All his friends have phones and he keeps asking. My gut says no but I feel like I'm the only parent not giving their kid one. What age did everyone else let their kids have smartphones? Any regrets? I'm worried about screen time and also just... him having a phone at 8 seems crazy to me but maybe I'm behind the times.
Your gut is right. 8 is too young. I waited until my kid was 11 and even then I had some reservations. Just because everyone else has one doesn't mean anything. You're the parent, not them.
The peer pressure is real but fleeting. Kids forget who had what pretty quick. Stick to your guns. 8 year olds don't need social media and all that comes with it.
Are his friends actually 8 with phones or is he exaggerating? Kids always think way more people have stuff than actually do. My daughter does this constantly.
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I get the pressure. My son started asking at 7. We went with a basic phone that could only call and text approved numbers. Gave him some of what he wanted without the whole internet rabbit hole. Maybe a middle ground?