SMARTY Mobile has urged parents to consider giving their children a phone.
SMARTY gives parents advice on buying their child's first phone
The SIM only network - which has no contract and offers unlimited calls, texts and data - said that phones teach responsibility and have teamed up with parenting expert Anita Cleare to develop tips for parents buying kids their first phone.
They said: "Think about offering your child a phone on a trial basis. This gives your child a chance to show they can be responsible and it gives you a chance to work out how they are going to use it and what rules you might need to have in place around their phone use. A SIM-only deal which is flexible and can be cancelled at any time is really useful for this."
The parenting expert and author of 'The Working Parent's Survival Guide' has teamed up with SMARTY to develop tips for parents and the company explained to parents not to tie themselves into a long contract with their child's phone, but advised they make sure that they have unlimited calls and texts so they can communicate at all times.
"If the main reason you are giving your child a phone is so they can get in touch with you in an emergency, make sure they have unlimited calls and texts so there is no danger of them running out of credit or racking up a huge, unexpected bill. Knowing that they can always contact you provides safety and reassurance, It’s hard to predict how children will use their phone if they’ve never had one before.."
Anita - who is the author of parenting guide 'The Work/Parent Switch' - told parents to "keep it simple" when it comes to buying a phone and urged them to have open conversations about it.
She said: " You will want to put some rules in place around their phone use but be prepared to adapt over time – the way your child uses their phone will change, so be flexible and keep the dialogue open."
SMARTY Mobile is powered by Three’s strong and reliable 3G and 4G network, which delivers fast speeds for browsing, streaming, gaming, downloading and emailing. SMARTY is recognised as a Which? Recommended Mobile Networking Provider, awarded in 2021.