Parenting Guide

Questions To Ask Yourself Before Buying Your Child A Smart Phone

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Jun 23, 2015

Giving your children cell phones can be a very important decision as a parent. You understand that you're giving them a powerful communication and media-production tool.

They can create text, images, and videos that can be widely distributed and uploaded to websites instantly, or explore the vast web.

There is no doubt of how useful smart phones can be. They're a great way to stay in touch anytime, anywhere. But is your child old enough to have one? It’s a tough call for many parents because it’s not just about age. Let's look into the questions you should answer before buying your child a smart phone.

1. Does your child really need the phone to stay connected with you or for emergency situations? Sure, this is a solid reason but it is also one against many others that may be reflected in the following questions below.

2. Does your child understand and respect the time and usage limits you have placed on other things like video game playing? Setting rules that they can follow would be a good way to ensure responsibility and obedience from your child.

3. Does your child understand what types of apps are okay to download and how to surf the Internet safely? The world wide web is a vast space that holds many things but one wrong click and it may send you spiraling down a black hole of no good.

4. Does your child know how to use the phone safely and appropriately? The cases of snatch thefts are constantly rising. If your child doesn't know well enough when or when not to whip out their electronic device, they might be victims of the very same fate.

5. Do they know who and who not to communicate with? Social media allows us to connect with friends and family but there are also strangers and predators always lurking.

6. Do they understand the boundaries and know what they should and shouldn’t share online? Sure, freedom of speech may be a thing but it could also cost them, depending on the severity of what they share.

Ponder on all these questions before giving in to your child's request for a smart phone to ensure your child's safety and emotional health.