6 things to know before buying your child a phone
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – It’s Parenting Connection Tuesday and 6 News is here for you with tips, strategies, and helpful reminders from child development experts on how we can be better parents and guardians.
Today’s topic: 6 things to know before buying your child a phone.
We’re living in a time when it’s no longer shocking to see a young child possessing a smartphone. In fact, according to Common Sense Media, 42% of kids have a phone by the age of 10. It jumps to 71% by age 12, and more than 90% of 14-year-olds have one.
There are a lot of good things that result when kids have this technology, like being able to reach them and know where they are at all times. There’s a lot of bad too, like online dangers and misuse of social media. Nevertheless, child development experts with Parents.com say, most moms and dads will be faced at one point with whether to get their kid a smartphone, but should consider a few things.
Here are 6 important ones from experts with Parents.com:
Establish want versus need. Try to determine if buying one is truly going to help, or if it’s just something your child desires.
Learn your child’s why. Find out their reasons for wanting one. It will likely give you a better perspective.
Assess Their Maturity. This means, determining if your child is responsible enough to own a smartphone and whether or not they’ll use it for more good than bad.
Investigate other parents. Ask some of your child’s friends’ parents who have phones about what they have learned.
Establish smartphone rules. This can involve when it can be used, how it should be used, and time limits.
Fully understand the dangers. This means you should know about cyberbullying, sextortion, and ways to protect your kid from other online threats.
Look, one day you will inevitably be getting your kid a smartphone, but experts say it doesn’t have to be a bad thing if you prepare your family beforehand.
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