All his friends have some kind of device and now he's asking for a phone. I'm not ready for this but I also don't want him to feel like the only kid without one. What age is reasonable? And if we do get him something what apps or controls do other parents use? I'm honestly terrified of the internet and what he could accidentally stumble onto.
Seven is young for a phone IMO. My 6yo also asked last year and I said no way. We got her a basic tablet with parental controls and that satisfied the curiosity for a while. Now she's way less interested in it than I thought she'd be.
This is tough. The peer pressure is real at that age. My advice: don't give in just because his friends have devices. We did a family media agreement instead where my kids earn screen time through other activities. It actually worked better than I expected and took some pressure off.
Honestly the peer pressure at that age is real but you don't have to cave. A lot of those 7yos with phones are gonna have problems later. Stick to your guns. Maybe compromise with something like a flip phone or a basic gizmo watch that only calls parents?
I'm dealing with this right now too. My daughter's in first grade and suddenly everyone has a tablet. What I did was set up some firm boundaries first - like no phone until at least 10, but we can revisit other devices. Also made it clear that having friends with phones doesn't mean she needs one immediately. Kids are resilient about this stuff if you're consistent.
We're dealing with this right now too and honestly it sucks because all the other parents are basically letting their kids get phones. We decided to wait until 10 at minimum. For now we're letting him use an old tablet on wifi only with heavy parental controls. Bought us some time.
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My son is 9 and not asking yet but I know it's coming. I think the key is explaining why other kids have them instead of just saying no. Like, their parents made a different choice than we did, and that's okay. It's not about being mean it's about what you think is right for your family.