Is this clever or cruel?

I LOVE this idea. Too many children have cellphones and social media. It’s insane!! Let kids be KIDS!
I have a 9 year old son and a 12 yr old nephew and neither of them have a phone. They do not have unsupervised internet usage either.

As far as the flip phone, I can see how those could be made fun of, but they do have smart phones that have super great parental controls. The bark phone is supposed to be really good. That’s what we plan on getting the kids when they’re around 13 or 14.

I think its better to teach him about it than to gatekeep and basically turn it into "forbidden fruit." I think it would be better to use parental controls and such

Yup we will be doing something along those lines for our kids too! I think our parents’ generation didn’t have any idea how addictive phones would become, and so none of us were warned and taught how to practice self-control around phones and are consequently all fighting phone addiction as adults. I hope to raise my children with a little more awareness as they get older, but first to raise them in an environment with very limited technology so that they know what enjoying living in the present feels like.

We gave my asd son a basic brick to begin with an he never used it until we got him a smart phone! He needed something for school transport as he was disruptive. Problem we had he could use the internet at school anyway and was looking up vore until school found a way to restrict it.
Also it’s useful to have the internet in terms of maps and bus routes, cinema showings ect.

Kinda how my parents raised me and my sisiter. We had a vhs tv, a house phone on the wall so we had to memorize phone numbers and addresses. We only had one computer that we would take turns on certain days. We got our first cellphone when we were 15, but it was a set of walkie talkies for the whole family 😅 so we had to take care of our walkie talkies for a year and then we could upgrade to a flip phone. My poor sister broke hers so much and I always lost mine 😅 so after we successfully took care of our walkie talkies we had to take car of the flip phones for 2 years, so I didn't get like a brand new fancy phone until I was 18 and started college 😅

Always have a list of what ifs and consequences that can be stuck to. The computer thing- eh. It’s a great idea but I hope you plan to never sleep. Lol I remember going out on the computer when my parents went to bed. If he gets caught what would you do? Punish him from the computer? You’ll still get no sleep unless you take it completely away, and even then if there’s a will there’s a way. I just logged in to my MySpace (omg I’m old) from school and friend’s houses.
Flip phone - he will 100% get bullied. Kids can be cruel.

You can monitor till you’re blue in the face in your home, but unless you keep him confined to your home remember his friends will more than likely have all these things. Free WiFi everywhere, libraries etc. I think it would be better to put parental controls. I would LOVE to go back to the 90s. It was so much simpler then. But unfortunately that’s not the way the world is anymore. Instead of making things forbidden we have to learn how to work with it imo.

I am a fan of this. If more parents did it turn it would become the norm and there'd be no peer pressure for kids to have smart phones.

Everyone I know is doing that. And the whole “he can use his friends phone” would mean you guys would have other issues in your parent child relationship if they’re going behind your back. Or it means you haven’t had enough conversations of why we don’t use other peoples electronics.

Having a family computer and a flip phone is totally reasonable. We plan to do that until our kids are probably about 15 or so. They also have companies like Bark and you can get them a touchscreen phone, but it cannot go on the Internet and you get a pick and choose who they’re allowed to call and text. It will also flag you for anything that is inappropriate. You can also load it on your home computer so that it sets up a kid safe environment on the computer.

Homeshcool, kids won't bully. You can meet other homeschool families in your area, and they will have plenty of time for numerous activities. I plan on also doing a house phone and community computer. When my son is old enough to go out with his friends, then we will discuss a phone based on his behavior and what I think he will handle. Me and my sister didnt have a phone FOREVER! my mom was poor and couldn't afford one. We did use our friends' phones, but that's fine. Do whatever you feel is best for your family. Things can always change along the way.

I dont see it as cruel. Youre giving him access tons computer, just not a personal computer that he can access at anytime behind closed doors. I think that's great.

A flip phone is great. If he needs the internet he can use it when he gets home. Otherwise he can use his phone to make calls and to text, 🤷🏾‍♀️. He will have access to call/text you if there's an emergency or change of plans. Its not like hes going out into the world without access to dial if he needs help.

It’s such a good idea!! I also know that they have strict parental controls on some smart phones now! My niece (9) got one because she’s from a split home where my brother has primary custody (for several reasons) so he was scared of something happening when she does get time at her moms so they got her a smart phone to be able to keep in contact when needed. It’s got lots of parental controls and they even have a lock to where she can’t add or delete numbers without a code

“For the love of men” by Liz Plank is a must read for mothers of boys

The internet is targeting our boys and killing their confidence and filling them with hate. . Self hate and hatred of others.

We’ve got to protect our boys from these online red pill communities. It destroys the souls of our boys.

Every single day, 3 men will end up killing their partner/ex partner.

It’s not just women they are violent against... Men make up 75% of suicides nationally

We need to protect our boys from this toxic ideology the internet lures them into.

I'm sorry but your brother can take his opinion and shove it. This is exactly how my husband and I are going to raise our daughters except they will not be allowed to have a smartphone until they graduate high school.

Did that with my daughter. Got her first smart phone at 17. She's fine and her friends got on the dumb phone trend way after she explained she preferred it and they used to give get a hard time about it -_- no regrets. Will do with next two kids.