until as late an age as you can – but never before secondary school unless there is good reason for this.
For younger children, a phone is essentially an electronic babysitter – but clearly carries with it potential risks.But you need to have effective strategies to monitor its use.Have a family culture where all screens go off an hour before you go to sleep and are left in a communal place – this means parents too.
Teach them to listen out for announcements, about how to board the train safely and where to go for help. Encourage them to travel with a buddy initially, but not a big group that might become silly and rowdy. Get them to charge their phone beforehand and keep possessions in a bag, rather than show them off to potential pickpockets.Once again, this decision really comes down to their levels of maturity and common sense.I wouldn’t leave a three-year-old in the care of a 14-year-old because the younger one might end up drinking bleach while the teenager is on their computer.
Parenting 'experts' can feck off. My kids, my rules. It working well so far. They're all growing into fine, happy individuals.