When is the right age to buy my child a cell phone? A couple of important things to remember as you consider this question is your child’s maturity level, his or her ability to follow home and school rules, and your child’s sense of responsibility. Remember, when you give your child their own cell phone, you’re giving them powerful communication and media production tools. They can create text, images, and videos that can be widely distributed and uploaded to websites instantly.
Once you realize the magnitude of the decision and how this purchase will be a huge life-changing experience, you will need to decide whether the time is right for your child to own their own cell phone. There are definite pros and cons.
Here are some questions to consider before purchasing a cell phone for your child:
Does your child show a sense of responsibility, such as letting you know when they leave the house? Do they show back up when they say they will?
Does your child lose thins easily? If so, is there a chance to lose an expensive phone?
Does your child need one to keep in touch for safety of health reasons?
Would having easy access to friends benefit them for social reasons?
Do you think they’ll use the phone responsibly – for example, not texting during class or disturbing others with their phone conversations?
Can they adhere to limits you set for minutes talked and apps downloaded?
Will they use text, photo, and video functions responsibly and not to embarrass or harass others?
There really is no right age to allow kids to dip a toe into the digital pond, but if you pay attention to the issues and assess your child, you can make a decision that will be right for the whole family.
Mesa Pediatric Urgent Care and Gilbert Pediatric Urgent Care
It can be a scary any time your child is sick, but rest assured that AllKids Urgent Care is here to help guide you every step of the way with a caring and knowledgeable pediatric staff. Both our Gilbert Pediatric Urgent Care and our Mesa Pediatric Urgent Care are open every day from noon to 10 pm. No appointment is necessary, just stop in and start your child on the road back to health.