Tips for Buying your Child First Smartphone for the Christmas

Are you thinking about buying your child a smartphone for Christmas? If you are, find out what things you should consider before zeroing in on this crucial life-changing decision.

Christmas is just around the corner! The children are busy making a Christmas list, and many parents are struggling to decide whether to gift them a smartphone or not! As mobile is sure to be on the kid’s agenda if he/she hasn’t received it yet.

But first, let us find out the answer to the question that bothers the parents the most.

What age should a child get a smartphone?

This is a subject that is being increasingly debated nowadays, but hardly anyone can reach a definite conclusion as – no two kids are the same, and there is no magic number.

According to research, kids have smartphones around age 10 on average, and many as young as 7 years are having mobile! Some experts advise that 12 is the ideal age, while others say it is 14. The universal truth is: the longer you wait to give your kids a smartphone, the better.

Parents can be the best judge of their children’s maturity, which is more important than focusing on the age solely. It is safe to give your kids mobile after they have learned restraint and the importance of face-to-face communication.

5 Advantages of a kid having a cell phone

Despite knowing about the risks associated with the Internet, such as cyberbullying, online predation, we cannot deny that it does have many benefits when used correctly and responsibly.

1) Enhanced social interaction

If your child is shy and has difficulty making friends, giving him or her a smartphone may go a long way in promoting social interaction with others. Social media enables your kids to find other children that share their interests.

2) Safety and security

If your kids are more of an independent nature, buying them cell phones can give you peace of mind about their whereabouts while allowing them to have freedom too.

You can use child monitoring apps to know their whereabouts and get an alert from them in an emergency.

3) Children learn to be responsible

Providing an expensive item such as a smartphone to a kid for the first time is undoubtedly questionable. But it may make them more mature as they are sure to guard their prized possession!  

Some parental controls enable you to locate your child’s phone if it gets lost or stolen.

4) Kids become tech-savvy

Giving children the chance to explore the apps and social media can help them to keep up with the latest technology. When we know that the future belongs to technology, giving your kids access to mobile might provide them with an edge when it comes to learning new skills.

5) They have educational support

Many schools are integrating educational apps into their curriculum. Access to the free online message boards, lessons, infographics, and tutorial websites take them a long way on the path of educational success.

Parenting Tips: 10 things to tell your kid before giving a mobile

1. Having a smartphone is a responsibility, so you must take proper care of its safety.
2. Keep your phone in the silent mode at specific places, such as schools, libraries, hospitals, the church.
3. Never use your phone while you are driving.
4. Whenever you are on social media or communicating via text, email, ensure that the language you use is polite. It must not be offending to any particular race, community, religion, or person.
5. Use secure passwords for all the accounts that combine – capital letters, digits, symbols. Please, do not share them or your personal/financial information with anyone.
6. Never post any image or video online that you do not want us (your parents) to see. Anything that you ever post online remains there for anyone to see.
7. Refrain from using a public wi-fi network.
8. Keep your phone locked with a password to keep the data safe.
9. Do not click on any suspicious links which might download any malware on your phone.
10. If you ever find anything online that troubles you, immediately share your fears with me. We will find a solution. There are cyberbullies, online predators, on social media, who can take advantage of vulnerable kids like you.

Read More – Top 10 parenting apps for Android

How can Parental Control apps help to secure your kids?

Bit Guardian Parental control offer many valuable features that can help parents to keep an eye on their kid’s smartphones.

You can apply a screen time control on their devices, block the addictive apps to save them from smartphone addiction. Bit Guardian Parental Control offers you many helpful features allowing you to plan a proper schedule for your child so that he/she can find a perfect balance between smartphone and life.

Keep the points mentioned above in mind while buying your child a smartphone for Christmas and use parental control apps for Android to keep them safe.