[JR A]

If you want to give her something to play with, you are better off giving her an iPod Touch, iPad Mini, or Playbook. I don't think you want to giver her a Z10 because it also a phone. If you do, that is not a good idea. She will lose it or have it stolen, (my six year old loses things all the time), and the jury is still out on how these things effect brain development.

I agree, there is a higher risk of it getting lost, stolen, damaged, when in the hands of a child.

But, the way I see it, if my child was given the responsibility (that I knew my child could handle) of something like a Z10, and in the event it got lost, stolen, or damaged, then I would use that opportunity as a learning lesson. If my child wanted another Z10 or similar device, then I'd make them earn it, and in the process make them appreciate it even more. ****, knowing me, I'd probably make my child do something to earn a smartphone in the first place!

[TheMarco]

My daughter is 9 and there's no @#%#^% way on earth I'd give her a cell phone, no matter what kind. Call me old-fashioned but I fail to see why a 9y old needs a phone.

Because she likes games she has an iPad mini though which is perfect. I don't let her take it out of the house except on trips with us to make sure it doesn't break prematurely.

Seriously, I have no idea why any young child would need a cellphone with a plan.

That said, maybe I'm just old.

[JR A]

My daughter is 9 and there's no @#%#^% way on earth I'd give her a cell phone, no matter what kind. Call me old-fashioned but I fail to see why a 9y old needs a phone.

Because she likes games she has an iPad mini though which is perfect. I don't let her take it out of the house except on trips with us to make sure it doesn't break prematurely.

Seriously, I have no idea why any young child would need a cellphone with a plan.

That said, maybe I'm just old.

Well, if you feel that YOUR 9 year old doesn't need or can't handle a phone, then you're probably right.

I know that if it were my 9 year old kid, they'd be responsible enough and actually put it good use.

****, when I was 7, I was mowing lawns and walking dogs around the neighborhood to make my own spare money and what not, and clients would call my house phone to schedule times for me to do their lawn or walk their dog. It drove my mom nuts because it tied up the line and the ringer kept going off when she was home. My mom ended up getting a second phone line when I was 8, and I put it to good use. I never abused the privilege, never dialed any strangers or crazy 1-900 numbers. I put it toward positive, constructive, and profitable use. Why? Because my momma did a great job of raising me, even though she was working 60+ hours a week and wasn't around 24/7, she still raised me with the right morals/values/ethics and set the right examples in all areas of her life.

I would expect my 9 year old to use it in a similar capacity, and I would trust him enough to be open and honest with me, his dad, because that's how I would raise him.



OP, you know your child best, and more importantly, you know YOURSELF and YOUR PARENTING best...

[Emu the Foo]

how about a playbook?

Yeah. This could be smart. Try this. And its cheaper than an ipod touch!

[pblakeney]

Tiger Direct is selling 164 gig PB's for less than $180.00 US. Why not get her a PB is all she is doing is playing games which would be better for her eyes. Getting her a Z10 phone makes no sense to me....but she is your daughter.

[kill_9]

I picked up my Z10 a day after launch, and after playing with I'm very happy and impressed with it. Just moved on from Torch 9800.
My daughter loves playing games on it - im not keen letting her fiddle with my toy, so was thinking of getting her one. The parental controls seem very robust - is it a good idea or am i being irresponsible?

Why does a child need a smartphone? Tell her to play with her friends and if you are worried about safety then buy her a basic cellular phone. Besides Fisher-Price have toy smartphones and tablets designed for children.

[CrackBerry Kevin]

I approve of this forum thread. Definitely get your daughter a Z10.

Maybe put it in an OtterBox for good measure.

When she grows up to become President or Prime Minister, thank us for the advice!

Posted using CrackBerry App on BB10

[grahamf]

Well there you go.

[bbmtna]

Well there you go.

This made me actually chuckle out loud.

[EsJayDee]

I picked up my Z10 a day after launch, and after playing with I'm very happy and impressed with it. Just moved on from Torch 9800.
My daughter loves playing games on it - im not keen letting her fiddle with my toy, so was thinking of getting her one. The parental controls seem very robust - is it a good idea or am i being irresponsible?

I think you should get her a Vtech Inotab instead, it's for children and she can learn while playing.

[Bigbacala]

A mobile for a 6 year old? What has this world come to, when i was 6 i had a tamagotchi :P

When I was 6 I got a tennis ball, until it rolled down the sewer. After that we played with sticks and rocks!

[vespajet]

What we appear to have here is a generational thing. Many of us grew up in an age in which you didn't see everyone walking around with a cell phone and even pagers were still something that were mainly used by doctors and business people (If you weren't either and had a pager and or a cell phone, you were probably thought to be a drug dealer.). I didn't get my first cell phone until I was in my 20s, as cell phones were not cheap, even for a pay-as-you-go one and folks were still more likely to have a pager (At that time, pagers were more commonly carried than cell phones as they were cheaper to buy and costs less per month than a cell phone.).

These days, some parents give out cell phones to their kids without any issues. I could see giving them some cheap low-end cell phone with very few frills so that they have something for emergencies or to get picked up after school (I remember my high school having about 6 pay phones for students to use and I bet that most schools that had them have gotten rid of them since so many kids carry cell phones now.). I can even see parents giving their children their old phone after they upgrade to the new phone for themselves. Just as you probably shouldn't buy a kid that just got their license a brand new car, the same can be said with cell phones. I'm sure there are plenty of parents who have gotten their kids brand new smartphones but at the same time give them a hand-me-down car.

[reeneebob]

To all the nay-sayers:

I bought my 3 (THREE) year old daughter a cheap android tablet. The most popular selling toys for toddlers are the "kiddy" tablets. They are basically sh...t tablets covered in colourful plastic that run crappy over-priced "applications". I decided just to get her a real one. It was only slightly more expensive and was FAR better. I filled it up with educational apps about space and about letters and numbers, adding in a couple of games. At 3.5 years she was getting a grip on the UI.

Yoyos were the most advanced toy of their time. Yoyos suck.

We should not be stuck in the past. Having studied archaeology I have an appreciation of how prehistoric people, however good their system was, would embrace innovation. The history of flint knapping attests to this. And you can bet your belt buckle that they taught their kids the EXTANT technology, rather than nostalgically gesturing to a "better" time.

Provide your children with things that give them a good grip on the world as it is NOW. It is not spoiling them. It is preparing them.Yea, and I'm a guy who spends a good bit of time living off berries under a birch bark shelter wishing it was still the mofo Mesolithic age.

Get her a Playbook....

I have no issue with a tablet.

I think a smartphone is overkill for a 6 yr old. Big difference.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2

[Lendo]

I picked up my Z10 a day after launch, and after playing with I'm very happy and impressed with it. Just moved on from Torch 9800.
My daughter loves playing games on it - im not keen letting her fiddle with my toy, so was thinking of getting her one. The parental controls seem very robust - is it a good idea or am i being irresponsible?

Get the Ghost Armor screen protector and an Otterbox too LOL

[oilgeo10]

I picked up my Z10 a day after launch, and after playing with I'm very happy and impressed with it. Just moved on from Torch 9800.
My daughter loves playing games on it - im not keen letting her fiddle with my toy, so was thinking of getting her one. The parental controls seem very robust - is it a good idea or am i being irresponsible?

Before getting your 6 yr old daughter the phone, something to consider:

Is she afraid of bugs, as many kids are? There are other threads here from adults, finding bugs in their z10 phones! Some are even returning their z10's because this.
If your daughter saw a big bug in her phone, would she be traumatized by it? Would she scream, drop the phone, and stomp the bug out?

Recommendation: Let your daughter choose (1 only) between a z10, a Barbie, and a pony. Good Luck!

[Cap_172R]

yea why not? if you can afford it.. why not! It's true what some posters said...when you think about it, alot of kids nowadays are introduced very early to technology compared to some of us - back in the day. I mean, my rationale would be to give my kids what i've always wanted but never had... you will best know your kid and how responsible she is!

[Mecca EL]

Wow...it never ceases to amaze me, how people with no children know what's best for children; and how immature folks with children, intentionally put their children in harms way, for the sake of being cool and fun. The $450+ dollars you'll waste on what is currently "old" technology - yes, the Zed10 is now officially old - would be better spent on a college fund, towards your childs future, as the hottest Programmer or apps developer ever. Crayons, coloring books, and real puzzles never run out of batteries. Knowing how to use a pen to sign your first cellphone contract is a #**L of alot more exciting than shouting at a rectangular device, because paypal servers are down. Technology isn't in a battery powered box, to the dismay of some of you yay-sayers. If you were as sharp as the items you use, you would realize that the keyword in "technology" is KNOWLEDGE. And anything that knowledge manifests is a "tech"...short for "technique"...which means...a way that an individual performs a task. I'm constantly scratching my head, when I see adult-sized adolescents spend hours of useful brain energy into you-tube, for entertainment...but never use this same youtube technology to plan to take over the world...
A cellphone is not a toy, not a babysitter, not a tool to make "them" smarter. There's ancient tech for that...it's called A PARENT. Yeah, they STILL use that today, shocking huh? Only a knowledgeable and effective parent is capable of making things APPARENTLY interesting, when it comes to entertaining a child. You shouldn't have to worry about being able to call your child, or add a tracking app, to know their location...there's cheaper apps for that. It's called ASKING. Like this "where the f@*% are you going??? You better be there, when I come looking for you, because I'm a responsible parent". See how that works? Although a battery is not required, paying lots of attention is. How is 911 going to work on a dead battery? How is GPS going to work on a dead battery?
In the ancient and immortal words of my grandmother, some of you in this thread are "...so smart, you're stupid". Go figure...

[grahamf]

As you can guess, this subject is a can of worms. I think do what you want, but ask yourself if you're prepared (emotionally, financially, etc) for the chance your daughter loses it.

Still, not something where you can call someone an ***** because you disagree with their parenting methods.

[Mecca EL]

Parenting technology around here sucks, that's what I'm saying.

[djconstantine]

It's your kid and your money. In a world where the government wants to regulate everything including what we buy and what we eat, why are you even asking a bunch of people you don't even know?

[Dimitri.69]

How about you get her a pretend phone for now? A 6 year old does NOT need a phone. What kinda parent lets their 6 year old have a phone? That is like a parent letting their 6 year old do whatever they want..

When she turns 12 or so get her a phone. No need one for now.

[Duffman19]

no Smartphones for kids younger than 16 imho. If you have to give them one, an old samsung flip phone with a solid battery life or something for emergency calls should suffice.

i suggest a playbook or even a small android tablet if she wants something for playing games

[reeneebob]

If she so loves playing games on dad's bb, give her the old beat up torch.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2

[ShadowRaine]

Or you know, get her something 6 year old kids need? Like jump ropes, or word searches, or Lego? Why do you want your child's face stuck in a screen, tablet, phone, or otherwise?? My goodness, talk about detached parenting. This sounds more like you wanting to find a way to keep her busy so You don't have to deal with her rather than making her "Happy". Find things that stimulate her IMAGINATION, not lull her into a stupor with simple game play. These devices don't make kids smarter, they make them dependent on technology for fun, entertainment, basic math, you name it! Nothing wrong with good old fashioned play. Helped build nations, helped create the space age. The kids growing up with today's "Toys" suffer from ADHD, asberger's, and a whole myriad of other disorders. Maybe we need to unplug them from the iPads and Nintendo DS', let Em be KIDS

[Pearl63]

DON'T! its terrible that anybody even considers giving a 6 year old an expensive phone wait til she is 14 then get her a blackberry.