i-phone for a 15 year old

[malumbu]

Daughter has been giving me grief for over 12 months now.

Can anyone tell me why a 15 year old needs an i-phone?

And why her dad should pay for it?

And if so, seeing as I am as tight as a proverbial, the best deal

And what is wrong with an i-phone 3 and/or a refurbed model?

(or Samsung, HTC etc)

Although I was a very early adopter of mobile phones I feel like I am now in the dark ages.

She has an answer for everything.

Sensible comments pretty please

[KidKruger]

Part of it is peer pressure from school etc.

There's no real need obviously for specifically an iPhone, any device could do - except it's nooner about being able to just make calls is it ? Now it's about www access, apps, emails, shopping, games and - if you get bored with the device sometimes - the odd phone call.

[maxxi]

No real need but then again there was no real need to have a pair of Gola footy boots aged 15 either - but turn up in a pair of Winfield Specials and you might just remember it as one of the worst and most humiliating days of your life.

If you've already tried the sheep/goat analogy then I'm afraid you're stuck. She's a teenager, reason and need don't come into it.

[tiddles]

iphone? thought they all wanted blackberrys so they can 'BB' each other whatever that means

[Annette Curtain]

Daughter has been giving me grief for over 12 months now. -And

Can anyone tell me why a 15 year old needs an i-phone? - Uh

And why her dad should pay for it? - Coz

And if so, seeing as I am as tight as a proverbial, the best deal -UH

And what is wrong with an i-phone 3 and/or a refurbed model? - UHHHH

(or Samsung, HTC etc) - UHHHHHHH

Although I was a very early adopter of mobile phones I feel like I am now in the dark ages. -Uh yeah

She has an answer for everything. -And

Sensible comments pretty please -As if !

[DulwichDeviant]

DELETED

[Jeremy]

I don't think it's OK to buy iphones/ipads for teenagers. They're very expensive items... whether or not it's too expensive to give to a child is up to the parents I guess, but the chances are that it will get lost or broken, and it will also make them targets for mugging.

If I was in your position malumbu, I'd give them the choice of a basic android, blackberry, or refurbished iphone 3G (say up to the value of ?200). And tell them that if they're ungrateful, then they'll get nothing.

[Huguenot]

The thing I'd most worried about is mugging. The secondary issue is spoiling her.

15 year old girls are soft targets, and a ?600 phone will be admired and envied by friends and enemies alike.

There are plenty of things I want, and I have to budget, make sacrifices and wait, by which time I usually realise I didn't want them that bad.

How will she learn these lessons?

[*Bob*]

Explain to her that by not setting her off of the path of a top-end phone for life, you're instead giving her a possible ?300,000 in compound-interest-adjusted savings.

[BeccaL]

Definitely would make her a mugging target - agree with Jeremy's suggestion re options, and ingratitude!

[Gidget]

Agree with Jeremy. If she wants one, then she can earn the money and pay for it herself.

[womanofdulwich]

I thought it was blackberrys at this age? my son has one on a monthly contract since he was 15. he gets very little pocket momey and has to do certain chores to pay for the rental, bins/ recycling/ ironing/cooking a meal occasionally etc.I am sure the contract is less than ?20 a month.

[amyt]

As someone who still uses an iPhone 3G, I don't recommend getting it for your teenager. If you do go the refurbished route, get at least a 3GS. I know someone with a 3GS who gets by just fine, but the 3G continually frustrates me with how slow it's become. It makes me cranky and a worse person to be around :-P

Plus, the 3G is too old be able to use many modern, popular apps, so your daughter will probably still be unhappy that she can't use the same apps as her friends. You also can't remotely wipe it if it gets stolen. But if you go for a 3GS or newer, you don't have any of those problems.

EDIT: I should add, if you get a 3GS, you might find she has the problem with the apps next autumn, when Apple generally releases their new phones and phone operating systems. If you think the phone should last longer than a year, you might be better off getting something newer than a 3GS.

[Otta]

What Jeremy said. 15 Year olds want to have the latest things, but these days the latest cool things happen to be very expensive gadgets that are very desirable to muggers.

I wouldn't get an older version, she'd probably just hate you for it. Offer a mid range android / blackberry, and tell her if she'll only accept the iphone, then you'll put in what you would have spent on the mid range android / blackberry, and she can work for the rest.

[giggirl]

What Jeremy said.

Good on you for holding out.

[LondonLogCo]

We tell our boys that they've got ?100 each allocated by Santa/us. So they know there's a limit.

Anything over that is up to them to work for.

My 8 year old boy comes to work with me on deliveries, I pay him ?2 per drop. In the last year he's saved ?220 toward a new racing bike.

Our 12 year old has enough for a decent Kindle that he's had his eye on for a while.

Seems to work for us, plus the boys understand the value of money & hard work.

[Ridgley]

Huguenot Said

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The thing I'd most worried about is mugging. The secondary issue is spoiling her.

15 year old girls are soft targets, and a ?600 phone will be admired and envied by friends and enemies alike.

There are plenty of things I want, and I have to budget, make sacrifices and wait, by which time I usually realise I didn't want them that bad.

How will she learn these lessons?

H is spot on I agree with his comments, also a child needs to know the value of money and how hard you have to work for it. I was in the same situation a year ago with my daughter who 17 she had to wait until I can afford it. She did do a few odd jobs to pay towards the phone which I was pleased.

I found a great deal on EBay it was a refurbished IPhone 4 unlocked it cost me ?240 and it is still in good condition after a year.

Maybe it worth having a look on EBay if you don't want to fork out ?600for Iphone.