The ego on this person.
I Won’t Buy My Teenagers Smartphones
101–110 of 114 posts
Re: I Won’t Buy My Teenagers Smartphones
#102I have set same policy to my kids one on teenage 16 and she is perfectly happy with keys-calls only phone used rarely
But having all high end features and enough freedom at home
But yet almost no social networks exposure by choice
Re: I Won’t Buy My Teenagers Smartphones
#103Earlier quoted context omitted.
What if I told you that what parents want for their children isn't necessarily what's best for said children?
What if I told you there is no scenario, at all, in which the best thing for any child is a smart phone, or a social media app, or the internet on any device?
What if I told you that nobody is under any obligation to consider such an extreme opinion, without even an attempt at factual support?
Re: I Won’t Buy My Teenagers Smartphones
#104Re: I Won’t Buy My Teenagers Smartphones
#105My son is 8... there is no way in hell I'm going to let him have a smartphone. I mean, he poops in pants still and can't hold his pacifier in his mouth on his own. Why am I going to give him a $1,000 smartphone? His crib wasn't that expensive... 8 is too early to a kid to have a smartphone.
Still poops in his pants at 8?
You might want to get that checked out.
Re: I Won’t Buy My Teenagers Smartphones
#106Just curious: Any parents in this thread? When did you give your kids smartphones? We're at the point where we replace our phones every two years, and plan on letting our kids use the old ones. (Probably wifi-only, mostly to keep costs under control.)
My son is 11, he has a phone but no SIM card... its used purely for entertainment purposes. (mostly on car trips).
Next year he goes to high-school. I'm considering what he will and wont need in that scenario.
Re: I Won’t Buy My Teenagers Smartphones
#107My son is 8... there is no way in hell I'm going to let him have a smartphone. I mean, he poops in pants still and can't hold his pacifier in his mouth on his own. Why am I going to give him a $1,000 smartphone? His crib wasn't that expensive... 8 is too early to a kid to have a smartphone.
If your son is 8 and is really still pooping his pants and using a pacifier then I really feel for you as you must be dealing with more serious issues than worrying about smart phones. Good luck and stay strong.
Re: I Won’t Buy My Teenagers Smartphones
#108I think it's amazing that on a site that's supposedly filled with tech geeks, so few commenters seem to know the difference between spending time alone in your room in front a non-networked PC learning to code, and being glued to a networked smartphone no matter where you are, taking in a feed and waiting for the dopamine hit from a "like" or a share. Anyway, the public-spirited side of me sees responses like the one…
> My three kids will have attention spans and social skills, and will out-compete the smartphone-addicted children of these fools in every arena of adult life. until, you know, they decide to buy a smartphone as an adult, and over consume then
They will still have had almost an 18 year learning advantage at that point.
Re: I Won’t Buy My Teenagers Smartphones
#109Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's a short trip between 15 and 18 years old. Treat a 15 year old like a baby, and they'll be making up for lost time their first year away from home. A 15 year deserves a smart phone, but should respect the house rules on when it's ok to use.
I'm a parent of three girls, the oldest of which is 10. None of them will have smartphones, probably not even in high school. I run my house pretty much like the author of the article -- there are gadgets on the weekend, only. And even then the internet-connected ones are very carefully controlled and there are a ton of rules. But you know what? My kids aren't babied. My oldest and I just went to a two-day rifle shoo…
There is some huge conflation there. I have three kids 10, 12, 15 and all three have cell phones. There are rules regarding use.
1. No phones at dinner EVER
2. No electronics (of any kind) except low music on school nights without explicit approval or when the device is being used specifically for school work
3. Free reign on weekend electronics outside of prior commitments and all chores are done
Weekends roll around and you would think they would be glued to the electronics based on everything people post here, but usually it ends up being a last resort. They would much prefer to go play soccer with friends, practice their artwork, go shooting or give each other facials.
Re: I Won’t Buy My Teenagers Smartphones
#110Earlier quoted context omitted.
Or the 14 year old does it behind their backs.
How would they get a plan? I thought you had to be an adult to get most cell plans, though I guess prepaid plans might work.
Yeah, where I live, prepaid is the norm, so I didn't even think of that. Still, I know teenagers who get by with just wifi.