Should My Child Have a Mobile Phone?

When my daughter entered secondary school and started to become more independent, I decided to buy her a mobile phone to keep in touch and check that all was well. But I soon discovered that we had different agendas! She treated her mobile phone like an additional body part. It accompanied her everywhere – to the dinner table, to the bathroom, to bed. She checked it constantly, and the 300 texts per month that I thought adequate, soon got swallowed up in her incessant cyber chatter.

Much has changed since then. Texting was once the major attraction, but now mobile phones can have any number of uses, from accessing social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, to using apps like WhatsApp and Snapchat and for gaming, videos and music.

Mobile phones are a great way to stay in touch and they are indispensable in emergencies, but they can also be a huge hindrance. Young people are much less active, preferring online games or social media sites to sports and other activities. Conversation has been replaced by instant messaging or texting, and schoolwork for some students is suffering due to long hours spent on phones instead of on their studies or even sleep!

To ensure that mobile phones remain our children’s servant and not their master, a few ground rules need to be set in place.

First, decide if your child is ready for their own phone. If they are generally responsible and trustworthy and able to look after their own belongings, maybe they are. The average child receives their first phone at the age of 12. This seems like a sensible time to me.

Seriously consider buying a basic model for their first phone. At this stage it’s all about safety, not social status or games, and the phone should be regarded as a tool, not a toy. Only consider a smart phone when your child is much older, say 16-18 years old.

Set limits for the number of texts or minutes. A monthly capped contract can help with this, or alternatively a pay as you go scheme, which will only allow a certain spend before it needs topping up again. Consider taking out insurance should the phone get lost or broken, and ask your child to contribute to the cost as they get older and are able to earn.

Designate certain times when the phone should be turned off or left behind, such as at the dinner table, after 10pm, or in the bedroom – and limit the number of hours they spend on the phone to leave time for other interests.

Finally, make sure you follow your own rules. You can’t expect your child to abide by them if you don’t, as you are their greatest role model!

Here’s some extra reading for you: