This post is part of my partnership with the US Cellular Blogger Brigade Ambassador Program.
At the ripe age of seven my oldest is already asking for his own cell phone.
I knew it would happen eventually. Our technology-laden lives dictate it, and as some of us know it’s difficult to go without a cell phone for even a day.
My heart and my son can’t handle the responsibility of a cell phone. Heck he still misplaces his homework, his hat and sunglasses who knows what would happen with a cell phone.
So we will wait.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t prepare myself. We are an extremely tech-savvy family I’m {obviously} a blogger and my husband is a web designer. We are constantly attached to our phones and computers. So it’s inevitable that our son would follow in our footsteps.
But at what age should he follow in our footsteps?
In a recent U.S. Cellular survey, respondents indicated that 13 was an appropriate age for a child to receive their first mobile phone, whereas five years ago this age was 15.*
Given how early children are using cell phones, my four year old can play a mean game of Angry Birds on mine, parents are challenged with how to best introduce their children to their first mobile device.
Just like other milestones like driving and drinking, it’s never too early to start talking about expectations and consequences of cell phone usage.
I’m apprehensive about giving our son his first cell phone, but US Cellular’s Parent-Child Agreement is a great way to layout those expectations up front. There’s even a place to add your own. One in particular I’d like to add is …
“Don’t let anyone else use your phone, unless it’s an emergency.”
Having these guidelines in place ahead of time will create better moments for us when he finally does get his first phone.
Once your child has his first phone, US Cellular offers free Device Workshops in July that focus on this very topic. At the workshops, U.S. Cellular associates will offer families tips on setting phone guidelines and share suggestions to help with the decision of getting their child their first cell phone. For a list of Device Workshops in your area, click here.
*[Between Nov. 15 and Dec. 2, 2013, 500 nationally representative online interviews were conducted among smartphone users in partnership with Maritz Research.]
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Disclosure: Through the rest of the year I’ll be sharing some more of My BETTER MOMENTS as a US Cellular Better Moments Blogger Brigade Ambassador. All opinions are my own and an honest view of my story as a US Cellular customer.
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