What changes
This is the band where the documented grooming pattern starts to fit — a child old enough to hold a private conversation, young enough to be flattered by adult attention, and new enough to the platforms to have no instinct for what is off.
What the household does
- SOCMINT Shield tuned tightest here — new accounts, no mutuals, fast moves to private
- The Family Safe App set up with the child, in front of them, so they know exactly what it does and does not see
- Location sharing agreed as a family rule, not imposed as a punishment
- The first real conversation about what a stranger who wants something sounds like
Do this now Set the terms before the phone, not after. The settings conversation is easy on the day you hand over a phone they want, and hard eight months later.