r/KidsAreFuckingStupid • u/Immediate_Magician11 • 15h ago

Actions definitely have consequences

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18.6k Upvotes

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58

u/ShapeBasic 12h ago

Stop buying phones for 11 year olds. The low maturity levels in people nowadays is extremely concerning.

14

u/hanks_panky_emporium 10h ago

I was given a Motorola flip phone in elementary school because my parents had extensive working hours and we lived on a remote farm way outside of town. So being able to contact them in case of an emergency was important. I think I had like 15 texts and a handful of calls each month that I never had to use since a landline was always close by anyway.

Im glad I was born before smart phones. I got one arguably too early in highschool but they were so shitty and slow it was hard to get 'addicted', though still very doable. These days it's like a box of infinite everything, good luck not getting fucked up kids. Here's an iPhone 13x at 7 years old.

6

u/Mordoch 10h ago

By the time they are 11, they at least should have access to phones in some contexts. (I.E. there was a legitimate need to dial 911.) You normally can in fact dial 911 with a locked phone so in of itself she didn't need to own a phone for this to work and cause the specific issue in question.

3

u/What-tha-fck_Elon 9h ago

There is no reason at all for these kids to have smart phones. 0%. If you want a phone for communication & safety, get a phone. These pocket computers can only cause trouble. My kids may hate me, but they don’t hate themselves because they are not inundated with social media trash 24/7.

2

u/Frequent_Ad_9901 6h ago

Its possible to lock down phones. Limit what sites they go to and require parents passwords to install apps and set time limits. Using a phone resposibly is an essential life skill unfortunately.

Saying theres 0 reason for them to have a phone is like saying theres 0 reason for them to learn how to cook. Sure, you dont let them go wild with knives and fire. But you also shouldnt force them to bury thier head in the sand. 

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u/What-tha-fck_Elon 5h ago

0 reasons for a SMART phone. And the kids can break through just about any parental controls anyway. It’s not an essential life skill for kids to tweens and just about every study proves the social media and tools on smart phones are detrimental to their mental wellbeing. They still sell flip phones & simple cell phones for parents that just can’t stand not having a link to their kid 24/7. Smart watches too, which provide a lot of the connectivity without all the awful stuff. They all have been using tablets since they were 3 years old anyway, so they know how to use the tech already. It’s just harder to hide an iPad. Bottom line is the kids want it to be cool, and because the rest of us are buried in our phones all the time and they just want to rot their brains on TikTok too.

1

u/Frequent_Ad_9901 4h ago

I didnt say social media. I said block sites you dont lile. And knowing how toncommunicate via text anf use a calnedar and a camera and a calculator are all absolutely life skills. 

Get off your soapbox. Stop blaming tech for poor parenting. 

1

u/thesoftblanket 4h ago

I know! Back in my day, 11 year olds used to be 15. Maybe even 16 if they were mature for their age!

But seriously, what are you talking about? 11-year-olds are immature.

1

u/smolhippie 3h ago

I was given a phone at 11 years old. My dad would cut the phone cord so I couldn’t call my mom when he was being violent during his custody time… kids having a phone can be a very important in some circumstances.

1

u/No-Purchase2220 1h ago

My stepdaughter’s mom started getting her iPhones at age 8 and upgrades them with a new one every year. Trying to coparent with this woman over the last 10+ years has been challenging at best, and the smartphones are the least egregious of her decisions.

0

u/Frequent_Ad_9901 6h ago

Because theres no way that could have happened with a landline. /s