Dumbphone, Telstra Mobile Protect or Other Suggestions for Tweenager

tryagain on 18/01/2020 - 13:31
Last edited 18/01/2020 - 13:32

So my daughter is starting Highschool next year, and with the public transport she will be taking, we are looking at getting her a mobile phone to call us in case of any issues.

We don't really want her to have a full smartphone so were looking at getting her a dumbphone which is still the most likely option, she likes the Nokia 8110 which isn't quite dumb enough for my liking, but with the small screen, it might limit its usability. Alternatively, we could just get her the cheapest dumbphone available which would at least be cheap and compact.

Telstra has a service called "Mobile Protect" which looks reasonable but only seems to be offered on its postpaid plans which probably makes it cost-prohibitive.

I have read of people also suggesting changing the APN setting so they can't access data which is probably OK until they figure out how to change it back.

Are there any other setups like Telstra's "Mobile Protect" that people can recommend? A smartphone would likely have some advantages that I would be happy with, like her having the Mi fit app for her Mi Band 4, and a camera that takes OK photos if she wants to take pics of things etc, but don't really want her with access to social media etc yet.

What else have other parents done as opposed to just giving in and giving their child unfettered access to the www?

Mobile Mobile Phone

Comments

  • tryagain on 18/01/2020 - 13:38

    Just read This which might make the "Mobile Protect" OK as I am on Telstra, still keen to hear what other parents are doing though.

    how can i activate it on my prepaid account when its not showing up as a feature in my account?

    .

    Prepaid Mobile Protect requires a "Post-Paid Sponsor" - meaning that someone that is on a Plan would need to have this activated and sponsor your Prepaid Service.
    If you have a Mobile Service on a Plan as well, you could use that service to activate Mobile Protect on the Prepaid Service.

  • websterp on 18/01/2020 - 13:41
    +1

    A teenager starting highschool in 2020 and you want to give her a dumb phone? I can guarantee she would be quite popular at school and she would love you more everytime she gets mocked.

    I'd suggest you educate her on the good and the bad of social media and help her become a
    responsible user if she wants to open an account instead of putting on restrictions. What do you think would happen at school where you are not there to keep an eye on her social media use? What would stop her form using a mate's phone or laptop?

    • tryagain on 18/01/2020 - 14:53
      +2

      A tweenager.

      From the little I have actually looked into it, when your child tells you "all their friends have one" they aren't exactly telling the truth.

      There is a reason that tech bosses like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs raised their kids tech free. I am all for teaching kids responsibility but when you are talking about a specifically engineered dopamine feedback loop and them still being quite young and impressionable, I would rather err on the side of caution.

      • MilkDrinker on 18/01/2020 - 16:50
        +1

        Not sure if going to Steve Jobs might be a great choice for parenting advice.

        That being said, you can always buy an older model iphone for a $100-200, set it up on a private apple account so she cant access/download apps with a prepaid sim from a wherever. Then you can tell her she is responsible for her own mobile phone money, or if you want to be more strict she can come to you every couple months for a recharge from Officeworks.

        • tryagain on 18/01/2020 - 19:23

          I have thought about this a little, but not being a big fan of apple, I am not sure if I want to push her into the eco system. Do you know if apps like Facebook or others come pre-installed and can you un-install pre-installed apps.

          edit, I wouldn't look to Steve Jobs for parenting advice, bit when he purposefully doesn't give his kids a device he knows more about than most I take notice.

          Those who I do look to for parenting advice though pretty much sing in unison about kids and devices.

          • MilkDrinker on 18/01/2020 - 20:11

            @tryagain: You can create an icloud account that needs a password to install ANY app including facebook and others. I think the only problem might be data usage and apple messaging app.

    • wombat81 on 19/02/2020 - 23:26

      You comment is quite contradictory. You say to educate her about responsible social media use (I totally agree) but you're also worried about her being mocked for the type of phone she owns. She probably would get mocked but how about instilling a bit of resilience. They type of phone you own or don't own is not something people should pick on you about. Of course kids will, but a little bit of resilience will allow her to get through that. And lets be honest, kids will always find something to mock other kids about, if we try to get our kids cool shoes, brand name clothes, the latest phone etc just to stop them being mocked, what type of adults will they grow into?

  • Costanza on 18/01/2020 - 17:07
    +1

    Haven't used but consider:-
    dodo $5 plan NO DATA = just calls and text (until they find wifi, or friend hotspots them!, so then https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/general/root-perman… )
    https://ovo.com.au/products/mobile-phone/plans/kids-mini If family zone is any good

    • serpserpserp on 18/01/2020 - 18:29
      +1

      If you are going to root an android phone, might as well get that secret GPS tracker app you can put on peoples phones so you can see where they are at all times (and also check xda for the permanently "on" GPS mode :) )

      • tryagain on 18/01/2020 - 19:54

        Not sure I feel comfortable tracking her, might be different when boys come on the scene though 😟

        • serpserpserp on 19/01/2020 - 09:49

          If she was ever lost or kidnapped is what I'd think about!

          But it does drain the battery so that could be a problem…

  • wombat81 on 19/02/2020 - 23:47
    +2

    Here's my take on it. For the record I've been a high school teacher for 13 years. I'm also a father of two, an 11 year old son who has just started high school this year and an 8 year old daughter. I teach maths and digital tech, so I'd like to think I know my way around the Internet. I was a programmer before I became a teacher.

    I think it's totally appropriate for you to not want your daughter exposed to social media yet. I think most kids get connected far too early. Yes there will be stacks of kids in her grade with smart phones, that doesn't mean she needs one. I think of it like alcohol. Plenty of kids start drinking in year 9 or 10, that doesn't mean you should let your kids do it too. Kids that age aren't mature enough to deal with alcohol and need more education before they should be exposed. Smart phones and social media are the same, imo. Sure, start having the conversations about social media and start exposing her slowly, but there's no need for any more than that.

    As for what type of phone to get, I think a dumbphone is a good choice. If she needs to call or text you for whatever reason, she totally can. The battery will last for ages if she leaves it turned off. If she has a smartphone it'll be flat by the end of the day and useless for it's intended purpose. Sure, dumbphones aren't cool, but it can just stay in the bottom of her bag until she needs it. She doesn't even have to tell her friends she has it, if that's really an issue.

    I'm also a fan of kids purchasing their own phone. At an appropriate age, they save up for it, they look after it, if they break it, that's their problem to sort out, otherwise the old dumbphone is in the drawer if need be. I see so many kids with $1000+ iphones and the like that their parents bought for them, they don't get looked after and they're broken within a week. If it means the kid can only afford a $150 phone, so be it. It does everything they need. They don't need a ferrari. They can work up to that. They can earn that. A Barina will do.

    At the risk of going too political I think the current debate about phone bans in schools is relevant here. I was initially against banning phones in schools. After all, our core business is education. Shouldn't we be educating these kids on appropriate use of their devices rather than just taking them away? Isn't that the right thing to do for society? But it's since dawned on me that kids just aren't mature enough to deal with a fully connected smart device 24/7 at the age that most of them have one. Just like it's illegal for 15 year olds to drink alcohol, because they're not mature enough to deal with it, kids up to a certain age just aren't mature enough to deal with an unregulated smart phone either. Having said that plenty of adults aren't mature enough to deal with alcohol or smart devices appropriately either, but you can't keep those things away forever.

  • Sojourner99 on 26/02/2020 - 13:59

    Telstra mobile protect is clunky at best with many of its features especially scheduling based blocking. I rate it 2 out of 5.

    Without any first hand experience I suggest Woolworths Family Zone mobile phone instead if you decide a smart phone is ok.

    I think a dumbphone is a great choice. Many of the pensioner type phones offer great features without all the smarts. eg Opel Mobile

    • tryagain on 26/02/2020 - 16:26

      Thanks, I went another phone but prepaid through Woolworths and you get a 12-month subscription to Family Zone so I have installed the app on there, still don't know how it works though so should look into what it is and isn't actually doing.

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