Hi I’d like to ask the Mums who are not giving their teens smart phones how they’re going about it. My son doesn’t like wearing a watch, he is 13, he is dropped & picked up from school every day due to where we live so he’s not on public transport. I’d like to hold off as long as possible but would like him to be able to call or message me if he needs whilst he’s with his mates on the odd occasion. I do not want him to have social apps like Snapchat, his best mates are already completely addicted & the way they talk about other pupils leaves a lot to be desired. And I reject the argument that not having these things will mean he’s excluded - it’s just as easy to send an SMS as it is to send a message on Snapchat, true friends will bother. We have been touched by a teen who took his own life because of social media so this is a serious thing for us, I’d love any insight into dumb phone options & how it works for you & your teenager. Thankyou
5 Replies
The teen took his life because he had depression not because of social media.
I feel quite sorry for your teen, he'll be an adult in 5 years and you will have no control then. It is better for him to have social media now while you have some control and can steer him from anything harmful.
Can only assume the depression was bought on by peers bullying him ect on such social media apps!
It isn’t that simple!
Thinking you have control over your children’s social media is completely naive!
Actually no. The teen had a wonderful life and did not suffer from depression he was targeted by the low lives scum of the world and feeling sorry for my teen who has everything he could ever need in life and will be an adult in 5 years is laughable. I’m not the only parent who recognises the threat, dumb phones are more and more popular so my question is for the parents who understand what we’re trying to do. Not whatever your reply is supposed to be. Feel free to read the code of conduct.
You can download apps to control your child's phone. My daughter has a phone, every app she downloads has to be approved on my phone via the app. I've also set on the app her phone is to automatically disable after a certain time and restricted her viewing content on Web browsers and YouTube to kid friendly.