A mobile phone offers fun, but also requires thoughtfulness, responsibility, and care.
When is the right time to buy your child their first phone? That’s a question only you can answer. You may want to buy the phone yourself, or your child may ask for one. To make the purchase of the first phone a special moment for both of you, we recommend first considering why your child needs a phone. Talk to your child about how to use it appropriately.
Thoughtfulness Ask yourself: Where and how will your child use the phone? How do they respond to calls and who should they communicate with?
Getting a mobile phone usually requires some thought, as it can be an important link between you and your child. It allows you to stay connected anytime, anywhere, and helps your child stay in touch with friends and classmates. A mobile phone provides a sense of safety and peace of mind, as you can reach your child even when they’re not with you or are without adult supervision. Before first use, talk about the phone and get familiar with it together. Make sure your child knows you’re reachable at any time, day or night. Explore the new phone together. If the phone allows, save family members’ numbers to speed dial. Ensure your child has a prepaid mobile plan or service that keeps their account from running out of credit.
Responsibility Ask yourself: When and under what circumstances should your child get a phone? How much money can they spend per month and on what? Why should they follow the rules you set?
Children often use mobile phones differently than adults. When choosing a suitable phone and prepaid mobile plan, consider that your child may send more messages than make calls, and will likely use various features and apps, browse the internet, play games, and listen to music. To avoid unexpected high costs, we recommend discussing responsible usage. Start with a prepaid mobile plan, which makes it easier to limit and monitor monthly spending, and allows quick top-ups when needed. Set a monthly spending limit your child can use independently. Also talk about internet access and downloading games, videos, music, and other content.
Care Ask yourself: Where and how will your child use the phone?
Most modern phones offer nearly endless possibilities. To ensure smooth and long-lasting use, teach your child about safe and careful phone use. Discuss how to handle the phone: how to protect it, where to store it, and what to watch out for. Explain hidden costs that can arise quickly or unknowingly—for example, buying ringtones or wallpapers via SMS, downloading content from the internet, or voting via SMS. Talk about safe internet access. Since it’s hard to monitor what and how much your child downloads, you can enable a predefined data limit or simply disable internet access. More information on safe internet use is available on the Safe Internet Center website. Learn about online risks your child may face when they get a phone through
A1’s Spletne brihte project for parents.
Children can also practice their knowledge in the
Spletne brihte section for children. Agree on expected amounts of calls, messages, and data usage. Prepaid mobile plans prevent overspending, while still keeping your child reachable and able to use phone features like games, alarms, calendars, etc. Teach your child how to use the emergency number (112). If the phone allows, save this number to a speed dial key.
