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When Is Your Child Ready to Have Their Own Cell Phone?




Five things to consider before buying your child a cell phone


1. How careful is your kid with their stuff?


Cell phone ground rules:

  • Who pays the bill?
  • Who is responsible if it does get lost or broken?
  • Are they allowed to buy apps?
  • What if they go way over on data?
  • When can they use the phone?
  • When can't they?


2. How well does your child manage screen time?


"If your kid loves to play outside and hang out with friends, it may not be as much a concern," says child and adolescent psychologist Emily Laux, PsyD. "But if you have the type of kid who struggles to stick to limits around screen time, a phone probably won't help."


"We're all creatures of reinforcement, and things that are highly stimulating are self-reinforcing," says Dr. Laux. "Cell phones are constantly buzzing, chiming, ringing. Even as adults, we can't wait to pick it up and see what new information there is."


4. How does your kid do socially?



5. Does your kid need a smartphone?


"Buy them an old-fashioned flip phone and you take care of that," says Dr. Laux. "That said, at some point your child is going to be exposed to this stuff." They have access to computers and friends' phones, and while you can limit their access, you can't prevent it.



Have additional questions? Dr. Laux recommends the American Academy of Pediatrics' Family Media Plan. This tool lets parents input information about their family's media habits and generates a detailed, individualized plan that touches on everything from social responsibility to cyberbullying. lists every possible form of media a parent (or kid) could imagine. "Every app, every movie, every website, with an age-appropriate, parent-friendly rating for each one," says Dr. Laux. Not sure about that app your kid is asking for? Just look it up.

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