Bill Linnane: We refused to get our 12-year-old a phone, but we did compromise and buy him an iMoo

Bill Linnane: We refused to get our 12-year-old a phone, but we did compromise and buy him an iMoo

The 11-year-old asked for a phone for his birthday, but we fought the good fight until the bitter end with our older children

He says what they all say... that all his friends have phones. Photo: Picture posed/Getty

Of all the gifts you will ever give your child, few are given as reluctantly as a phone. We will buy them consoles or tablets, or just about any internet-enabled device other than a phone.

There’s something about the level of privacy a phone affords a child that sets a parent’s nerves a-jangling. But once one or two of their pals get one, you will be plagued with requests for one.