Perfect Kids Phone?

[Ledsteplin]

Kids play lots of games. I can definitely see spending the extra money.

Will still only get 16 gb, according to the rumors. The A7 processor is still pretty good with the 64 bit.

 

[Quis89]

I can't agree with you more. My boys both have the 5s and this will most likely be the next phone I buy them.



Obviously you are not a parent. My boys have had iPhones since they were 12 years old. Why do they need smartphones? Well it has allowed me as a parent to stay in contact with my children. I like to know where my children are. If you are a parent then you would understand the concerns of parent in today's world. I trust my children exclusively, but being able to message and send things back and forth has been great. My parents were not given this opportunity as the technology was not there when I was a kid. Shame because they missed out on some things when I was growing up.

I'm a parent. My son does not have a smart phone, lol. No matter how you justify it no child NEEDS a smartphone. If you want to get them one that's awesome but let's not pretend they NEED it.

 

[Sherry_B]

We are an all iphone family at this point. I will be ordering 2 of the iPhone SEs as soon as they are announced assuming they are fairly close to what is expected.

As a parent myself, I would like to recommend the Life 360 app. When i bought my kids their first smartphones we used it as a family. There is a check-in feature and an emergency "i'm in trouble!" feature. It will also list on the map where the hospitals, fire departments, and police departments are. I think one of the more important features for me as a parent was that it shows where convicted pedophiles are on the map in the app. There is also a built in family group chat.

If you join as a family and everyone installs the app, the GPS on your phones will tell you where each family member is on the map (location history is included so you can see where they've been). My kids new better than to try and be cheeky by turning off the GPS..... they only lost their phones for a week one time.

If anything else, Life 360 is a great reason for anyone, regardless of age, to have a smartphone.

 

[MiQ680]

For me, it is a dilemma. i gave my daughter my old iphone 6 plus because it replace her ipad mini basicly. and also since she love to stream netflix and youtube, i can put t-mobile unlimited data number there, which i can't do in ipad.

However currently she is learning to send me text and facetime, and i know that phone is too big for her. i am tempted to sell the 6 plus and get her the SE, but i am afraid then she will ask for an ipad again to watch movies and play games =(

 

[MooMooPrincess]

...

 

[eyecrispy]

I'm more afraid of the content that is so accessible to them on the Internet. They're going to find it if they want to regardless. I try really hard to have an open and honest relationship with my kids. That way, they feel comfortable talking to me about things they see .... and thusfar, they have. as for their phones, they stay in our rooms at night and we must have passcodes at all times or they lose their devices.

 

[Ledsteplin]

As a parent myself, I would like to recommend the Life 360 app. When i bought my kids their first smartphones we used it as a family. There is a check-in feature and an emergency "i'm in trouble!" feature. It will also list on the map where the hospitals, fire departments, and police departments are. I think one of the more important features for me as a parent was that it shows where convicted pedophiles are on the map in the app. There is also a built in family group chat.

If you join as a family and everyone installs the app, the GPS on your phones will tell you where each family member is on the map (location history is included so you can see where they've been). My kids new better than to try and be cheeky by turning off the GPS..... they only lost their phones for a week one time.

If anything else, Life 360 is a great reason for anyone, regardless of age, to have a smartphone.

My daughter got me started on Life 360. It eats battery big time. Location services has to be on 24/7.

 

[Sherry_B]

My daughter got me started on Life 360. It eats battery big time. Location services has to be on 24/7.

Odd. I've never found it to eat that much of my battery, even on my Android phones. Facebook eats more battery than Life360, in my personal experience. At this time (since we no longer have kids in the house) my fiance' isn't traveling for work so I have it uninstalled. But while it was installed I noticed no significant drain on my iPhone. He has it installed all the time (on his Android) and his battery lasts all day.

 

[MizJ1987]

Oddly it is cheaper with AT&T to have a smartphone line. I gave my 10 year old an old 4S and then I disabled safari so she can't go online. Through an app on my phone I have data turned off for her, but can easily turn it on if we are traveling

 

[Ledsteplin]

Odd. I've never found it to eat that much of my battery, even on my Android phones. Facebook eats more battery than Life360, in my personal experience. At this time (since we no longer have kids in the house) my fiance' isn't traveling for work so I have it uninstalled. But while it was installed I noticed no significant drain on my iPhone. He has it installed all the time (on his Android) and his battery lasts all day.

Well, I assumed it did because location stayed on. Maybe not.

 

[Sherry_B]

Well, I assumed it did because location stayed on. Maybe not.

It very well may have for you though. Everyone's setup is different, so some will have different experiences.

 

[nikkisharif]

I'm a parent. My son does not have a smart phone, lol. No matter how you justify it no child NEEDS a smartphone. If you want to get them one that's awesome but let's not pretend they NEED it.

Mine do & to each their own. I'm away from home traveling for work and being able to FaceTime them is a necessity for me. When I wasn't able to make sporting events or award ceremonies, they were able to have their friends video it & send it or FaceTime me so it was like I'm there. Carrying a laptop or tablet around for those purposes is a bit much. Also there's a thing in settings called restrictions. If there are things you don't want your child doing with a smartphone then restrict it. Plus I'm a nurse in Healthcare Informatics and my kids are techies just like me. A Production Engineer, Biomedical Engineer, & a Nurse Anesthetist (what my children are studying) all need technology to perform their jobs. Again to each their own. We all have varying opinions of what necessities are.

Now referring to the OP, I think the SE is a perfect size for younger kids & a great alternative to the 6s.

 

[Ledsteplin]

It very well may have for you though. Everyone's setup is different, so some will have different experiences.

That app only has one setting for location. Always.

 

[Sherry_B]

That app only has one setting for location. Always.

Yeah. It can be annoying.

 

[Quis89]

Mine do & to each their own. I'm away from home traveling for work and being able to FaceTime them is a necessity for me. When I wasn't able to make sporting events or award ceremonies, they were able to have their friends video it & send it or FaceTime me so it was like I'm there. Carrying a laptop or tablet around for those purposes is a bit much. Also there's a thing in settings called restrictions. If there are things you don't want your child doing with a smartphone then restrict it. Plus I'm a nurse in Healthcare Informatics and my kids are techies just like me. A Production Engineer, Biomedical Engineer, & a Nurse Anesthetist (what my children are studying) all need technology to perform their jobs. Again to each their own. We all have varying opinions of what necessities are.

Now referring to the OP, I think the SE is a perfect size for younger kids & a great alternative to the 6s.

I feel you're all blurring the definitions of "need" and "want". But like you said, "to each their own".

 

[nikkisharif]

I feel you're all blurring the definitions of "need" and "want". But like you said, "to each their own".

Nope we're not. Each person has their own definition of need. No one here is speaking of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, we're talking about personal opinions.

 

[Quis89]

Nope we're not. Each person has their own definition of need. No one here is speaking of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, we're talking about personal opinions.

Ehhhh ok. Out of respect of this thread I'll drop it. I will respectfully disagree what's being said.

 

[nikkisharif]

Ehhhh ok. Out of respect of this thread I'll drop it. I will respectfully disagree what's being said.

Lol...agree to disagree

 

[Quis89]

Lol...agree to disagree

:yes: :yes:

 

[wlonsdale]

We are an all iphone family at this point. I will be ordering 2 of the iPhone SEs as soon as they are announced assuming they are fairly close to what is expected. About the 5's size but with the 6's specs and smoother lines - and really hoping its starts at 449 but can live with 499.

I think people are missing one really useful aspect of this new line - kids generally have smaller hands which makes the form factor of the 5 better than the larger 6 (or my 6s plus). I've had 2 old 5 phones for my kids that they use which need replacing due to the batteries at this point not holding much of a charge beyond a day. I like the idea of a new phone which doesn't cost as much, hoping they can get a step up to 64mb storage for maybe 449, plus 100 for the upgraded memory. I've got to add another line for another kid coming of age (who gets stuck with a hand me down 5), so am also hoping that ATT continues its 2 for 1 deal when you add a line which would be even better.

Bottom line - a less expensive smaller phone makes sense for many people, and for kids, the option of a smaller footprint and a lower price point so I can be slightly less upset when they drop or lose it, has a lot of appeal.

Why would you trust a child with a $400 phone?