**Full Disclosure: I participated in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Zact. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating. All opinions are my own.
My oldest child is 9 (going on 29!). For about the last six months, he has asked once a week for his own smartphone. When a special (gift-giving) occasion is near, the hints and asks become more frequent. My husband and I are no where near ready for him to have his own phone – mostly because we don’t think he is responsible enough. We do let James use our phones to play games but he isn’t allowed to download anything or make phone calls or send texts (unless it’s to grandparents).
Zact mobile service conducted a survey that found 73% of U.S. parents are concerned about the lack of parental control of a child’s activities on mobile devices.
I fall in every category of the parental concerns section on the infographic above. Where do you fall? Whether your kid(s) have smartphones or not, what are your biggest concerns?
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I think that kids should not have a smartphone. There is too much they can do that can get them into trouble if they have one. If they need a means of getting in touch with Mom and Dad, then a simple cellphone should be enough. Although, when my kids were young, they were never dropped off at practice, the movies or the mall. They were always with me, so they had no need for a phone.
We have Zact for our 11 year old and absolutely love it. It is truly a great first phone for kids. We needed it since Gav is out and about now, it gives me peace of mind!
It is a neat idea but with kids that are only 7 and 2, we are no where near thinking about a phone for either of them. Honestly, until they are driving, I don’t see much of a need.