kids and cell phones

[R. Smith]

How young is too young, for a kid to have a cell phone??? There are a couple of twin boys in my Church, both 12. And for Christmas, they both got cell phones. I know kids who are way younger who have cell phones. My question, how young is too young to have a cell phone???

-i-Rog

[Teresa79]

I'd say if you're under 16 you shouldn't have one. And 16 and 17 year olds should only have one if they drive, and should have a pay as you go plan and only use them for emergency purposes.

[3D NC fan]

My 15 year old son and all his friends have them. They are going on a school trip to Disney World and the teacher asked for their cell phone numbers in case the group wants to go to one of the other parks.

[in hiding]

not being a parent, I don't want to come off sounding like a know it all, but I'd say that 3 is definitely way too young for a kid to have a cell phone...I'd prob stretch that to 9 or 10 if I thought about it :)

definitely 9 or 10

[HPE89]

I'd say if you're under 16 you shouldn't have one. And 16 and 17 year olds should only have one if they drive, and should have a pay as you go plan and only use them for emergency purposes.

I'm not a parent, but I'd say that sounds pretty good and reasonable. :)

[DareDevil]

How young is too young, for a kid to have a cell phone??? There are a couple of twin boys in my Church, both 12. And for Christmas, they both got cell phones. I know kids who are way younger who have cell phones. My question, how young is too young to have a cell phone???

-i-Rog
For 12 year olds I would strongly recommend only the most basic mobile phones without blue tooth, without internet access and without an inbuilt camera. The reason for that is that there are a lot of children and teenagers who abuse their mobile phones to exchange tasteless pictures and videos which are either self made (happy slapping, pornography etc.) or taken from the internet.

*sigh*
I know, for instance, of one local school that banned mobile phones, because a girl had had sex with her boyfriend on the toilet while a third pupil filmed the two 'in action' with his mobile phone. Later on that video was exchanged (bluetooth) amongst the pupils, too. :(

[HotWireD]

I'd say if you're under 16 you shouldn't have one. And 16 and 17 year olds should only have one if they drive, and should have a pay as you go plan and only use them for emergency purposes.

I'm not a parent, but I'd say that sounds pretty good and reasonable. :)

I am not a parent either and I agree with this age advice too.

[Salome]

My husband and I have 3 sons ages 15, 13, and 10. We decided that they would receive cell phones for their 8th grade graduations. Both the 15 and 13 year olds talked us into giving it to them a few months before their graduations. :D

A big reason for deciding on 8th grade graduation is because of high school sports. Practices rarely end at the scheduled time and I really don't feel like sitting in my car for half an hour doing a slow burn. At away games the kids have to ride the bus home, vs. the gradeschool where you can sign them out and drive them home yourself. My high schooler will call me from the bus to let me know when they're 5 minutes out.

The two older boys were one of the last ones in their class to get a phone. A lot of my 10 year old's friends have cell phones ...... and yes he tries about once a month to talk his dad and I into getting him one. Not gonna happen.

My boys who have phones have been told, if you wouldn't say something to someone in person, don't say it over the phone, or text it. They know that at any time their dad and I can ask to see their phone and look through it. They also know if I see all messages deleted, the phone is mine.

[HotWireD]

My boys who have phones have been told, if you wouldn't say something to someone in person, don't say it over the phone, or text it. They know that at any time their dad and I can ask to see their phone and look through it. They also know if I see all messages deleted, the phone is mine.

I think this is the wise option - just like the internet - parental supervision.

[allyoop]

I always thought I would be the one person who would never give their kids cell phones. Well, my 3 boys are 15 and in tenth grade and their grades have been lackluster to say the least. I have tried so many avenues to get them to do the work. Finally, at Christmas I announced a cell phone for anyone who can get and MAINTAIN a 2.0 GPA. 2 of the 3 have achieved that milestone and the 3rd is trying desperately (actually see him doing homework after school). Oh and the phones have no camera and no internet access.

[Buttabean]

I got a phone at age 14 and I shared a plan with my father. This was in 1999, so there were no cameras, Bluetooth, or Internet accessible phones yet-I had the typical Nokia block-phone with the little antenna.
My dad wanted to wait until I was 16 to get me one (for driving, etc.) but I was very active in after-school activities and he wanted me to be able to get a hold of him whenever I needed to. I was only allowed to call 4 numbers unless it was an emergency and send 20 texts a month. Anything else would result in grounding.

[Evanescence]

How young is too young, for a kid to have a cell phone??? There are a couple of twin boys in my Church, both 12. And for Christmas, they both got cell phones. I know kids who are way younger who have cell phones. My question, how young is too young to have a cell phone???

-i-Rog

16..no exceptions...

We've been programmed to believe we NEED these things...

They're just cheap entertainment..and make kids lazy. My kids will laugh at kids that text and worry about their phones...

[Aussie3rddayfan]

16..no exceptions...

We've been programmed to believe we NEED these things...

They're just cheap entertainment..and make kids lazy. My kids will laugh at kids that text and worry about their phones...

Here in Auz we call them mobile phones.

I would probably let my kids (if I had any) get a mobile phone when they entered High School. I would be doing that for safety reasons mainly and ensure a small credit limit. And, of course, if they broke that limit, well, there'd be hell to pay...

[sandie]

No mobile phones until they turn 40. :P

[Evanescence]

Disney movies, Barney, DVD players on the back seats of SUVs and cell phones...all havens for laziness and they act as a baby sitter. Not in my house...

DVD players on the back seats of vehicles? Disabled or busted out with a hammer...

My kids will learn to sit and travel, read books..and/or listen to Bigfoot stories or Evanescence on CD...

[Aussie3rddayfan]

Disney movies, Barney, DVD players on the back seats of SUVs and cell phones...all havens for laziness and they act as a baby sitter. Not in my house...

DVD players on the back seats of vehicles? Disabled or busted out with a hammer...

My kids will learn to sit and travel, read books..and/or listen to Bigfoot stories or Evanescence on CD...

Smart man, E. DVD players on headrests annoy me no end. We live in a society that feels it has to be entertained 24/7. Seriously, if I had kids and they started whinging about that, my response would be simple: "suck it up princess."

[Evanescence]

Smart man, E. DVD players on headrests annoy me no end. We live in a society that feels it has to be entertained 24/7. Seriously, if I had kids and they started whinging about that, my response would be simple: "suck it up princess."

AMEN brother !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[freakysoccer]

i think it all depends on the particular kid...i would say 15 or 16 normally..but starting in the 5th-6th grade i played in the competitive soccer league with kids 3-4 years older than me...we traveled a lot to tournaments and most of the time my parents couldn't be there so they got me a prepaid phone to check in with..

[rossid]

TracFones for three in my family for over a year or so. My wife still saves us money with one because she never uses it.

The 16 and 14 year old boys got one a few months ago. Finally. Work gives me a good discount.

11 year old daughter? No. She does have a friend whose use is VERY limited. Otherwise I say too young.

9 year old? You must be whack.

[princess1087]

I don't see a point in giving one to a kid unless there is a really good reason for it. I got mine at 17 which I bought the phone myself and got my mom a phone with it in exchange for her opening the account. I also paid for more than half the bill myself with my job and I paid for my own texting and whatever I bought as far as ring tones or games. Mine did have a camera, but I used it just for the kids birthdays or if I saw something funny like a road sign, I'd send it to my brother cause we'd always exchange stuff like that. I never sent tasteless pics of myself or videos. I did send regular pics of myself to the boyfriend I got afterwards just randomly of me making stupid faces and stuff because we didn't get to see each other that often.
For my daughter, she'll have to pay her part of the bill or do enough work around the house for it. if she has friends that text, then sure, I'll get a texting package. She'll be 16 or 17 before she gets it though, unless we find good legitimate reason to get it for her otherwise (example, we both now work, so if at any point she has to stay home alone or something, considering we don't intend to get a land line here).

[prayercloth sis]

:D We were thinking about getting our 12 year old a cell for Chrismas....Thank God we didn't......

We made our sons wait until they could pay their bill....and I think we are going to do the same with our daughter.....I just think anything under 16 is too young...they can acess the internet....and much much more on cell phones now....and I personally want to keep my children as innocent as long as I can....they already ....have been exposed to more than what I would like just from schooling...

no disrespect towards anyone...just my strict....and old fashioned thoughts...lol...

Rhonie:P

[R. Smith]

I'm old, and I got my 1st cell phone a year ago. Its a pay and talk. But when I worked @ a pizza place, every kid I worked with, had a cell phone. It kinda puzzled me.

[Mr.Supervious]

haha i'm 14 and i have a cell phone lol..sorry guys ;) haha

[ThirdDayGirl]

I think that the parents should concider why does their kid need a phone? I'm 14 and I don't have one because I don't need one! And what I cant stand is when everyone goes around talking on their cells. I think that they mainly should be for emergancy, but a little fun talking is OK to a limit.

[Gaudete]

Our girls got their phones at 12. That's how old they were when they started staying home by themselves. The phones, at that age, were for communication with us, mainly. Now that they're older, they use the phones for the typical teenage things. I have no complaints. We obviously monitor the usage, and check the phones randomly for inappropriate things (none found thus far). The phones are also good for grounding purposes! Nothing scares them worse than the threat of being grounded from their cells.