Smart Phone with Security Cameras
The average age for a child to get their first smartphone is around 12 years. However, many kids are getting access to smartphones and tablets even before that. If you have been thinking about purchasing a mobile phone for your younger child, then today’s read is just for you!
The Dos
The basic purpose of having a smartphone is to, despite the advancements in its capabilities, is to stay in contact with the people around you, and that, of course involves the option to call or text someone from that device.
Unless your kid has reached adolescence, there is no reason for them to call or text anyone else except you—the formative years are very influential, and how your child will prefer to communicate with others over that period will determine how their future interactions would be like. So it’s necessary, they go for face-to-face conversations rather than over a digital device.
You can also allow your kids access to some productivity apps, like Calendar and Notes that can be really helpful to them for sorting out and accomplishing their tasks in their early years. You will be surprised with how your kid will be consistently accomplishing their tasks on time, the way they are supposed to.
The purpose of giving a smartphone into your child’s hand is to support their lives, by keeping them parallel to the fast lane of technology. However, it’s never going to be all this perfect, unless you monitor what your kids are doing with their smartphone, in your absence.
The Don’ts
Your elementary school child’s smartphone is not their entertainment device. This means, the fewer junk they do on their phones, the better it is.
You need to make sure that your kids are not frequently using their smartphone for games, movies or social media apps. In fact, it’s very important that you don’t allow your child to be on social media websites before they learn how to use internet, safely.
Also, your kid shouldn’t be able to download content on their phone, without your permission. The easiest way to nail it is by setting up an iCloud ID on their iPhones and other iOS devices. This way, they will always have to come to you for the password, before downloading anything from the App Store. For a better check on your kids’ smartphone use, you can also use a smartphone monitoring tool on their phones.
If you are a bit confused with whether your kid be given access to something, you can ask them to demonstrate how they would be using it. This will give you the clue whether they are mature enough for that thing or not.
Never say “No” to your child bluntly. If you will act like a wall, they will definitely find other ways around you.
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