A Checklist for Parents giving their Children their first Mobile Phone

Nowadays, children, especially teens, tend to think of a good mobile phone as their birthright. All their friends have one and it’s considered deprivation if they aren’t given the latest smartphone too by their parents. There are some advantages, obviously, to owning a smartphone. And frankly, no parent can deny that last fact either. Keeping tabs on your young one becomes so much easier and if need be, taking away your teen’s phone serves as a stronger reprimand than merely grounding them.

Given this scenario, parents are increasingly on the lookout for good, affordable mobile phones to surprise their children with, often as a birthday present. There is a number of options out there and CellPhoneDeal statistics show that iPhone is the most popular phone in the United States and Samsung is the most popular smartphone brand in the world. the number of users around the globe is one way to identify what are the top choices of the users before buying any smartphones.

Keeping in mind the various constraints attached with a child owning a phone (affordability of phone and of mobile service plan being among the first constraints that pop into one’s mind), it starts to make sense to go in for pay as you go phones. Unbundled from the hassle of fixed monthly phone bills, a teen with a pay as you go phone plan can tweak his/her mobile service usage to reflect the amount he/she is willing to and can realistically put into their phone at any given point of the month.

It also starts making sense for parents to invest in a pay as you go phone bundle from a trusted mobile service provider. Why? Because increasingly, these very service providers are offering various incentives—like free top ups, or free services, or better rates—for customers who buy the handset and the SIM directly from the mobile service provider. Even though this sounds like a very iPhone-like bundled deal, the range of handsets these days is vary varied and can fit into most budgets.

For parents who might be too caught up with work to properly research the various options out in the market, there thankfully is a pay as go phone option from Virgin Media Mobile. Anyone who has ever heard of the Virgin brand can vouch for the trustworthiness attached to the name. Placing customers first, Virgin seems to have staked its reputation on providing excellent, innovative services at an affordable price. Thankfully, this very customer centric focus is also extended into their mobile service business.

Pay as you go phones from Virgin Media come in all shapes and sizes. Be it the latest, most cutting edge Samsung offering, or an iPhone of a slightly older vintage, or even an entry-level Nokia offering, there really is something for all sorts of budgets. Offered at prices which are on par (or slightly cheaper than) market prices, these phones typically come bundled with a complimentary £10 top-up, ensuring that your child does not have to wait to start using his/her new phone.

The easy-compare feature on their website also means that parents can easily sift through phones; finalise on a couple of options based on their budget; place them side-by-side to compare features; and then conveniently choose the best from these options. Really, the only loser in this entire transaction seems to be the person who passes on this deal!