Row.co.uk Blog

The consensus of opinion about the right age for children to have a mobile phone is as they start senior school. Most parents consider this the most appropriate age as it’s a time when the kids start to do things on their own and parents need to keep in touch with them. And vice versa.

Parents advise basic phones without Internet access in the first instance on pay-as-you-go contracts. Most seem to think that the youngsters need to reach the 16 year mark before they are offered smartphones. This is not only because of the higher cost but also because they are deemed sensible enough to use the Internet, a camera etc sensibly.

At all ages though parents recommend mobile phone insurance as it seems kids are more likely to break or lose their phones!

While you may want young Johnny to be able to let you know where he is at any time, on a mobile phone they have less control. That is, less control over how they use the Internet and who they speak to. With the known amount of cyber-bullying, it is no wonder that most parents want to keep their kids protected for as long as possible.

Of course there are still many basic phones on the market, however OwnFone have developed the 1stFone with no Internet connection and no texting facility. It is simply meant for phone calls!

The phones can be customised to show pictures of family members or words i.e. Mum, with a simple touch button to call facility. The 1stFone holds a maximum of twelve numbers and for safety they are stored on a secure server not on the phone itself. They are simple to use and cheap to run and a great solution for kids under 10 who need a phone for contact purposes.

The concept was originally developed for the older age group who might have difficulty with using or seeing small keys. In fact the company has developed one with Parkinsons UK for sufferers to use easily.