My daughters aren't going to get cell phones until they turn 32 - the same year I will allow them to start dating. Okay, I'm joking, but I wish that could be true! It is hard as a parent to know when to begin trusting your children with things that are more mature and require greater responsibility.
Placing a smartphone in the hands of a teenager gives them complete and unfettered access to the entire World Wide Web and the ability to connect with people they (and you) have never seen or met. Giving them a device like this or allowing them to begin engaging with social media is not a decision that is made because "everyone else's parents let them have/do it." I'm not a believer in keeping kids as sheltered as possible, but I probably take a more conservative stance than many. No matter where you land on that spectrum, the important thing is to carefully walk your teenager through these new opportunities. We can't expect that they will understand the dangers and appropriate versus inappropriate behaviors right out of the gate. They need our leadership and teaching.
Julie Lowe, with the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF), offers both a great challenge and advice on this topic. She talks about the importance of teaching stewardship, keeping the conversation ongoing with our children, and teaching about things like safety and personal responsibility. If you are in/entering this stage of life with your children, it is a must-read!
Lowe writes:
Our children are growing up in a world that thrives on technology, and we must be faithful in helping them engage with it. As with many things, technology can be a useful tool and a source of enjoyment, connection, and education. It can also become an addiction, idol, or tool for malice. The more we build strong character in our children, and the more we actively teach them to steward technology, the more likely they are to handle it with skill and wisdom.
Read More:
Young Teens and Social Media by Julie Lowe