With the rise in mobile phone packages that allow families to share unlimited minutes, it has become very tempting for parents to get phones for every member of the family. Their kids will delight in being able to be one of the cool kids who have a cell phone in their pockets. You want to be sure that you get the right cell phone for your child. You don’t want to waste money on a phone they don’t need, but you also want to make sure that they are happy with it. Follow this guide to select the right cell phone for your children.
The Smartphone Dilemma
This is the biggest problem area for parents who purchase mobile phones for their children. Lots of kids want smartphones so they can play games and have access to the Internet. That is all well and good, but there are some concerns with smartphones that parents need to think about.
One of the first things to think about are the privacy concerns with smartphones. These devices store a lot of personal information on them, especially on the SIM cards. Parents need to make their kids aware that they need to be careful who they share them with in order to avoid having their identities stolen.
Another big concern with giving a child a smartphone is the ability they have to purchase apps. There have been cases where kids have purchased thousands of dollars’ worth of apps on their smartphones to the shock of their parents. You will want to sit down with your child and make them aware that they need to ask permission before they purchase any apps on their smartphone.
Wi-Fi Access
This is an especially important feature to ensure that your child’s phone comes equipped with. Most people do not have a truly unlimited data plan, which means that your child could rack up a big cell phone bill if they use a lot of data over the phone network. Avoid this by getting them a phone that has Wi-Fi access. Make sure they are aware that they need to use the Wi-Fi instead of the phone network whenever possible.
Keyboard
Most kids love to text more than anything else they do with their phones. Help them out by getting them a phone model that comes with a built-in keyboard.
Operating System
Apple’s operating system is well thought of, but most experts consider Android to be the best. Get your child a phone with a Bell.ca Android OS to ensure that it runs well.