Deciding when the time is right to let your children have a phone can be hard. You need to know that they are responsible enough to look after it and use it in a safe way. If you have decided they are ready, you then need to decide which phone to get them, which is another tough choice. How do you decide? Do they need a very basic phone for emergencies, or is it time for a smartphone?
In order to decide on the right phone, there are some questions to ask. You need to take into account the practical aspects, like the cost of the phone and whether your child can be trusted to not damage or lose it, as well as taking into account their responsibility in using the phone safely.
What will the phone be used for?
What do you want your child to use their phone for? Have they recently started high school and need a phone for emergencies? Are able to responsibly use the internet and play games on their phone? Do they want a phone to keep up with their friends outside of school hours? Are you separated from their other parent and want your child to have a phone so you can contact them while they are staying with your ex-partner?
Decide on some ground rules for how they use their phone, and sit down with the children to talk these through. Make sure that they understand the potential risks of mobile phone use and why you’re setting rules. Help them to understand so they’re more likely to stick to your rules, and not hide their usage from you. Remember they’re likely to be more phone savvy than you, so trust is important, as they can hide their internet use and know how to delete photos from iPhone to stop you from seeing what they’re doing.
How the phone is going to be used is a good place to start with deciding on the right model of phone. An emergency phone can be a lot more basic than a phone that will be used for the internet and apps.
Should you get a smartphone?
Smartphones usually have a color touchscreen, a camera, and internet access. They are more expensive than a more basic phone. As well as functioning as a phone, a smartphone can be used for games, social media, and other apps. If you are thinking about a smartphone, it might be a good idea to consider an unlimited data plan for your teenager’s phones, so you or they (depending on who pays the bill) don’t get hit with a surprise huge bill. A phone like this is not suitable for most younger children who aren’t ready for unsupervised access to the internet.
A good option for younger kids is a feature phone. Feature phones are much more basic and only make calls and send texts. They are usually a lot cheaper too, as they don’t usually come with a camera or internet access. This would be a good choice for an emergency phone for younger children.
Does the child need internet access?
Unrestricted internet access is one of the biggest worries parents have about giving their kids a phone.
From a phone, the internet can be accessed from WiFi or data. If you don’t want your child to be able to get online, don’t give them a smartphone. Instead, give them a phone that doesn’t support data use or WiFi.
What phone plan is the most suitable?
There are three options for phone plans; SIM-only, pay monthly, and pay as you go.
If you have an old handset they can use, then a SIM-only plan is ideal. For a set price, you will get a set amount of minutes, texts, and data every month. You could choose to have a Family SIM plan to keep a closer eye on their phone usage. You will get one bill for all SIM cards the family use, and can set a spending cap on them, track their data, texts, and minutes used and restrict access to certain features.
With pay monthly, you can add your child’s phone to an existing pay monthly tariff you have for yourself. Monitor how much they use the phone with an itemized bill. It may be worth setting a spending cap to stop them from causing you high phone bills.
On traditional pay-as-you-go plans, you top up the phone with credit which can then be used for calls, data, or texts. These are less popular now and don’t tend to offer great value.
So, there you have it. Some different options on types of phones you can get your child if they are indeed ready to have one on their own whether its for safety reasons or just because you think they are old enough.
