At what age did your child first to buy a smartphone or mobile phone, and whether it is necessary to do so

Once smart phones appeared in adults, as soon as these gadgets came the Internet and all sorts of applications, immediately to the technical progress reached children's hands from chubby infant, to the tenacious teen.

Do I need a smartphone for your child?

I bet that your child in his two-plus already deftly controlled with a smartphone. Moreover, the baby is not simply pokes a finger across the screen, and have consciously clicks on the desired icons. And of course, the parents now worth quite a complicated question - at what age a child is worth buying a smartphone. I purposely did not use the expression "mobile device." We are talking about a smartphone - fashionable, Cheap, with an abundance of features and interesting "buns".

Time for a change: from the view

Times change, and change requests, and with them. Modern teenagers are increasingly immersed in the world of tablets, smartphones and other gadgets. For example, according to analysts of the company to Nielsen, US adolescents aged 12 to 17 years up until the large, but growing group of smartphone users, from 33% in 2011 to 58% in 2012 year. Perhaps, in the realities of our country the situation is not much different. Piper Jaffray research agency claims that about 48% of US users of teenage age are owners "apple" gadgets, and more than 21% of the respondents preferred the devices on Android.

But security experts are relentless. According to them, children until 11 years old do not acquire even the usual "dialer". Phone with Internet access and a camera - an undesirable gadget for adolescents under 13 years. Well actually the smart phone is not necessary to buy his child until the age of 15-16 years.

But manufacturing companies in the harsh experts do not pay attention and actively promoting the view that the child simply can not do without their products. For example, one manufacturer pointed out that his new laptop model is perfect for a child laps. A waterproof and shockproof casing of this gadget is simply created for the scattered children, who are not very thrifty in newfangled devices.

Actually, it is possible to understand the two warring parties. On one hand the smartphone - is not only useless surfing, but also necessary in the modern world of knowledge. The speed with which the child develops new technologies, is very high. First grader can more quickly understand the smartphone than the average adult with a technical background. And if you give children access to mobile devices, you can advance to prepare them for life in the world, the laws that govern the development of these same technologies. Parents who do not allow children to contact with the gadgets, run the risk of depriving the child a chance to quickly adapt to the IT world.

But in other way…

Buy your child a smartphone - so personally "to untie his hands," and let not learn. Well, a teenager will want to pore over cosine and tangent, when it is possible at any time to go next the level of your favorite games, poperepisyvatsya with friends or find some interesting applications for their gadget.

Caring for a child or indulging their own systems?

If we buy a phone for his child, only the best (road status, beautiful). This opinion - are not uncommon in various forums (usually female), where parents try by sots.oprosa decide exactly what to give the child, a regular phone or Super stylish smartphone. The argument in favor of expensive "dialers", as a rule, it is the fact that allegedly tricked out without baby gadget in society peers will look defective. And why, they say, from the early years to spoil his psyche? And parents are buying the best, and most often at the expense of the family budget. The child is happy, everyone is happy. But if you dig deeper... Dear parents, rather than with their complexes there, an hour, you're fighting? Does not your fears are projecting a teenager? The phone for a first grader - a means of communication with family, nothing more. Gadget for teens 10-15 years - it's surfing the Internet and virtual communication. Smartphone, whatever it may be, it should not become a means of self-affirmation. So why do you program in your Chad false values?

"If we buy a phone for his child, only the best (road status, beautiful)"

Further, another aspect that worries parents - a kind of "escape from reality" and dependence on gadgets. The child often makes it easier to communicate with friends in a virtual world, it is easier to go again on Twitter or VKontakte, going out into the yard and just say, "Hi!" Peers. Parents are sounding the alarm, try the carrot and stick method to solve the problem, seek the help of psychologists or again open forum and the usual scribbling: "My son / daughter besides smartphone nothing necessary! What to do?!".

I not discover America if I say that if a child raised by wolves, he grows cub. Depending on the appearance of a smartphone is often hidden in the parental inattention. You wonder how to behave in a teenager when his mother, instead of trite to pay attention to him, she is not divorced from the smartphone, and every 10 minutes to send messages? As the child will be able to adapt in society outside of his home when his father came home from work late into the night sitting at the computer, and the whole evening will deliver, at best, a few words? Children copy your behavior and projected on your model of the world. Therefore, before buying his offspring expensive gadget, think, and whether you will cope with such responsibility? Blame others, modern technology, and the child is much easier than to find faults in yourself.

Buy can not wait

Newfangled smartphone, according to psychologists, school children (6-15 years) is in fact to anything. Because apart from surfing the Internet during school hours or the passage of the next level of popular toys, anything useful to do it with a smartphone will not. What may be useful in the life of the passing game Angry Birds, no one knows. The baby, by the way, may lose an expensive gadget. Most often what happens: 1 out of 5 students lose the phone about once every 2 months. In addition, the smartphone is in a child may be trite steal. This is another plus lack of expensive devices - teenager does not become the target of criminals.

Most parents customary somehow simplify the solution to the problems. Let's son said that the smartphone without appearing in the class ashamed. So why try to convince the child that he will not look "chode" fashion without the device? What to understand the causes of the emergence of immaturity, systems and herd mentality? Why try to help? It is much easier to write off all the "children so it is accepted" and solve the problem of money.

All the stories that due to lack of smartphone kid in general flock will look "black sheep", far-fetched. Because fashion is fleeting, but a very simple ways to "screw up" is always at hand. If the child is not the leader in fact, if he is weak and succumb to their classmates, no, even the most expensive and newfangled smartphone can save him. It may sound a little harsh, but true.

And yes, I think that a regular phone, then it's a mobile device with the function of receiving calls and sending sms, the child clearly needs. Since that age, when you decide to let him walk alone, without supervision. And how do you feel about the subject of child rearing in an era of rapidly developing modern technologies?
Ivan Lutchkoff, RevolverLab.com - especially for Lifehacker.ru

A photo: Shutterstock