Yes we did this last for our 6th grader. She was riding the bus and letting herself in the house alone after school so we wanted her to have a way to communicate with us. It stays in her backpack in her locker during school hours and she only has certain contacts in it. She has to have it off and charging by 9 pm.

I’m one of the mooching parents, but I’m not judgemental. My kid doesn’t have a phone because he has zero self control around screens. I wish I could get him one but he’s such a disaster with the screens he has. Hes also really really good at tech stuff so he hacks his way around any restrictions. It’s killing me. But thank you to parents whose kids let him borrow phone to tell me where he is going!
(I’m thinking about just putting an air tag in his backpack.)

Anonymous wrote:How do you organize an iPhone that doesn’t have social media, just phone and texting?

It’s hard. You set strict parental limits on safari, and require permission for downloading of any apps. But the Apple parental controls are very “leaky” and the kids share the ways to get around them. So many parents assume it is locked down and it’s not. (That was me! Also there were a couple inks upgrades were they wiped the parental controls—hopefully they’ve fixed that by now!)

I’m getting the gabb plus for mine, I think, so she can have talk/text and functions like the calendar and notes to help with assignments. She can do internet at home.

Anonymous wrote:No, she has a smartwatch connected to a cellular plan so she can text or call if the public bus is running late.

this is what my son had starting in 6th

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Got one the summer before 6th for similar reasons as a PP. When I went to someone's house as a kid I could call from their house phone to tell my mom where I was. No one has house phones anymore. This way DC can call to say that they are going to a friend's house or a group of them are going to Starbucks or whatever the change in plans might be.

We are very locked down, it's an old iPhone 7 but zero apps, zero social media, zero internet access. DC can use the phone, text and Facetime so is still missing out on some platforms but those platforms are not meant for 11yr olds. We've talked about the fact that responsible use will lead to increased options on the phone moving into upper middle school but for now this serves its purpose.

This is us. So very locked down. I did download a few math apps. Ha!

My kid was just asking me if I would download a guitar tuning app as if she thought I would refuse

My 6th grader doesn't have a phone and there has literally never been a time when he needed to borrow another kid's phone.

8th grader has a Gabb but he barely uses it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes - it was a 5th grade graduation present for our oldest before starting MS. It has proven invaluable when staying after school, attending practice, hanging out with friends or going to a party when pick-up times can vary. Nearly all her friends got one at the same time and the few that didn't relied on using friends' phone for communicating with their parents.

I have seen this several times.
My kids have had several friends who are phoneless in 6th grade and they just constantly asks to borrow other kids' phones.
It's fine but ultimately the parents are just mooching off of other parents.

well you really are. You're sending your kid out in the world without anyway to communicate with you and relying on them to use other kids' phones on a regular basis.
How is that not mooching?
I'm waiting for the explanation.


(ultimately I don't care or lose sleep over this but so many of the higher-than-though "my 6th grader doesn't have or need a phone" people's kids are just a PITA to other kids in this regard).

Does it cost you anything? Require any effort or time of you? What exactly are they “mooching”

Sure they can go to the office/front desk public area to call mom, but if your kid is right there with them they will always offer bc your kid doesn’t want to stand around alone why they wait for their friend to make a call

So, you are ok with your kid using my kids phone as much as they want, but like the superior thought that your kid doesn't have a phone? Of the two friends my kid has that don't have phones, one is obsessed with the internet and uses my kids phone as soon as they meet up. The other was left at school and I had to go pick her up with my child. No phone doesn't make your kid smart and special.

Anonymous wrote:Got one the summer before 6th for similar reasons as a PP. When I went to someone's house as a kid I could call from their house phone to tell my mom where I was. No one has house phones anymore. This way DC can call to say that they are going to a friend's house or a group of them are going to Starbucks or whatever the change in plans might be.

We are very locked down, it's an old iPhone 7 but zero apps, zero social media, zero internet access. DC can use the phone, text and Facetime so is still missing out on some platforms but those platforms are not meant for 11yr olds. We've talked about the fact that responsible use will lead to increased options on the phone moving into upper middle school but for now this serves its purpose.

This is us. So very locked down. I did download a few math apps. Ha!

My kid got one the summer before 6th grade. I’d say about 1/2 of the kids got one at that time. Then by 7th/8th most kids had one. MCPS

Yes, my rising sixth-grade daughter has a phone, which she got for Christmas in fifth grade.

We have strict rules about the phone, including that it is only permitted until 8pm, when it gets plugged in to charge in our (parents') bedroom, with a "Do not disturb" on it. We also require a password to download apps, and she has very limited access to social media. Additionally, she is required to answer our texts and calls unless there is a very good reason, such as the phone being in her bag when she is at sports practice, off while she is at school, or on silent while she is in a movie with friends.

Having a kid who carpools with teammates to, or who we just drop off at, sports practices means we wanted her to have her own phone so she didn't have to rely on others to allow her to use their phone to get in contact with us.

No way

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes - it was a 5th grade graduation present for our oldest before starting MS. It has proven invaluable when staying after school, attending practice, hanging out with friends or going to a party when pick-up times can vary. Nearly all her friends got one at the same time and the few that didn't relied on using friends' phone for communicating with their parents.

I have seen this several times.
My kids have had several friends who are phoneless in 6th grade and they just constantly asks to borrow other kids' phones.
It's fine but ultimately the parents are just mooching off of other parents.

well you really are. You're sending your kid out in the world without anyway to communicate with you and relying on them to use other kids' phones on a regular basis.
How is that not mooching?
I'm waiting for the explanation.


(ultimately I don't care or lose sleep over this but so many of the higher-than-though "my 6th grader doesn't have or need a phone" people's kids are just a PITA to other kids in this regard).

Does it cost you anything? Require any effort or time of you? What exactly are they “mooching”

Sure they can go to the office/front desk public area to call mom, but if your kid is right there with them they will always offer bc your kid doesn’t want to stand around alone why they wait for their friend to make a call

NP. It's not the cost to me and I'm happy that my kid is willing to help. It's the hypocrisy of a parent who will tell you that middle school is way too young for a phone, but when Jr text them from a friend's phone to say practice is canceled and could they come to get him early-apparently that's fine. My kid has a pretty locked down and monitored phone that she apparently needs so that other kids can get home safely.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes - it was a 5th grade graduation present for our oldest before starting MS. It has proven invaluable when staying after school, attending practice, hanging out with friends or going to a party when pick-up times can vary. Nearly all her friends got one at the same time and the few that didn't relied on using friends' phone for communicating with their parents.

I have seen this several times.
My kids have had several friends who are phoneless in 6th grade and they just constantly asks to borrow other kids' phones.
It's fine but ultimately the parents are just mooching off of other parents.

well you really are. You're sending your kid out in the world without anyway to communicate with you and relying on them to use other kids' phones on a regular basis.
How is that not mooching?
I'm waiting for the explanation.


(ultimately I don't care or lose sleep over this but so many of the higher-than-though "my 6th grader doesn't have or need a phone" people's kids are just a PITA to other kids in this regard).

Does it cost you anything? Require any effort or time of you? What exactly are they “mooching”

Sure they can go to the office/front desk public area to call mom, but if your kid is right there with them they will always offer bc your kid doesn’t want to stand around alone why they wait for their friend to make a call

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes - it was a 5th grade graduation present for our oldest before starting MS. It has proven invaluable when staying after school, attending practice, hanging out with friends or going to a party when pick-up times can vary. Nearly all her friends got one at the same time and the few that didn't relied on using friends' phone for communicating with their parents.

I have seen this several times.
My kids have had several friends who are phoneless in 6th grade and they just constantly asks to borrow other kids' phones.
It's fine but ultimately the parents are just mooching off of other parents.

well you really are. You're sending your kid out in the world without anyway to communicate with you and relying on them to use other kids' phones on a regular basis.
How is that not mooching?
I'm waiting for the explanation.


(ultimately I don't care or lose sleep over this but so many of the higher-than-though "my 6th grader doesn't have or need a phone" people's kids are just a PITA to other kids in this regard).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes - it was a 5th grade graduation present for our oldest before starting MS. It has proven invaluable when staying after school, attending practice, hanging out with friends or going to a party when pick-up times can vary. Nearly all her friends got one at the same time and the few that didn't relied on using friends' phone for communicating with their parents.

I have seen this several times.
My kids have had several friends who are phoneless in 6th grade and they just constantly asks to borrow other kids' phones.
It's fine but ultimately the parents are just mooching off of other parents.