We see it. Kids addicted to looking at some sort of device. We go out to the mall and see a toddler holding a tablet. Or a mom, pushing their child in the shopping cart holding their cell phone.

Yeah, you might think…”I wish I had that when my kids were younger” or “I understand, I do the same thing, just trying to get some shopping done.”

We all been there, as parents we just want our kids to be occupied. But just for a bit.

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When my son was a baby (not yet 2), I lived a super small 1-bedroom duplex. I didn’t have room for a crib, and for the most part, I was a single mom. When I needed to get ready for the day, I would sit him in his stroller. I would park it by the bathroom door since the stroller couldn’t even fit in the bathroom and give him a bunch of toys to occupy his time.

This was my routine for getting ready every day. I refused to be one of those mom’s that gave up on herself because of not making time for myself. But this worked for me.

It was also the same year the first iPhone came out.

Going to the store or any situation, I always did what moms do, bring a bag of goodies. The bag was always filled with various toys and snacks to occupy my son’s time in every out of the home situation and it always worked.

Now, when I see seeming 2 and 3-year-olds out at restaurants, the mall, stores and everywhere with cell phones and tablets in their hand. I always think , “Would I have done that?”

Yes. I most likely would have.

I let my son watch cartoons every day any time he wanted. That’s how I grew up. He loved watching Toy Story on repeat and he also loved music. Maybe I did promote my child to be in front of a “device” who knows?

What Age Should a Child Get a Cell Phone

When I felt it was time to get my son a cell phone, it was more our of need and necessity for myself than anything else.

My son never asked for a cell phone. But he was asking to do more independent things.

First, he wanted to stay home by himself. Then he wanted to walk to the park by himself, and walk with friends after school.

I noticed that he was just maturing and wanting to take on new independent roles all by his 10-year-old self.

Should a 10-year old have a cell phone?

His newfound independence prompted me to get him a cell phone. And I was slightly being a helicopter parent. I wanted to know where he was and what he was doing at all times (real mom move).

As a parent, that’s where it begins. We want to know what our children are doing when we aren’t with them. Are they safe, are they doing what they are supposed to, are they where they say they are? We would worry ourselves to death without cell phones in our life. And I think he did the generation before us manage?

When my son was starting 5^th grade, he got his first official cell phone. I say, official because I gave him an old Tracfone I use to have a few months before his official iPhone SE.

I ultimately decided to get him an iPhone for two main reasons: 1. I had an iPhone at the time and I wanted to see if he read my messages with the read receipts (another mom move), and 2. I wanted to FaceTime with him when he spent his summers with his dad.

I soon found out he wasn’t too interested in his new cell phone at all. He would leave it in his room, not charge it, forget to bring it with him to school and so forth. It wasn’t until months later when his friends all start using one he began to take more of an interest.

Why Kids Should Not Have Cell Phones

Only a few weeks after getting his new phone, my son was running with his friends after school and his iPhone fell out of his pocket. It hit the concrete and shattered the glass.

Now here became a lesson of you’re going to keep what you get and learn to take care of what you have. 

My son understood this completely but he is like a small adult, granted he is an only child and is taller than me. He knew he wasn’t going to get it replaced. So for almost a year, my son still used his very cracked screen iPhone until he couldn’t get it to turn on anymore. Now, he has a much cheaper phone that still works just fine.

Buying my son a cell phone set the basis for him to become more responsible.

Using a his cell phone, my son sets the alarm every night to wake up him up in the morning. He makes sure he charges it, and turns it off for school. He does well with texting back and letting me know his every move without me asking him.

Final Thoughts

Above all, getting my son an iPhone at 10 years old worked out well for us. For me, beyond the need of wanting to know where my son is at all times, was allowing his natural ability of maturing, and needing independence to grow, made the final decision.

Let me know your thoughts? What age do you think you should buy your child a cell phone?