Like success, determining the right time for your child to own a mobile phone is determined by a set of different things too. But in the end, there are guidelines to reference from.
Will it be in order to talk of parenting choices about giving children mobile phones on Collected.Reviews? Absolutely, because nobody knows it all, in as much as parenting styles vary, making informed decisions is the goal.
The most probable place to find conversations like this is on platforms where digitally native ethics and etiquettes are priority. Most telecom companies have an educational platform to discuss matters like this. But this article, short and brief as it will be, will take only three minutes of your time for you to read and guide you in making informed, proud parenting decisions.
Below are five ways to know if your child is ready to own a mobile phone or not.
1.How Deep His or Her Technological Knowledge Is
As a parent, or parent to be, you are reading this article because you want to know the best way to raise your kids. In the same way, your kids should haveĀ technical know-how on things like, if the exposure to mobile devices has health risks or not. If your kids, at the age you intend to hand them a mobile phone, do not have peripheral knowledge about these things, you should reconsider giving them that device.
2.Sense of Responsibility
With age comes responsibility, they say. True sometimes, other times an adult of twenty-five can be reckless while a seven year old possesses the poise of a world leader. Bearing this in mind, kids who are more organized andĀ analytical should get mobile phones earlier because, by default, they tend to think things through. On the other hand, kids who act from the heart, and are more emotive should be delayed till they attain a certain level of emotional intelligence.
3.Obedience To Instructions
Bearing in mind that too much screen time affects sleep cycle according to research, if the child in question obeys and keeps to set screen time on other devices, say the television, that will translate for the most part to mobile phones.
4.Is The Mobile Phone a Need or Want?
Clearly stating if the mobile phone is a need or a want puts a lot of things in perspective such as priorities in the kid’s life. If they want the mobile phone so they can look cool, they might just be chasing trends. But if they need the device to learn, or communicate with others, you should consider the second option.
5.Health Complications
It is not advisable to hand a child with an eye condition a mobile device very early. The blue light from the mobile phone will affect their eyes further complicating the issue if not appropriately managed. The best advice, prevention is light years better than cure.
And that is how you know your child is ready for that mobile phone or not.