Lifestyle

Is Your Child Ready For a Cell Phone? How Verizon Family Tech Initiative Can Help With Your Decision!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Verizon. All opinions are 100% mine.

A friend recently asked my opinion on what I thought was a good age for getting a child a cell phone. This had me reflecting on the days when I finally decided that my oldest was ready for a cell phone and what factored into my decision. After two years of her having a cell phone I am confident that I made the right decision and have also learned a lot from this experience. There were some important questions I asked myself prior to selecting a cell phone for my daughter. Personally I believe that the biggest thing you need to consider prior to giving your child a cell phone is whether or not they are mature/responsible enough. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when trying to make a decision:

  • Does your child show a sense of responsibility?  A cell phone is a major responsibility to hand over to your child, so make sure that you are completely confident that they understand this and are mature enough to hand it. I think that it is also important that they understand that a cell phone is a privilege.
  • Do you need to keep in touch with your child for safety reasons? If your child is involved in sports or after school activities, there is great reassurance knowing that you can get a hold of each other at any time!
  • Would having easy access to friends benefit them for social reasons? My daughter is very shy and I am always looking for ways to help her step out of her shell. Being able to call a friend up and make plans has truly built her confidence! 
  • Do you think they’ll use cell phones responsibly? Will your child refrain from texting during class or disturbing others with their phone conversations? 
  • Will they use text, photo, and video functions responsibly? This is something you absolutely need to sit down and discuss with your child first. You can never take back a text/photo/video. There are some serious consequences for online bullying, so please make sure your child is both aware and familiar with what they should do if they witness online bullying.
  • Are you tech savvy enough to set parental controls on your child’s phone? I think that it is very important to be proactive about ensuring your child is using their phone appropriately. My rule is that I have access/passwords to every single app on my daughter’s phone! At this time I don’t feel she is old enough for social media, but if you have a child that is… you need to monitor those accounts!
  • Will a cell phone interfere with their everyday life? This can be such a difficult matter to deal with when it comes to introducing your child to a cell phone. Thankfully though the  Family Tech initiative, Verizon offers parents new innovative tools to monitor several digital aspects towards the whole family. With this initiative, Verizon wants to help parents learning the keys to balancing digital life with family life!

Verizon offers a variety of resources to help you navigate the digital world with your family both safely and affordably. Whether it is deciding on which plan is most appropriate for your family, or learning how to utilize Verizon’s family locator, everything you need is there to help your family be digital savvy! Plus there are several tech products for the family to enhance their digital experience and can be useful for both educational and entertainment purposes. Worried your child is on their phone too much? Verizon can help with that too! So much useful information on their website.

I hope this post was helpful to you! Please let us know in the comment section below what advice you have for a parent deciding whether their child is ready for a cell phone!

2 thoughts on “Is Your Child Ready For a Cell Phone? How Verizon Family Tech Initiative Can Help With Your Decision!

  1. Hey Heather, I think you took right decision by giving her cell phone. By the way thanks for sharing such an important topic. My son is 10 years old and I think 15 years would be the ideal age for him to get a cell phone.

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