking her to summer practices and I wanted her to be able to reach us or babysitter if something came up.

We got my youngest his phone when he was 10 because we got rid of our landline and they stayed home alone. They could call and text but no internet until we upgraded their phones when he was in middle school.

 

[Faith]

Dd, age 9, has had one for a while. It's an old iphone 3 of dh's .

At first she used it as an iPod touch, but about 9 months ago I got a sim for it.

I'm not keen on her having a phone so young, but she spends quite a lot of time in a sports centre - her training isn't regulated as much as gymnnastics, they're allowed free range round the (very big) centre. She also has 4 camps a year away from home.

So she has it so she can call me if practice finished early, or she's not well, or the lift share hasn't turned up. There's only mine , dh's, her training partner, and a camp counsellor's number in it.

She mainly texts me to tell me what time she'll be home so I can have food ready

There's also that amazing app called findmyiphone, so if she has her phone I know where she is!

It does give me a little peace of mind her having it.

 

[Galadriel]

Ds 16 not got one.
Other sibs have
He's not interested! ?

 

[gymbeam]

my 9YO was recently given my old (deactivated) iPhone 4, so it is essentially now an iPod touch. this means she can text and FaceTime when she has wifi access. her gym has free wifi, so i like knowing she can call me, if needed. we use FaceTime talk (no video) so it really is just like making a regular phone call. other than contacting me, she occasionally talks to her best friend and uses it a lot for games and music.

for the record, though, if we weren't upgrading phones and able to give her this old one for free, i wouldn't have purchased anything for her yet. i do have the internet blocked except for a few specific websites. internet access is by far more of a concern to me than phone access.

 

[emilykatherine]

Personally I got my first phone at 8, it wasn't an iPhone. I needed to to call my mom and tell her I got to practice because she didn't take me and had no other way to make sure I got there, she hired a man that drove children to daycare but he was nice enough to drop me off at the gym. It was a flip phone, I got my actual iPhone at 12 maybe 13. My sister got hers when she was 11

 

[gothgymmom]

My now 13 yr old got a phone (not smart phone) when he was 12 for safety reasons. He started middle school and taking the school bus (instead of a parent driving). We also started leaving him at soccer practice (without a parent). Practice is at a public park.
I have access to the phone on demand and let him know I can see all numbers he calls or that call him on the phone bill.
If there is a safety reason for your 8 yr old to have a phone, I'd suggest a non-smart phone. My 9 yr old middle child WANTS a phone, but he doesn't NEED one. So he does not have one.

i dont leave her places yet to have the "need" for a phone. hers is completely a "want". now if i was to leave her at practice or whatever, her coaches have my cell number. I personally dont think she needs a phone, specially at this age.

 

[gothgymmom]

for an 8 year old who doesnt need a phone, what do you guys think of this?

www.myfilip.com

 

[Kaitlyn]

I am a 14 year old gymnast and I got my first phone when I was ten. The only reason I didn't get a phone when I was 12 was because I made a deal with my mom saying that if I made it to Texas and passes the TOPs test, I "HAVE" to have a cell phone just incase I got lost. I passed the test and my mom got me a small purple slide phone that just calls and txts.
At the gym I see girls that are 10years old playing on their iPhones and I think it insane! I know in your daughters eyes it must seem like she has to have it, but it can wait until she's about eleven or older.
Maybe if you make a deal with her of some sort, she will stop nagging for a phone and work really hard. I know that's what I did! But make the deal very hard but make it not seem impossible so she won't agree.

 

[Quadqueen]

My 10 year old DD has an iPod Touch...you might consider that. Mine doesn't need a phone yet. She can text me, play games and has wifi, but she tends to overuse it (as in, I sometimes have to literally peel it from her hands to get her to put it down), so she doesn't bring it to gym. Her overuse has me thinking she is not getting a smart phone anytime soon.

And yes, several of her teammates, who are her age, have iPhones. I tell her if I gave her everything she ever asked for, I would not be fulfilling my responsibility as a parent.