We got my older son a phone at 12, and I regretted it. We still got my younger son a phone at the same age.
A parent reflects on the difficult decision of when to provide children with smartphones, noting the tension between safety concerns and social inclusion. Despite regretting giving her older son a phone too early, she ultimately provided one to her younger son due to peer pressure and changing needs.
Why it matters
This reflects a common modern parenting dilemma regarding the impact of technology and social media on adolescent development.
The author got her son a phone at 12, the same age his brother got one. Jordan Lye/Getty Images My older son got a phone when he turned 12. I ended up regretting it and wishing we'd waited another year. Still, our younger son got a phone at the same age, and I was glad we got it for him. When our older son was 12, getting a phone seemed to be the trend. Many of his friends had phones before 6 th grade, but those who didn't received one at the start of middle school, so we purchased one too. Looking back, I regretted our decision, and wished we'd waited another year. He didn't truly need one until school sports began in 7 th grade, when he was staying after school for practice and traveling around our county for track meets.
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