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EE warns parents against giving children under 11 a smartphone
(www.theguardian.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Get the kids a dumb phone instead. Calls and texts are more than enough in an emergency
When I went to price it out at the store, the line for a dumb phone was going to cost $30/mo more than a smart phone. It was dumb.
I'm in the US and can get a simple plan for $6/month for no data, 300 minutes, and unlimited texting. Unlimited minutes is $8. There's no contract, so this isn't some kind of family deal, this is just the regular price at Tello for a single line.
I personally have 1GB and 300 min for $7/month.
If the new dumb phones also came with Google Family Link for tracking then it would be a win. But they don't. As a parent, having the ability to track my kids when I know they're heading to or from somewhere is a big deal. And no, it's not an issue of trust.
I'd argue that is still an issue of trust, but maybe more concerning society / the local neighborhood.
Give them a phone with no play store or browser. If they get apks over mms or adb I think they've earned them