The right age to own a phone.

My ex has nagged me on an off for a while now about sitting down to discuss when would be the appropriate age for the kids to get a cell phone and I am not shy in saying this is a conversation I have avoided at all costs because truth be told I do not have an answer to it.

The world has become a scary place and cell phones have only made it easier for predators to gain access to underage kids as well as I was a teenager myself once you know so I remember what it was like I remember all the crap I got up to and quite frankly it scares the living day lights out of my mommy soul.

I keep telling myself that we got on fine without cell phones as kids, I myself only got my first phone at 15 I think, it was a brick but it was awesome and from there it progressed however before that we got along just fine with tiki (call) boxes, but the world has changed and is changing on a daily basis and call boxes are few and far between so I do believe it will become a necessity for the kids at some stage, but when????

I wish someone could just give me the answer, at this stage they are still very young and I would not deem them remotely responsible enough to own a phone, I know a few parents with kids of 8 or so who have phones, the school has even mentioned that if your child has a phone it can be given to the teacher for safe keeping until the end of the day, are you kidding me.. right??? 

I’m sure there are responsible kids at that age but I was utterly gobsmacked that children of that age should need a phone probably as gobsmacked as last year when we attended a school event and the one child told the other mom on duty he needed to catch the bus home… at 10 pm (thankfully the child was not allowed to leave), it’s scary and I am scared, I am scared that if I give in at some point it could open a portal to danger or vulnerability for my kids, I am scared it will give them access to misbehave behind closed doors, I know I was there and it scares me… did I say it scares me!!!!

As it stands right now my kids do not and will not own a phone, they are dropped in the school gate and fetched at the gate they are dropped at crèche and fetched from crèche they do not go anywhere without a parent or grandparent so I do not feel; that a phone is necessary but I know at some point it will be and my mommy heart hopes that will not be for many years to come!!!