I bought my 11 year old some cheap ones and he hasn’t lost them yet

My DS got them at 13, but he never loses anything.

DS (with significant ADHD) got them at 13y. I was SURE he was going to lose them within a day. It has been 5y and he still has both of them. I am shocked.

I got my 13 year old AirPods after I got myself some and liked them so much. I like the “find my” feature.

They do have their own GPS. Just check every once in a while that the case is charged… and of course they have to be in the case to be found via GPS.

My 12 yo is getting them and we have AppleCare. My 14yo with ADHD has had them for 2 years no issues.

Anonymous wrote:When they can pay for them themselves. The "find my" function doesn't work very well with the air pods, and if they're likely to get lost it won't be much help.

+1
This is what I was going to say. They are sooooo easily lost, and for the price, most kids don’t seem to care that much. But if it’s their own $$ they might.

I’d buy some cheaper knockoffs if you really want, but nothing over like $100.

12 seems like a good age, IMO.

I think DD got hers at age 12 or 13 and DS got his for his 12th bday.

Both managed to keep track of them.

I've never had any issues with the "find my" feature for headphones. I've used it a few times with my own. I'm currently following the social media account of a pair of airpods that were lost in CA that are now in the Great Smokey Mountains in TN. The owner has been tracking them all over the US for the past 2 years!

I have hearing loss likely from airpods (thought my answer to DH's snoring was noise cancellation, big mistake). My kids know that headphones are non-negotiable.

When they can pay for them themselves. The "find my" function doesn't work very well with the air pods, and if they're likely to get lost it won't be much help.

Anonymous wrote:The hearing loss thing worries me. So we didn’t allow AirPods until high school. My kid isn’t a runner or anything though. So she’s fine with her phone as a speaker.

Mine is too, but I'm not fine with listening to her phone as a speaker much longer...

The hearing loss thing worries me. So we didn’t allow AirPods until high school. My kid isn’t a runner or anything though. So she’s fine with her phone as a speaker.

Earpods can pose a greater risk for hearing loss than old-fashioned headphones. Is it essential they get them?

https://mana.md/airpods-hearing-loss-and-ear-infections/#:~:text=The%20American%20Osteopathic%20Association%20estimates,and%20it%27s%20not%20just%20kids.

My oldest got his in 7th grade (saved up himself) and has successfully kept track of him for two years - which is better than my own track record.

My other 7th grader will get a pair this year - mostly because he's constantly borrowing mine and I'm sick of it. I give the chances of this particular kid keeping track of them at about 30% but we got a deal on them and figured we'd give him the chance to prove us wrong. Once they're lost, he'll be replacing them himself.

My 12 DC, who loses everything, wants AirPods for Christmas, and I've put it off because I worry they'll quickly get lost. Do other 12-year-olds have AirPods like DC claims?