Q&A for How to Own a Cellphone Without Your Parents Knowing

Find places you know they won't go looking through or places they don't even know about. Maybe keep it in the pocket of whatever pants you're wearing.

Charge it when you're going to be in your room so your parents can't go snooping in there and find it. If you have an outlet that's behind your bed or somewhere else relatively well-hidden, use that. If not, just throw some pillows or stuffed animals or something over the phone/cord while it's charging.

Do chores at home and save your allowance money, have a bake sale, start babysitting, and see if your neighbors need help with odd jobs like yard work, dog walking, etc. Don't do anything without your parents' permission, though.

You can buy a phone, but you will not be able to sign a contract for service, so you would have to get a prepaid/no-contract phone.

You can usually purchase a SIM card anywhere they sell phones. If you're buying a phone, ask the sales associate if it has a SIM card.

Use it in your room or the bathroom, or keep it with your dirty clothes. Leave it on silent and only use it in a safe place.

If you're allowed, take public transportation. You could also ask a friend's parent to drive you, or an older sibling or another family member you can trust not to tell your parents (a cousin, aunt, uncle, etc.).

Your age doesn't matter, but it's really up to your parents to decide that, since they would have to sign the contract for you, and probably pay for it as well.

You can read the success stories from people who successfully got their phone without being noticed.

I made a tiny secret cut in my backpack and slipped it in there. If your bag is double-layered, just make a tiny hole with a pair of scissors.

No. That would only be likely to get you into more trouble.

These are pay-as-you-go phones that don't require signing up for service for a specific length of time. They can be found at superstores and electronics stores, as well as ordered online.

No, you don't need a phone plan for your phone. Be aware that your phone can only be used as a WiFi-only device if you don't have a plan. Some phones require a SIM card during setup, so just borrow a friend's or trusted person's SIM card for setup.

They would have to go specifically looking for that information, and as long as they don't suspect that you have a phone, it's unlikely they'll do so.

Yes. But make sure that it is back where it was originally by the time they get home/in the morning when they wake up.

You will have to save up for it. Do a lot of chores around the house and save up your allowance money, get a part time job if you're old enough, or try babysitting for extra cash.

Yes, but you will not have access to the internet without WiFi.

You probably can't, but if your parents won't get you a cell phone as a gift for your birthday, Christmas, etc., just ask for money on those holidays and save your money until you can afford a phone.

Unless you are buying something 18+ with your phone or signing up for a contract, the answer is no, the seller should not care.

iPhone plans are relatively similar to android plans. In the case of Vodafone (UK), the standard plan including a phone (not sim only) is you will have the phone on a 36 month (3 year) contract and the Airtime Plan (your data) on a 24 month plan, which gets disconnected from your phone plan after 24 months. You can get shorter contract lengths but these are more expensive and harder to come by. If this does not work for you, consider buying the phone directly from Apple and getting a Pay-as-you-go sim. It will cost more money and will be easier to hide, as a Pay as you go plan can be cancelled without notice, so if your parents are on to you, the phone can be cancelled and hidden away safely.

Unless your parents are tech savvy or think something is up, then you should be fine. If possible, disguise the device as something else, maybe a sibling's name, a random name, or a streaming box. This way, if it does get found, the blame won't immediately be on you and will give you time to disconnect from the Wi-Fi and hide your phone.

Consider asking your parents for a phone with service legitimately first. If they say no, then wait a few weeks before attempting to obtain a phone. It does sound like your parents a strict, so exercise extreme caution.

If your dad won't know you brought something on his phone, then use it. If he will, then consider using a friend's phone to order it.

This is very unlikely to happen, but if this is a risk, then simply go to another store.

Don't connect to the house Wi-Fi. If you absolutely have to, use it then disconnect ASAP then go into the device settings to forget the network.

Getting caught doing something you were told you were not allowed to do has a major detrimental effect on how much your parents trust you. Also, it can take a long time and a lot of effort to fix this breach of trust.

Most service providers will not send a notification. The only way of knowing if a device connected is if they log on to the portal, which most parents will not do unless they suspect that something is up. If your parents regularly check the portal, then avoid connecting.

Do not hide it. With the way you described being grounded, it sounds like your grandmother took it. Hide it back where she hid it ASAP. Otherwise, she will realize its ha gone and, no matter how well you sneak around, she will know.

Avoid somewhere obvious, like under your bed. If your parents suspect your hiding something (which you are), somewhere like under your bed will likely be on there top 5 places to search, with the others being: your bag, the car, your wardrobe, and your desk (If you have one). Instead, try something less obvious, like inside a pillow case. If you want to make it so your parents will never find it, try sending it to your friend's house. If they conclude you do not have anything hidden, it's probably safe for your friend to send your phone back. If you do decide to send it to your friend's house, try sending it in the mail if possible. If that is not possible, try handing it over at school.

Cheapest used phones are: iPhone 7/8, iPhone 6 and the iPhone 5. The best phone you can buy brand new (which is the cheapest) is the iPhone SE *second generation*. It has the power of an iPhone 11 Pro. If you want 5G, go for the iPhone 12 Mini.