I would be lost without my cell phone, so much so that if I leave it at home I know I will be headed back home to get it. While I can’t live without it, I personally feel that my kiddos are still a little too young to have a mobile phone of their own, my daughter is 6 (almost 7) and my son is 4. However, I can see why a parent would want their child to have a mobile phone for safety reasons and to be able to communicate with them…so, to each their own. Interestingly enough, there are some families that will give their child a phone as early as 5 years old (as you’ll be able to see in the infographic below).
Disclosure: I was compensated to participate in a Sprint Latino research study around Latina Moms and mobile security for their children.
While parents may have a difference of opinion on what an appropriate age is for a child to get a mobile phone, as parents we will most likely agree that no matter how old your child is, it is important to find a way to manage their mobile phone usage. After all, we don’t want our kids to be so engaged on the phone that they don’t do anything else or engage with anyone. As parents we also don’t want our kids using it for sending, receiving or viewing anything that is inappropriate, we need to protect them as much as possible. So, if you are going to give your kiddo(s) a mobile phone you should see if your service provider offers a service that can help you protect them. For example, Sprint features Sprint Guardian which offers bundled services to keep your family safe and secure on their mobile phones.
It’s interesting to see what Latina’s think of their children using cell phones and their concerns with it. Check out the Latina Moms with Mobile Enabled Kids: a new parenting challenge (Infographic) for highlights from the study.
