Question:

We are considering buying our eight year old a mobile phone. Do you have any advice regarding this?

Answer from Kids and Media’s Advisor:

Mobile phones are positive and important social devices for children. There are, however, a number of challenges connected to children and mobile phone use. It is important to teach children how to use their mobile phones responsibly. If children as young as 8 years old own a phone, it is vital that parents have a certain amount of control on how the child is allowed to use the phone. Only parents can decide whether their child is mature enough to handle a mobile phone responsibly.

Kids and Media encourages parents to make a written agreement with their children when they get their first mobile phone.

Here is Kids and Media’s suggestion for a mobile phone agreement between parents and children:

1. I will be open and honest to my parents about my mobile phone experiences.
2. I am not going to use my phone to bully others.
3. The mobile phone is to be turned off every night during the week. I will not send SMS’ or MMS’, or call my friends, after _____ o’clock on school nights.
4. I will respect mobile phone free areas, and be considerate to people around me when I’m talking on the phone.
5. I will not take a picture of anyone without asking their permission.
6. I will not publish mobile phone pictures online without asking my parents’ permission.
7. Mobile phone services might be expensive and have hidden costs. I will not use my mobile phone to pay for a service without carefully considering the terms and conditions.

It might also be a good idea to include a sentence describing the consequences of breaking the agreement. Allow your child to suggest what the consequences should be.

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