Peer pressure to buy kids phones

Peer pressure to buy kids phones

Author
Discussion

J4CKO

41,583 posts

200 months

Thursday 15th November 2018
quotequote all
Kermit power said:
J4CKO said:
Mine all had half decent phones, we tend to contribute but not buy it outright, they have been pretty good with them to be fair, they would get the rest of the money together themselves.

The Smartphone is at the centre of their lives nowadays, rightly or wrongly, it has some negatives, but a lot of positives and to be fair we arent going back, you can go on about "In my day" and all that but you are posting on an internet forum, irony ?

Its all very well playing Victorian Dad but there is a balance to be struck, back in my time there were similar pressure to conform, also Iphones are generally much nicer than Androids, plus a nice Android phone is a similar price now anyway.

We need to move with the times and stop assuming it was all better in "our day", when we were younger we had some old fart waffling about "You know what they need, National Service" and "Bloody Punk Rockers".
My first response to that was "what complete and utter bks", although in the interests of not being a keyboard warrior, let me refine that down to "that's a very subjective point". smile

I've always had Android phones. I was given an iPad at work. It was utterly horrible in comparison, to the point where when it was due for replacement, I bought myself an Android tablet and didn't bother picking up the work iPad.
I have both and prefer the Apple stuff, despite being anti Apple for years, on my second IPhone and just prefer it, I have enough agro from tech working in IT, it just does its job, though the Android stuff is very nice these days compared to the stuff I used to have.

Mike335i

5,007 posts

102 months

Thursday 15th November 2018
quotequote all
Kermit power said:
I suspect what he meant to say was "being a man over the age of thirty".

Even the mates I had who did care about fashion when we were younger pretty much stopped giving a toss about it, especially once they'd settled down and got kids.
Yeah, man over 30 means my interest in fashion is less than existent.

Not sure that it is sexist, I don't know many men who care much for fashion.

jonamv8

3,151 posts

166 months

Thursday 15th November 2018
quotequote all
Mike335i said:
Kermit power said:
I suspect what he meant to say was "being a man over the age of thirty".

Even the mates I had who did care about fashion when we were younger pretty much stopped giving a toss about it, especially once they'd settled down and got kids.
Yeah, man over 30 means my interest in fashion is less than existent.

Not sure that it is sexist, I don't know many men who care much for fashion.
Im 35 and although I dont follow trends I’d say friends who are a similar age and myself care about what we wear and can spend considerable sums looking good. This includes Dads too

V8covin

7,321 posts

193 months

Thursday 15th November 2018
quotequote all
It really is bullst to say iPhones 'just work' as though android phones don't 'just work'
Of course they do, just slightly differently and of course they are more customisable.
Why you wouldn't want to customise your phone to suit your preferences is something I've never got my head around.

The irony in all this is kids are all told they're individuals and to be yourself and yet they all aspire to fit in with their peers by having the same brands.
The isheep thing has never been more apt

Kermit power

28,654 posts

213 months

Thursday 15th November 2018
quotequote all
jonamv8 said:
Mike335i said:
Kermit power said:
I suspect what he meant to say was "being a man over the age of thirty".

Even the mates I had who did care about fashion when we were younger pretty much stopped giving a toss about it, especially once they'd settled down and got kids.
Yeah, man over 30 means my interest in fashion is less than existent.

Not sure that it is sexist, I don't know many men who care much for fashion.
Im 35 and although I dont follow trends I’d say friends who are a similar age and myself care about what we wear and can spend considerable sums looking good. This includes Dads too
Pfft... Next you'll be telling us you were money on moisturiser and other similar girly products! rofl

PistonBroker

2,419 posts

226 months

Thursday 15th November 2018
quotequote all
Eldest started Secondary school in September and we gave her Mrs PB's 5C as she rarely uses her phone anyway.

It's fantastic - she walks to school and texts us if she's going alone to say she's arrived. She's able to text us during breaks if she needs to update us on anything. The other day she phoned us as she'd forgotten her Geography book so Mrs PB was able to nip back home and drop it to her.

How did we cope without these things?!

Can't say I've noticed peer pressure, perhaps we have that to come. But I doubt it as we wouldn't stand for it.

Alucidnation

16,810 posts

170 months

Thursday 15th November 2018
quotequote all
V8covin said:
Why you wouldn't want to customise your phone to suit your preferences is something I've never got my head around.
How about maybe it's because the vast majority don't actually give a st?

Kermit power

28,654 posts

213 months

Thursday 15th November 2018
quotequote all
Alucidnation said:
V8covin said:
Why you wouldn't want to customise your phone to suit your preferences is something I've never got my head around.
How about maybe it's because the vast majority don't actually give a st?
Which is a view completely confirmed by the fact that Android has an 80%+ global market share, I suppose?

Vaud

50,534 posts

155 months

Thursday 15th November 2018
quotequote all
Kermit power said:
Which is a view completely confirmed by the fact that Android has an 80%+ global market share, I suppose?
Vaud said:
Let’s just agree to kill the argument now by saying both have their merits and neither can be materially judged as “better” through any objective measurement.

Sheepshanks

32,788 posts

119 months

Thursday 15th November 2018
quotequote all
PistonBroker said:
Eldest started Secondary school in September and we gave her Mrs PB's 5C as she rarely uses her phone anyway.

It's fantastic - she walks to school and texts us if she's going alone to say she's arrived. She's able to text us during breaks if she needs to update us on anything. The other day she phoned us as she'd forgotten her Geography book so Mrs PB was able to nip back home and drop it to her.

How did we cope without these things?!
What - parents that would drop everything to run around after us? I have no idea how we coped, but somehow we did.

alorotom

11,941 posts

187 months

Friday 16th November 2018
quotequote all
Kermit power said:
Which is a view completely confirmed by the fact that Android has an 80%+ global market share, I suppose?
That’s more down to price point and availability especially in China, India and Africa

Ynox

1,704 posts

179 months

Friday 16th November 2018
quotequote all
alorotom said:
That’s more down to price point and availability especially in China, India and Africa
Yep. That's the predominant reason for Android having a larger market share.

I've got both iOS and Android devices. There's not much in it these days really. But then I'm 33, back when I was at school you were posh if you had a Nokia 5110. I'd imagine peer pressure is a bit nuts these days - a Samsung S8 is better than an iPhone 5 (or 6), but kids have to have an iPhone.

Do any schools allow kids to use their own tablets / laptops these days?

As for kids with £1k+ jackets. This is pretty insane!