{"id":92850,"date":"2018-12-01T07:00:13","date_gmt":"2018-12-01T15:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/?p=92850"},"modified":"2025-05-07T00:59:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T07:59:39","slug":"first-smartphone-are-you-putting-cyberbullies-under-the-tree-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/first-smartphone-are-you-putting-cyberbullies-under-the-tree-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"First Smartphone: Are You Putting Cyberbullies Under the Tree This Year?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-92851\" src=\"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_1198924612.jpg\" alt=\"first smartphone\" width=\"342\" height=\"188\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_1198924612.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_1198924612-300x165.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_1198924612-768x422.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_1198924612-909x500.jpg 909w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 342px) 100vw, 342px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s pressure \u2014 lots of pressure. And not the typical I-want-a-bike or a doll-that-poops kind of pressure your kids may have foisted upon you just a few Christmases\u00a0ago. No, this is the big leagues. Your child wants his or her first smartphone to show up under the tree this year. Is your son or daughter ready? Bigger question: Are <em>you<\/em> ready?<\/p>\n<p>A first smartphone is a big step in a family that can&#8217;t be unstepped. Because it&#8217;s not about what a phone used to be about, which is dialing the number of a person you need to speak with. Today,\u00a0giving your child a cell phone unlocks a hidden wardrobe door that leads to a whole new Narnia-like world abounding in both hills of goodness and valleys of emotional punches.<\/p>\n<p>A first cell phone isn&#8217;t a casual\u00a0purchase. Besides the financial investment (these things aren&#8217;t cheap), there&#8217;s a family dynamic that will likely change and a peer-to-peer dynamic that will go through its tumultuous metamorphosis.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few things to consider and talk through with your family before making your final decision to purchase that first smartphone.<\/p>\n<h2>Family talking points<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-92854\" src=\"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_114317416.jpg\" alt=\"first smartphone\" width=\"315\" height=\"209\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_114317416.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_114317416-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_114317416-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_114317416-750x500.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 315px) 100vw, 315px\" \/><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Maturity milestones.<\/strong> A phone is a small computer your child will carry in his or her pocket from this point forward. Has your child demonstrated maturity in other areas? Can he or she stay home alone responsibly for short periods? Does your child take care of his or her possessions, complete chores, and homework on time and without you nagging? Does your child earn\/save\/spend his or her allowance in a mature way? Does your child show empathy for others or deal with conflict well? These milestones are worth examining. If you feel uneasy about your child&#8217;s overall maturity, you might consider setting some goals to move your child <em>toward<\/em> cell phone ownership sometime in the future.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The cyberbully factor.<\/strong> We know you&#8217;d never willingly invite a cyberbully into your home and especially wouldn&#8217;t put one under the tree for your child to discover on Christmas morning. However, that&#8217;s the reality of what phone ownership will bring sooner or later. Is your child emotionally strong enough to handle mean comments, feeling excluded, or being criticized or joked with in public? How does your child handle peer conflict without a phone? The emotional impact of owning a phone is not something you will see advertised, but it&#8217;s a huge factor to consider.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Peer pressure.<\/strong> Digital peer pressure is a real thing. There&#8217;s pressure to dress a certain way, post pictures a certain way, and post activities online to gain status points in certain social circles. The selfie craze, online dares, <a href=\"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/consumer\/family-safety\/tbh-to-be-honest-and-more-slang-parents-should-know\/\">digital trends and hashtags<\/a>, and other pressures are all part of the smartphone equation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Harmful content<\/strong>. There&#8217;s a lot of great content online \u2014 educational, entertaining, and fun \u2014 but there&#8217;s a lot of content that is harmful to kids such as pornography, hateful ideology, and cruelty. Can your child resist the temptation to seek out or look at concerning content? Can your child discern ideas? Are you as a parent willing to take the <a href=\"https:\/\/family.mcafee.com\/\">extra steps to filter<\/a> inappropriate content?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Privacy issues.<\/strong> With a new phone comes great responsibility toward guarding\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-92855\" src=\"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_476487196.jpg\" alt=\"first smartphone\" width=\"315\" height=\"209\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_476487196.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_476487196-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_476487196-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_476487196-750x500.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 315px) 100vw, 315px\" \/>one&#8217;s personal information. Do you have the time to communicate, teach, and monitor your child&#8217;s online footprint? Getting kids off to a strong start will require much time and care up front until your son or daughter has a grasp on <a href=\"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/consumer\/family-safety\/you-vs-the-internet-5-hands-on-ways-to-safeguard-your-familys-privacy-online\/\">the value of personal data<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Social media. <\/strong>Social media owns vast real estate on a child&#8217;s phone and includes everything from gaming, to social networks, to various &#8220;communities&#8221; attached to apps. Anywhere your child can create a username and profile and connect with others, opens him or her up to risks of cyberbullying, strangers, and scams. Discuss new apps and establish ground rules and phone usage boundaries that make sense for your family. The most important part of setting rules is to <em>enforce<\/em> the rules.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Screentime ground rules.<\/strong> With a first smartphone comes the risk of too much screen time. Addiction to online gaming, social media, and phones, in general, have become a <a href=\"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/consumer\/family-safety\/smartphone-addiction\/\">public health concern<\/a>. Put family rules in place that set time limits and phone free zones. Keep communication open and consistent to keep your kids following <a href=\"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/consumer\/family-safety\/raising-digital-kids-5-timeless-tech-principles-to-establish-when-your-kids-are-young\/\">healthy screen time habits<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There&#8217;s pressure \u2014 lots of pressure. And not the typical I-want-a-bike or a doll-that-poops kind of pressure your kids may&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":642,"featured_media":92852,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[75,76,3949,4452,32,5486,5617,5620,5494,5599,5615,5614,5619,5618,2205,5531,5536,5257,5616],"coauthors":[3359],"class_list":["post-92850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-family-safety","tag-cyberbullying","tag-cybercrime","tag-cybersafety","tag-cybersecurity","tag-data-protection","tag-depression-in-teens","tag-digital-addiction","tag-digital-dares","tag-filtering-software","tag-gaming-addiction","tag-harmful-content","tag-kids-and-smartphones","tag-peer-pressure","tag-peer-pressure-online","tag-protecting-kids-online","tag-screen-time","tag-screen-time-limits","tag-smartphone-addiction","tag-web-filtering"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>First Smartphone: Are You Putting Cyberbullies Under the Tree This Year? | McAfee Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There&#039;s pressure \u2014 lots of pressure. And not the typical I-want-a-bike or a doll-that-poops kind of pressure your kids may have foisted upon you just a There&#039;s a lot of good reasons to get your child his or her first smartphone. There are also plenty of danger zones attached to that small but world-changing device. Here are some family talking points to make sure you&#039;ve considered both sides before purchasing your child that first smartphone.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"First Smartphone: Are You Putting Cyberbullies Under the Tree This Year? | McAfee Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There&#039;s pressure \u2014 lots of pressure. And not the typical I-want-a-bike or a doll-that-poops kind of pressure your kids may have foisted upon you just a There&#039;s a lot of good reasons to get your child his or her first smartphone. There are also plenty of danger zones attached to that small but world-changing device. Here are some family talking points to make sure you&#039;ve considered both sides before purchasing your child that first smartphone.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/first-smartphone-are-you-putting-cyberbullies-under-the-tree-this-year\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"McAfee Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/McAfee\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-12-01T15:00:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-07T07:59:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_1210189777-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Toni Birdsong\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@McAfee\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@McAfee\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Toni Birdsong\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/first-smartphone-are-you-putting-cyberbullies-under-the-tree-this-year\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/first-smartphone-are-you-putting-cyberbullies-under-the-tree-this-year\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Toni Birdsong\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/person\/43ae9712cde24fe81854f2daa0af1228\"},\"headline\":\"First Smartphone: Are You Putting Cyberbullies Under the Tree This Year?\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-12-01T15:00:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-07T07:59:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/first-smartphone-are-you-putting-cyberbullies-under-the-tree-this-year\/\"},\"wordCount\":745,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/first-smartphone-are-you-putting-cyberbullies-under-the-tree-this-year\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_1210189777-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"cyberbullying\",\"cybercrime\",\"cybersafety\",\"cybersecurity\",\"data protection\",\"depression in teens\",\"digital addiction\",\"digital dares\",\"filtering software\",\"gaming addiction\",\"harmful content\",\"kids and smartphones\",\"peer pressure\",\"peer pressure online\",\"protecting kids online\",\"screen time\",\"screen time limits\",\"smartphone addiction\",\"web filtering\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Family Safety\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/first-smartphone-are-you-putting-cyberbullies-under-the-tree-this-year\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/first-smartphone-are-you-putting-cyberbullies-under-the-tree-this-year\/\",\"name\":\"First Smartphone: Are You Putting Cyberbullies Under the Tree This Year? | McAfee Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/first-smartphone-are-you-putting-cyberbullies-under-the-tree-this-year\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/first-smartphone-are-you-putting-cyberbullies-under-the-tree-this-year\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_1210189777-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-12-01T15:00:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-07T07:59:39+00:00\",\"description\":\"There's pressure \u2014 lots of pressure. 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Her passion for digital safety started 10 years ago as a way to gain the survival skills she needed to parent her own connected teenagers. Her goal with each post is to give busy parents the insight they need raise wiser, more compassionate digital kids. When she\u2019s not writing (her first love), you can find Toni hiking, watching TikTok, or trying not to break an important body part at CrossFit.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/author\/toni-birdsong\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"First Smartphone: Are You Putting Cyberbullies Under the Tree This Year? | McAfee Blog","description":"There's pressure \u2014 lots of pressure. And not the typical I-want-a-bike or a doll-that-poops kind of pressure your kids may have foisted upon you just a There's a lot of good reasons to get your child his or her first smartphone. There are also plenty of danger zones attached to that small but world-changing device. 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And not the typical I-want-a-bike or a doll-that-poops kind of pressure your kids may have foisted upon you just a There's a lot of good reasons to get your child his or her first smartphone. There are also plenty of danger zones attached to that small but world-changing device. Here are some family talking points to make sure you've considered both sides before purchasing your child that first smartphone.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/first-smartphone-are-you-putting-cyberbullies-under-the-tree-this-year\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/first-smartphone-are-you-putting-cyberbullies-under-the-tree-this-year\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/first-smartphone-are-you-putting-cyberbullies-under-the-tree-this-year\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_1210189777-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/shutterstock_1210189777-1.jpg","width":1000,"height":667},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/first-smartphone-are-you-putting-cyberbullies-under-the-tree-this-year\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Family Safety","item":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/family-safety\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"First Smartphone: Are You Putting Cyberbullies Under the Tree This Year?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/","name":"McAfee Blog","description":"Internet Security News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#organization","name":"McAfee","url":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/mcafee-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/mcafee-logo.png","width":1286,"height":336,"caption":"McAfee"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/McAfee\/","https:\/\/x.com\/McAfee","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/mcafee\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/McAfee"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/person\/43ae9712cde24fe81854f2daa0af1228","name":"Toni Birdsong","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/de48b651aa67772c9c2a8d7e7eee076a","url":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Toni-Black-Shirt-Headshot-150x150.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Toni-Black-Shirt-Headshot-150x150.jpeg","caption":"Toni Birdsong"},"description":"Toni Birdsong began her career as a reporter in Los Angeles and later became a writer for Walt Disney Imagineering. Her passion for digital safety started 10 years ago as a way to gain the survival skills she needed to parent her own connected teenagers. Her goal with each post is to give busy parents the insight they need raise wiser, more compassionate digital kids. 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