Cell phone for a 12 year old?

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

I want to get my son a cellphone. I don't want him to be able to access the internet or to be able to call a whole bunch of people. I want to use it as a tool to keep us in touch if plans change or there is an emergency, something like that. Any suggestions of what I should look for in a plan and phone for that age?

[karne]

My dd has the LG Cosmos Touch, which was free for us w/ our plan. She loves it, and it's quite easy to use.  She is added to our family plan for $10/month.  We find that we primarily are texting with her re:keeping in touch for pick ups, change of plans, etc.  She also texts with friends rather than calling for the most part, but it hasn't been excessive.

Some folks use Tracphones, which we considered, but our current plan is fitting us well.

[amnesiac]

Our dd turns 12 this week & we got her a phone for her bday. Primarily because she's starting to become a little more social & has started doing things more independently so dh decided he needed to be able to have a direct line to her. We did consider a prepaid but it's also only $10/month to add her to our family plan. We have unlimited texting which is what our kids primarily do anyhow. I think we have the option to add parental controls for an additional monthly fee but we haven't found that necessary with our boys. My boys are hard on their phones so I'd say to get something durable. Dh got her a Pantech Impact - not sure why other than he could get one in pink.

[TiredX2]

DD also got a phone for her 12th birthday.  She wanted a texting phone and got a Samsung Gravity 3.  Unlimited calling & texting, we don't let her use the web. It's not been a problem so far.

[karne]

Yes, we also have access to a lot of parental controls, but haven't used them because it hasn't really been an issue.  I would say that there has been a learning curve around what gets texted, and how quickly messages that are texted can take off.  But we've had the same conversation about respecting privacy, being courteous, no matter what form the communication.