Children are becoming increasingly more tech-savvy than their own parents. With TikTok, mobile games and a never-ending stream of apps at their fingertips, buying a smartphone for your child is now a question of when not if. 

If you’ve just decided that it’s time to purchase a smartphone for your child, here are ten things that you should consider before taking the plunge. 

Make sure that both you and your child know the reasons why you’re giving them a smartphone

You need to make sure that you’re purchasing a smartphone for your child for the right reasons – such as keeping in touch with relatives and tracking them when they’re walking home alone. More and more children are developing screen dependency disorders – so you need to consider whether the pros of your child having a phone outweigh the cons. 

Set rules and boundaries

Before purchasing the smartphone, you need to have a discussion with your child about boundaries. You also need to set rules and time limits for phone usage. There are a couple of phone models with built-in timers and superior parental control features. There are also apps such as NetNanny, Norton Family and Kaspersky Safe Kids that enable you to review search history, read text messages and block certain websites. 

Choose the operating system that suits your family’s needs

iPhones have fewer parental control options when compared to Android smartphones. Furthermore, some smartphones have parental controls that are easier to access than others. Therefore, do your research on iOS and Android operating systems and parental controls before opting for a specific phone. 

Take the smartphone’s price into consideration

If you’re purchasing your child’s first smartphone, opting for a more conservatively-priced smartphone is the most sensible option. Children tend to lose, forget or damage their phones really easily. Therefore, purchasing a cheaper smartphone is a safer bet in their journey to becoming responsible phone owners. 

Choose a lower-tier mobile plan

While you may opt for a higher-priced smartphone plan for yourself, this is certainly not a good idea for your child’s first smartphone. Choose a cheaper phone plan that prevents your child from making in-app purchases or using large amounts of data. 

Research the smartphone’s storage level

The bigger the phone storage, the more expensive the smartphone tends to be. Therefore, you should choose a phone with mid-tier smartphone storage and an SD card slot. This ensures that your child will have enough storage space without breaking the bank. 

Buy a good-quality smartphone case

Buying a heavy-duty phone case for your child’s phone is a must. You should look into the variety of phone cases that are available for the model that you’re considering – as some phones have fewer options than others. An effective phone case offers screen and body protection. It ultimately increases the smartphone’s lifetime and prevents you from having to purchase a new phone for your child every couple of months. 

.

.

red arrow Looking for a Smartphone for you child? Check out our Latest Mobile Phones Models at Best Prices in Malta!