WHEN SHOULD MY CHILD GET A PHONE?

It’s pretty much a modern-day rite of passage, so don’t be surprised if your eight-year-old starts asking when they’re getting a phone.

There’s no “right” age to give your child their first cellphone. It depends on a variety of factors, and the most important one isn’t your child’s age but rather how mature they are. Once they have this powerful communication and media production tool it opens a door to so much that parents must base their decision on whether their child is ready to use a cellphone responsibly and respectfully.

Being techno-savvy and having the ability to use it wisely isn’t the same thing. Here are a few questions to consider:

How responsible is your child? This will be clear from things such as how they handle their homework and chores, and whether they keep you informed of things you need to know about.

Are they likely to use their phone responsibly – for example, keeping it safely stored (and off or on silent) during class?

Does your child tend to lose things – their tog bag, sports shoes, books or homework folders? If so, are they really ready to look after an (expensive) phone?

Do your kids need to be contactable or be able to contact you for safety reasons?

Would having easy access to friends be good for them for social reasons?

Do they understand how texts, pictures and videos can be used to embarrass or harass others, and what the implications of doing so could be?