Knowing when to give your kid a phone and what’s the best phone for kids are common questions we have as parents. This is something we often talk to family and friends about. There are so many different options, which one do you choose? And how do you manage your kids’ phone use? We don’t have all the answers, but we’re sharing some stats that we’ve learned as well as what we do in our home. This is just what has worked for us.
Best Phone for Kids
We love our Troomi phone for our oldest daughter and it has worked great for us. Use the code PARENTING to get $50 off your Troomi phone. On November 8-9, we will have a special 48 hour code that only our listeners have access to that will get you the $50 off PLUS 6 months of free cell service. So join our newsletter to get the link on those days or follow us on Instagram to get the code there. Mark your calendars because it’s only those 2 days!
If you would like to be a part of our Christmas traditions podcast episode, DM me on Instagram or email us at parentingirlpodcast@gmail.com. You can send a video, voice memo, or a written email. We would LOVE to hear from you!
Here are the links to the websites we referred to throughout the episode:
Have Smart Phones Ruined a Generation?
The Difference Family Structure Makes in Teens’ Tech Use
168: It's the Final Episode! – Parenting in Real Life
When to give your kids a phone?
Stats According to Pew Research Center:
- 95% of 13- to 17-year-olds have access to a smartphone.
- What age do experts recommend smartphones? 16
- We give our kids a Troomi phone the Christmas they’re in 5th grade
- Our kids are hanging out with friends more or have activities and we would like to keep in contact with them
- We also want to start teaching them how to use phones safely while they’re in our home.
- We will be buying our 2nd daughter a Troomi phone this Christmas
- If you want to buy a phone, on November 8th and 9th, we have a special link to get you $50 off a phone AND 6 months service for free! ($180 savings) Use the Code PARENTING
- Troomi phones don’t have the internet if you don’t want them to. If you want to give your kids access to the internet, you can add a kid safe browser or you can add Chrome unfiltered if you want them to have full internet access
- Lots of parents also use iPods or old iPhones because they work on wifi only. Just be careful because you can still get on the internet from apps or ads. It just takes a lot of managing from the parents. Troomi has a parent portal online that allows you to see everything your kids are doing in one place and it’s where you can control apps and contacts.
- Between 2009 and 2017, the number of 8th graders using social media every day rose from 46% to 78%
- Facebook’s own research found that Instagram made body image issues worse for 1 in 3 teen girls.
- Wait as long as you can before you let your kids use social media. Probably 16 when kids have matured a little more, but are still in your home.
- Troomi phones and other kids safe phones don’t allow social media so it’s not even an option for kids. This is why we love it for our kids as a first phone!
Family Fun time
When we connect with our kids and do family activities, it helps kids stay off their phones.
- Have frequent conversations about technology
- Talk about what’s appropriate and what to look for
- Create phone free times with the family daily!
- Connect by doing family activities together
- If you feel like screen time is getting out of control, you can always try a No Screen Challenge. We usually do this once a year with our kids and although it can be a bit rough at first, we definitely see a big change in our kids when they don’t have screens.
- If you need some ideas of things to do with your kids that aren’t screens, check out our FREE Screen Free Activity Guides.