Many parents have been in close quarters with their kids for the past year and a half. Now， as students across the country prepare to return to school full time in person， many parents of elementary- and middle-school students are wondering if they should send their kids off with a phone.
“What we know is that there is not a magic age for when to get a child a smartphone， but by age 11， 53% of kids have their own smartphone，” said Kelly Mendoza， a vice president at Common Sense Media， a nonprofit group focused on responsible media use. (The figure comes from a 2019 survey the organization conducted of more than 1，600 people between the ages of 8 and 18 in the U.S.) “Sixth grade is a big transition for kids， when they start middle school and start to have more independence，” she said.
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Even though middle school is a turning point for many parents in making the leap， Ms. Mendoza said age isn't as important as a child's maturity. She said parents can assess their children's phone readiness by asking themselves the following questions: Do they show a sense of responsibility， such as getting their homework done on time? Are they responsible for their things—do they tend to lose or damage personal items?Do they already keep other devices， such as tablets，charged? Would they be able to resist texting or scrolling in class?
It is also wise to assess whether there are legitimate needs for children to have a smartphone， such as being able to communicate while taking public transportation， or being reminded to take medication.
Many kids start asking for a phone once their friends have one. The requests can start as early as elementary school， but the peer pressure heats up in middle school， according to digital-media experts and parents.
Understanding your children's motivation can help you decide. Do they just want one because they want to fit in? Are they being excluded from social interactions， such as group texts? Sometimes the pressure can even come from school clubs and sports teams. A coach might require students to check Facebook for scheduling updates.
Once you've decided to give your child a phone， the next question is what type. We generally recommend giving your kid a phone that runs on the same operating system as yours.
Deciding on the right phone for your children isn't the final step. Before they power it up for the first time， experts say you should talk to them about your expectations for its use， and the consequences for losing or damaging the phone or for violating the rules.
Ground rules include when and where the phone should be used， where it should charge up at night (hint: probably not in their bedroom)， how to treat others on social media and how to report cyberbullying.
這一年半以來，許多父母一直與孩子朝夕相處�，F(xiàn)在，全國的學(xué)生都準(zhǔn)備返校上全天的線下課，許多中小學(xué)生的家長思忖著是否該讓孩子帶著手機(jī)上學(xué)。
關(guān)注負(fù)責(zé)任媒體使用問題的非營利性組織——共識媒體咨詢公司的副總裁凱利·門多薩說：“我們所知道的是送孩子智能手機(jī)是沒有所謂黃金年齡的，但到了11歲，53%的孩子都有了自己的智能手機(jī)。(這一數(shù)據(jù)來自該組織2019年對美國1600多名8歲至18歲的受訪者進(jìn)行的調(diào)查。)六年級對孩子來說是一個重大轉(zhuǎn)變期，他們將開始中學(xué)的學(xué)習(xí)，變得更獨(dú)立�！�
門多薩說，盡管中學(xué)是許多家長邁出這一大步的轉(zhuǎn)折點(diǎn)，但年齡的重要性比不上孩子的成熟。她說，家長可以通過以下幾個問題來評估自家孩子是否做好使用手機(jī)的準(zhǔn)備：孩子是否有責(zé)任感，比如按時完成家庭作業(yè)?他們能否照管好自己的東西——會不會丟失或損壞個人物品?他們有沒有記得給已經(jīng)擁有的平板電腦等其他設(shè)備充電?他們能在課堂上忍住不發(fā)信息或?yàn)g覽網(wǎng)頁嗎?
評估孩子有沒有必須配備智能手機(jī)的合理需求也是明智之舉，比如在乘坐公共交通工具時能跟人聯(lián)系或者接收服藥提醒。
很多孩子是在他們的朋友們有手機(jī)后開始要手機(jī)的。據(jù)數(shù)字媒體專家和家長說，孩子可能最早從小學(xué)就開始提這類要求了，但到了中學(xué)，同伴壓力越來越大。
了解孩子的動機(jī)有助于你做決定。他們要手機(jī)只是因?yàn)樗麄兿敫鷦e人一樣嗎?他們是否被排除在短信群聊等社交互動之外?有時，壓力甚至可能來自學(xué)校俱樂部和運(yùn)動隊(duì)。教練可能會要求學(xué)生到臉書上查看最 新日程。
一旦你決定送孩子手機(jī)，下一個問題是送什么類型的手機(jī)。我們通常建議給孩子買一部與你手機(jī)使用相同操作系統(tǒng)的手機(jī)。
確定給孩子買合適的手機(jī)并不是最后一步。專家說，在孩子第一次開機(jī)之前，你應(yīng)該跟他們談?wù)勀銓λ麄兪褂檬謾C(jī)的期望，還有丟失或損壞手機(jī)或違反約定的后果。
基本規(guī)則包括何時和何地使用手機(jī)、夜間在何處充電(提示：可能不要在他們的臥室)、如何在社交媒體上與他人相處以及如何舉報(bào)網(wǎng)絡(luò)霸凌。
資料來源考試網(wǎng)校老師主講教材精講班課程，完整講義下載進(jìn)入個人中心>>
