**Collaborative post**
Phones are a great way for us to keep in contact anytime and anywhere. They are particularly useful for parents who are beginning to give their teenagers a bit more freedom. However, when is the right time to let your child have a phone? Read on for some helpful advice from Bassett House School
What is the legal age?
You may be surprised to learn that there is no legal age to own a mobile phone. Therefore it is up to us as parents to decide the right time to allow our children to have their first phone. If you are debating whether your child is ready for a phone, it is important to consider their maturity. Will they look after it? And do you trust them to use a phone sensibly?
Shall I wait until secondary school?
It is common for parents to wait until their children start secondary school before they let them have their own phone. This is because at this age children want to travel alone to school and socialise with friends in their spare time. Therefore it is a good way of keeping in contact and ensuring their safety.
Another reason to wait is that kids can be accident-prone, misplace things very easily and drop things often, you may at some point look into phone screen repair by iGeek Tech Repair to fix their phone after one of these accidents.
Shall I buy a smartphone?
If you are considering purchasing your child’s first phone, a basic ‘feature’ phone might be a great place to start. This type of phone will allow your child to call or text you, without the risk of browsing the web unsupervised. Feature phones are also a cheaper alternative to smartphones, which may lessen the worry of the phone becoming lost or damaged. Alternatively, a smartphone does offer the added advantage of GPS technology. This allows parents to track their child’s location and can even help you to locate your child’s phone if it is lost or stolen. Knowing that children are one of the most vulnerable from online privacy breach it is imperative that cyber safety with parental controls are in place.
How can I ensure they use a phone sensibly?
If you decide that your child is ready to have a mobile phone, it is essential to discuss the importance of using it safely and responsibly. You should also help your child to set up their phone and add important contacts in case of an emergency. If your child will have internet access on their new phone, be sure to add any necessary parental controls and discuss online safety.
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