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Dear Teentalker,

Thanks for reaching out and sharing your concern.

Convincing your parents to let you have a smartphone can be a delicate business. You have to be very careful about when and how you are approaching them. If you approach in a wrong way, then it will be a “no”. If you prepare for the conversation, and help your parents understand the reason behind this then they might be convinced. There are certain things that you should keep in mind- 

• Carefully select the right time to approach your parents for this conversation.
• Introduce the conversation calmly and with gr.....

Dear Teentalker,

Thanks for reaching out and sharing your concern.

Convincing your parents to let you have a smartphone can be a delicate business. You have to be very careful about when and how you are approaching them. If you approach in a wrong way, then it will be a “no”. If you prepare for the conversation, and help your parents understand the reason behind this then they might be convinced. There are certain things that you should keep in mind- 

• Carefully select the right time to approach your parents for this conversation.
• Introduce the conversation calmly and with gratitude.
• Appreciate the things they’ve already given you and the amount of time and energy they put into helping you on a daily basis.
• Take the pressure off. Before asking the question, preface it with something like “You don’t have to say yes or no right now” to let them know that you’re willing to give them time to think it over.
• Don’t blow your current or future chances of getting a smartphone by overreacting one way or another.
• If they say no, accept the answer calmly and patiently. Don’t whine, yell, rant, or plead. Ask them respectfully why they’re making that decision and then try to work on those things if they’re under your control. Letting the issue rest will also give your parents additional time to think and to consider your arguments. 
• You can bring the issue up again in a few weeks or months, till then try to achieve something that they expect from you.

If they have reservations about you accessing the phone in your study time, then tell them not to worry. Remind them that they can set parental controls on the phone if they feel that you are using the phone at the time of your studies.

Hope this helps! If you need further clarifications, please feel free to write back or you can chat with the Teentalk Experts from Mondays to Saturdays : 11am-7pm

Regards, Teentalk Expert