Anonymous
Post 01/31/2026 17:56     Subject: What percentage of 3rd and 4th graders in your kids class have phones?
In more affluent areas few to no kids have phones. Parents are more educated about the negative effects. In lower SES areas, most kids have phones.
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2026 17:56     Subject: Re:What percentage of 3rd and 4th graders in your kids class have phones?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I teach in a Title One ES and every 4th grader (3 classes) has a phone except 1-2.


Whoa!

I am the OP. Thanks, everyone, for sharing! Seems like many people’s kiddos go to schools with pretty strict policies.

But the PP shared her own schools’ lived-reality.


meant to add that ai went ahead and asked google AI and it reported back “35 -40% of U.S. children aged 8 to 9(typically 3rd grade) own their own smartphone. Ownership rates forthis age group have increased significantly, with nearly one in four children having a smartphone by age 8, and overall ownership among 8-12 year-olds reaching 43% by 2021. “
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2026 17:54     Subject: Re:What percentage of 3rd and 4th graders in your kids class have phones?
Anonymous wrote:I teach in a Title One ES and every 4th grader (3 classes) has a phone except 1-2.


Whoa!

I am the OP. Thanks, everyone, for sharing! Seems like many people’s kiddos go to schools with pretty strict policies.

But the PP shared her own schools’ lived-reality.
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2026 17:45     Subject: What percentage of 3rd and 4th graders in your kids class have phones?
Anonymous wrote:1%. Most kids get a cell phone in MS.

My middle schooler's friends started getting phones in 6th. But a lot of them don't have one yet.
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2026 17:44     Subject: What percentage of 3rd and 4th graders in your kids class have phones?
A few of my 4th grader's friends have smart watches Apple/Gizmo/SyncUp, but I'm only aware of one that has a phone and it's because the family has 5 kids and there is a lot of carpooling involved.
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2026 17:29     Subject: What percentage of 3rd and 4th graders in your kids class have phones?
1 divorced kid with a phone. 1 kid with a gizmo. Out of 25 kids in 4th. We don't play to give a phone u til late middle school and then only a flip one for calls and texts.
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2026 17:26     Subject: What percentage of 3rd and 4th graders in your kids class have phones?
1%. Most kids get a cell phone in MS.
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2026 17:07     Subject: What percentage of 3rd and 4th graders in your kids class have phones?
I don’t know of any kids who have phones. When my older kids were that age there were a couple who had watches.

We’ll probably do a dumb phone for my youngest in 5th or 6th so he can tell me if he’s going to a friends house after school. My older kids got smart phones in 7th, which was fine.

I despise watches and their constant distraction. So we won’t do that ever. My kids do all have iPads at home that they can message from if they want to reach out to friends
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2026 16:46     Subject: What percentage of 3rd and 4th graders in your kids class have phones?
I hope 0.
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2026 15:53     Subject: What percentage of 3rd and 4th graders in your kids class have phones?
No phones that I know of, but plenty of 2nd and 3rd graders have Apple Watches, Gizmos, and motorized bikes.
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2026 15:49     Subject: What percentage of 3rd and 4th graders in your kids class have phones?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:None of my 3rd graders classmates have a phone, that I know of. I do know 3 kids with smart watches (the Gizmodo watches) but they aren't in her school class, but friends from activities.

My kid has never expressed an interest in getting a phone. She is excited to get a watch in 4th or 5th because she knows that is going to come with a bit more independence for her (walking to and from school on her own, being able to walk to a friend's house without one of us). We have list of things she has to demonstrate she can do before we get it and she is working on it very seriously.


Why would you do a watch before a flip phone?


Largely because other kids get Gizmo watches and it works best when kids have the same devices. I've been told the Gizmo is very easy to place parental controls on, and the subscription is pretty inexpensive (like $10 a month or something).

We honestly haven't looked seriously into it yet because we're still at least a year if not more away from doing this. This is partly based on the experience of our good friends with a 5th grader and their recent experience (though bought her a "dumb phone" but she wanted a watch instead because it's what her friends had, they were able to set it up so it was limited in the same way).


My DD got a Gizmo at the end of 4th grade so she’d have a way of contacting us when she’s home alone. What friends have didn’t play into our decision, as she has 5 contacts installed—parents and grandparents. I don’t want her messaging friends yet. All socialization takes place in person, not over messaging apps.
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2026 15:46     Subject: What percentage of 3rd and 4th graders in your kids class have phones?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our fourth grader got a Gizmo recently and her teacher mentioned that only a few of the students had them (I was checking to make sure we understood the rules and expectations around them). I doubt that many have phones if only a few have watches.


Are you sending the Gizmo to school? Hopefully not on a kid's wrist.

-- teacher who would much rather see a 4th grade with a limited phone buried in their backpack than a kid attached to a distracting device.


It's in school mode during the day, where all it does is tell time. I've also checked with the teacher who says it hasn't been a distraction and I can see the battery usage which is next to nothing.


I am considering doing the same for my 3rd grader. Next year he may be going to a school which is 30+ minutes away from home and where he will definitely be the only child at our bus stop which is at the end of the route.
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2026 15:44     Subject: What percentage of 3rd and 4th graders in your kids class have phones?
None of them.
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2026 15:42     Subject: Re:What percentage of 3rd and 4th graders in your kids class have phones?
I teach in a Title One ES and every 4th grader (3 classes) has a phone except 1-2.
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2026 13:57     Subject: What percentage of 3rd and 4th graders in your kids class have phones?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our fourth grader got a Gizmo recently and her teacher mentioned that only a few of the students had them (I was checking to make sure we understood the rules and expectations around them). I doubt that many have phones if only a few have watches.


Are you sending the Gizmo to school? Hopefully not on a kid's wrist.

-- teacher who would much rather see a 4th grade with a limited phone buried in their backpack than a kid attached to a distracting device.


It's in school mode during the day, where all it does is tell time. I've also checked with the teacher who says it hasn't been a distraction and I can see the battery usage which is next to nothing.