http://www.cultofmac.com/207917/teenager-gets-new-iphone-for-christmas-along-with-18-point-contract-from-mom/ So parents with kids getting phones, what do you think?
We got our son who will be 12 in May a phone last fall. Not a smart phone. It has been tricky. He has friends texting him all the time and he has an instagram account. Fine line between me wanting to have complete control and realizing that he is growing up. I'm sure it will get tougher.
Maybe because I was born in the fringe generation, where I got my first phone when I was about to go into high school, and where we didn't have a PC til I was at least in junior high, but the access that today's youth has to the internet is a strange dynamic to me. If I had access to an iPhone or the internet when I was in elementary school, it'd just spell trouble. I can't decide whether that's just an obscure paranoia, or whether that sort of access for young children will inevitably lead to overexposure to inappropriate content, not just porn but everything else that encompasses that sort of interconnectivity. I'm not concerned about the average parent, who will monitor their child's access to online content, but given the amount of irresponsible, selfish parents in our society these days, I'm worried about the long-term consequences of children having those sort of privileges prematurely and not understanding the responsibilities that are entailed.
Tell him at age 16, when he can drive, he can have a smart phone. If he asks, say it's a maturity thing, just like voting at 18.
it shouldn't be a total dictator, but it shouldn't be anarchy. It's definitely more like a democratic-republic. You get a vote on somethings, but most stuff someone else decides for you and you get to try to make them listen to your views, but they don't always.
