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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]How do you respond though when every other kid has a phone besides yours? [/quote]

This is a real question. It's why the "wait 'til 8th" movement started a while back -- if all parents waited until 8th grade, then you don't wind up with this pressure to get kids phones just so they can have friends.

It does seem like at least in our neighborhood and parent circles, there's increased interest on avoiding smart phones until later, to keep kids off social media apps. So watches for upper elementary students and flip phones for middle school kids. This can actually promote the kind of independence people are talking about in the thread, because a kid who can text or call parents is more likely to be able to walk to and from school alone, get themselves to activities, etc. Now that pay phones are rare-to-nonexistent and stores and other people are more hostile to kids (and therefore less likely to help them or let them use a phone if they need one), it's hard to give kids more freedom without also giving them a phone.

I would love it if my DD never had an instagram or Facebook account. Or TikTok. Maybe that's unrealistic, but I think these apps are just toxic. People need to get back to making their circle of connections smaller, more meaningful, and IN PERSON.[/quote]

One huge benefit of delaying is that they may be more likely to make friends in middle school with the kids without phones and social media. The ones who get it early end up seeming boring because they stop interacting in person.[/quote]

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