I have a 7 year old daughter who always sees her 15 year old brother on the phone and she wants one too. Should I let her have a phone and access to internet?
I got unrestricted internet access when I was around that age and I wish I didn’t. Tiktok, YouTube and stuff like that wasn’t good for me and I’m seeing the same in my younger siblings. Overall, I would say, let her use things like YouTube Kids and monitor her internet use! There’s very bad sides of the internet but also there are good sides - watching my little pony was my fave!
That’s just my opinion, you know your kid best and every kid is different! Good luck! 
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Personally, I wouldn’t let a 7 year old access the internet without strict supervision.
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I would recommend against a phone, but (semi-)supervised access on a home computer, laptop, etcetera with access to things like YouTube Kids or online games websites should be fine! I had access to that when I was 7. It’s better than a phone because you can watch how much time a kid is spending online and what they’re doing.
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I personally wouldn’t give a 7 year old their own phone. Maybe she would like playing games on a family tablet or something? I know some devices can block off internet access, which seems much safer to me.
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When I was 7, I had an iPad. To add a game, a request was sent to my mom. I didn’t have internet access until I was 9, and even then it was because of maturity. [name_f]My[/name_f] brother got internet access at 11, when he could handle it. He got his first phone at that age, and mine at 12. Mine, again, was based on maturity; his was because he had to walk up to my school and meet me at the end of the school day. Again, it’s all up to you, but personally I wouldn’t give a 7 year old access to so much that can confuse her or mentally harm her.
[name_f]My[/name_f] oldest son is 8, and I definitely think he’s way too young to have his own phone. The only reason I’d consider it is for safety, if he goes anywhere without us (which he’s also too young for). There’s no way I’d let him have unsupervised access to the internet.
He’s allowed to watch YouTube videos, but only with an adult present and keeping an eye. He loves to watch music videos, so we let him use “regular” YouTube, and we have YouTube kids for our younger sons. And he uses internet for school, again under supervision. That’s all the internet access he has.
as someone who had unrestricted access to the internet at a young age i would strongly advise against it. internet safety and privacy, and also understanding the consequences of certain actions can be hard to grasp at such a young age. i think there are safe ways to go about giving internet access to your 7 year old, but i would suggest highly monitoring what she is allowed to use and watch, or having a parental control app. good luck with your decision!
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I was introduced to technology early on, and I would strongly advise against having access to technology at such a young age. Like others have said, you may let her watch YouTube videos or play games but with strict supervision. There are versions of popular apps (such as YouTube Kids) dedicated for the same purpose. However, I wouldn’t advise you to give your child a phone for any reason whatsoever.
If she insists, though, you can get her one of those phones that are specifically made for children. All they do is make sounds and other stuff, with no access to the internet. [name_u]Or[/name_u], you could have the play-laptops that have some games and learning stuff. I’m not sure if they’re aimed at her age group or not, but throwing this suggestion in case you would want to do so.
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Granted I was a kid growing up in the 90’s/ early 2000’s but it boggles my mind how young some kids are getting phones these days. I don’t think I thought it at the time but I love my parents [name_m]Logic[/name_m] they had with me…. They kept a phone from me until I was driving. At that point they found a phone a necessity to keep me safe in case of unforeseen car issues. Until then Inwas left to fetch pay phones, using calling cards (I know two things that don’t exist anymore) and utilizing phones at places Inwas at. Personally, I agree with their logic now… unless there is a genuine NEED for the phone then forego the phone until they are older and actual NEED is there….
And no unless there is active (not passive)adult supervision to the internet keep it away. I had little to no supervision on this growing up and honestly I should have and wish I did—- the amount of creeps and other horrific things out there and access to things they shouldn’t…. [name_m]Just[/name_m] no. Keep that can of worms at bay. And sadly, cases like [name_m]Josh[/name_m] Duggar show us you can’t even set up blockers and then become a passive shadow because there can be ways around things as much as you may think their isn’t. [name_m]Even[/name_m] things like bullying can fester or internet challenges and have been known to have tragic results due to a lack of parental oversight…. So again unless you can be an persistent active presence there’s imo
No reason for a 7yo to have it.
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Nope, personally I feel 7 is way too young to have any sort of smart phone with internet access. You have to remember if she has access to the internet other people have access to her.
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She’s seven. Keep her little for a little (a lot) longer. There’s absolutely nothing she needs to be doing online. As a young child, she’s especially vulnerable to predators, scams, sharing information, etc.
I’m sure we’ve all seen those news stories about a child- or even teens around her brother’s age- being lured away, targeted and bullied. Honestly, this is a good opportunity to talk to both kids about internet safety.
As for a phone, while I don’t know your circumstances, I’m not so sure she needs one. If she’s just wanting one because her brother has one, that’s definitely not a good reason to get her one. I could see if she were older and had activities going on but, at her age, it’s doubtful she’d be away from you or another adult.
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Bit of a devil’s advocate here by the sounds of it, but my 7yo has her own tablet and has access to the internet. She uses Youtube, Messenger Kids, various games, can do Google searches, etc. That said, we have had (and continue to have) a LOT of conversations about internet safety. [name_f]My[/name_f] husband and I met online on a random website so we’ve been conscious of informing her from an early age that this is not normally fine. 
She comes to me with every little thing that seems “off” and it’s never anything important, but it could be and I like that I can trust her to tell me. I have access to the tablet and can view internet and youtube history and any messages. On Messenger Kids she has me, DH, my mom, a few of my friends/her “aunties”, and two friends from school. I’m happy and confident with her usage. So – yes, I think a 7yo can have access, but you need to have some conversations first and be confident that boundaries will be adhered to.
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I’d echo the posters above me: a seven year old seems far too young for their own phone and internet access.
I totally get her want to be like her brother… but her brother sure is much older.
Perhaps she’d like a Kindle (an old read-only one!) or a new series to read or doodle in in the meantime… a special thing for her, perhaps to do alongside a brother enjoying his online time.
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Please don’t let her!!! I’m not a mother yet and am only 18, but I know from personal experience growing up in the age of the internet that letting your child have access to it could have a major impact on her later. [name_f]My[/name_f] parents didn’t let me watch TV, I only watched old movies now and then, and was not allowed to play video games or anything. I gradually started using my mom’s computer, and got an iPad when I was about 9, but having had so little exposure to all that, had little interest in it. To this day, while I do use social media and the internet every day, I am not obsessed with it and haven’t had the negative effects so many screen dependent children do now.
Nope.
I have a stepdaughter; she has 2 very different homes. Her mother allows her unmonitored unrestricted phone and internet usage, at our place she has 1.5 hours MAX on all devices (except YT on TV - only if she does her chores and if anything we hear sounds inappropriate it’s shut off - she usually watches kids stuff like toy unboxing, barbie things etc) but it is ALWAYS monitored.
She is not allowed on TikTok at our place UNLESS I am the one using it and we ar using sounds I have pre-found (but I don’t do it every day, its once every 2-3 months), we do take silly Snapchat filter photos we send to my OH/her Dad almost every 2nd day 
I don’t think she should be having a phone until she is independent - walking home from school or going to shops with friends alone/without adults and that normally starts happening/they get interested in that around 11-13. [name_m]Even[/name_m] when we do get her her own phone it will be used for when she is out alone until 14-15 when home it will be put in XYZ place until needed.
Sometimes I think I am strict in my thinking but I was the first gen that had mobile at 13-14 and used chatrooms etc, I still remember how EASY it was to get messages from predators. I remember I thought I was talking to a guy the same age as me, [name_f]My[/name_f] Mum got sus and called police, turns out he was 10 years older than I and actually a predator…