Wait, does every kid that's 12+ have a smart phone?

My kid 12yo keeps telling me that, but we've ignored his pleas for a phone.

Does every kid in MS really have one?

Anonymous wrote:would you consider a YouTube channel (no real name, disabled comments, impersonal content, doesn't follow anyone but has over 1000 followers) to be social media?

I’m a PP and I think that’s worse. The only point is to post things for others to view. What parents don’t understand is this is how kids are communicating now instead of texting. It’s okay to not allow your kid to talk to others outside of school, it’s your choice. But realize you are cutting them off socially. Other kids are not going to pick up the phone to make a voice call or start texting to make plans with the one kid that doesn’t have snap/discord whatever the group is using.

Anonymous wrote:My DS is begging but I'm not ready to give in. (And no, he doesn't secretly have it. I have to give my password to add an App). He's of course saying he's the "only one," so I'm curious how true that is?

I'm including Snap, TikTok, Instagram, FB and Twitter in the list of can't haves fyi.

If he has access to the internet, couldn’t he just log into Instagram or others on an online browser? You don’t need apps.

would you consider a YouTube channel (no real name, disabled comments, impersonal content, doesn't follow anyone but has over 1000 followers) to be social media?

DS 13 wants tiktok. Just not ready to add more distractions with texting and text groups. Trying to hold out as long as possible

Yes. Instagram only

My DS is 13 and no social media. He has a phone that just allows calls and texting. For bday, we got him an iPod (well, it's the modern day version of the iPod) and air pods so he can listen to music. We decided no on social media. I admit I watched the Social Dilemma and it completely freaked me out, especially listening to people who designed the systems stating that they would not allow their kids to use it. I just feel that social media is one big experiment and I don't want my kid to be a part of it. I'm probably too paranoid but he hasn't asked for it. I know when he's with his friends who have legitimate phones that they watch tiktok videos but we've talked about it and he knows there is not such good stuff on there. We've talked about addiction and how his personal information gets tracked. Plus, what goes on-line is forever. When he's with his friends at least it's a physical-social interaction. On the flip side, he has an xbox and plays games with his friends on that. Plus, now reading the recent WSJ articles on FB and the one today about Instagram and teenage depression, we're holding firm. Our DD is too young for a phone so figure that will be more of a fight when the time comes but it's worth it.

13 DD was allowed to pick one platform. Chose TikTok, mostly just views. At 14 allowed to add one more - this time Snapchat with restrictions. New school - kids ask for her snap instead of her number. Apparently, that's the thing now.

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is almost 14 and is one of the very few that does not want social media and doesn’t have it either. Her friends just text and send pictures and videos to her phone. She doesn’t need another companies platform that can be seen by marketing snoops behind the scenes and doing whatever they want with her data to socialize. Plus she knows whatever she would ever post would follow her forever. At least she’s off it for now.

Good on you! Thanks for letting me know there are other families that stay away from social media.

Insta, discord, house party, snap chat. Doesn't use them on a regular basis but checks a couple times a week.

His response was, "no, because I'm not a teenage girl."

Anonymous wrote:My 13 year old DC has TikTok, Insta, and Discord. They used to post cosplay stuff on Tiktok but stopped a few months ago.
Right now they mainly use the chat features in the aps to keep in contact with their friends.
They have 6 posts on Insta, three of them are of a cat.

I’m the other poster with a 13 yo who had all of them. He’s using them to chat with friends, similar to texting. He hasn’t posted on Instagram in months and his photos are of nothing significant. Mostly his sneakers, which are not fancy ones, and meals he was eating that day. He has less than ten posted ever.

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is almost 14 and is one of the very few that does not want social media and doesn’t have it either. Her friends just text and send pictures and videos to her phone. She doesn’t need another companies platform that can be seen by marketing snoops behind the scenes and doing whatever they want with her data to socialize. Plus she knows whatever she would ever post would follow her forever. At least she’s off it for now.

Same here

None and she is not the only one. Theough some kids at school have tik tok.

My 13 year old DC has TikTok, Insta, and Discord. They used to post cosplay stuff on Tiktok but stopped a few months ago.
Right now they mainly use the chat features in the aps to keep in contact with their friends.
They have 6 posts on Insta, three of them are of a cat.