What age for a cell phone? - Page 2

[Marsupialmom]

At that age a cell phone can be a status symbol. Heck even for a 30 yr old they can be a status symbol.

On the other hand they can be useful also. As you let them have freedoms it is something that makes it easier for them to check in. The few times dh have gone out and left our children at my mil’s house it was nice to know he had a phone (in case of emergency) on hand. When he rides his bike around the corner he has one in his pocket.

We have Virgin Mobile, a pay as you go service. From some of the stories we have heard we decided that is what our children will get when they actually get their own phones. This way they are paying the bills. Even if there are no minutes on them they can still call 911 in an emergency.

[Colorful~Mama]

My daughter will be turning 15 in October and I've gotten her a tracphone as her big gift. The phone cost me $25 and included 100 minutes of phone time. After that, she has to buy her own minute with her own money. She talks and uses her minutes up and has no money? then she has to wait till she can afford more minutes. I'm not against her having a phone for safety reasons. She does spend some time now away from me and it would be nice to be able to reach her wherever she is. She is and has always been very responsible about finding a pay phone and calling if she's out at the mall with her friends and of course from her friends homes.

Dh and I both have tracfones also - they're for emergencies or quick calls only so we buy minutes and then we watch our minutes closely. My phone is for "hey. pick up some eggs ok?" or "i'm running late can you pick up c from school?" and once in a while for "i just wanted to tell you i'm sorry" or "i love you when will you be home". Theres no chatting away on a cell phone to friends and no chatting while driving and all that. So i think she'll be responsible enough to have this. She can use her babysitting money to buy herself minutes and when she goes to the mall on a saturday i can reach her. Or if she's walking to a friends house or if she misses the bus at school she can call and tell me she's walking home instead of having to go all the way back onto campus. Or after wednesday night teen ministry at church she can call if she gets a ride home (or needs me to pick her up) without having to track someone down with a cell phone or trek to the church office to call me.

She is going to flip when she gets it too. lol. I've told her absolutely not since she was 12 She's been very responsible around here with her grades, her church activities, her chores, her friends, helping care for her siblings. This will be a great fun gift for her and will let her know that I feel she is responsible. Plus she'll be managing her own money and time which is educational.

and yes, she can dial 911 even if there are no minutes on it.

[khrisday]

My kids are only 8 and 5, so way too young IMHO to have phones, but I am currently living with a 15 year iold niece who has a cell phone that is the endless supply of problems. I can't even begin to name them all, but soem of them include text messaging her boyfriend in the middle of the night to meet him for sex, running up huge phone bills, using it when she is not supposed to be, being rude with it (using it when people are trying to talk to her), having to bring it with her everywhere, losing it, not answering it when her mom calls, etc.
Anyway, I don't think kids need cell phones. I can't imagine either of my children in a place with no access to a phone without an adult around. When they get jobs and can pay for phones themselves, they can have them, but I don't think we will be buying them.

[Dar]

Originally Posted by mom2radata

I second the thought that cell phones are vulgar.

Cell phones are a tool, it's people who can be vulgar.

Yesterday I spent 7 hours or so on a date with a single dad. We spent a couple hours at a cafe, more hours at a fair, and time driving around. Rain called me twice on my cell (she was at home, nominally in the care of our neighbors but mostly just at home), once to ask me to get some milk on my way home and once to see when I would be home. His daughter called when she got home from school to sing him a sing she'd learned, and one of his sons called to clarify the rules on a video game issue. I think we both appreciate having that connection with our kids. Luckily there was no emergency, but if one of them had broken an arm or something, it would have been really useful - I know, because when Rain broke her arm she wasn't with me and I didn't have a cell.

I think we're modeling appropriate cell phone usage for our kids. We excuse ourselves to take or make a call, we turn off the phones in theaters or other quiet places, etc. I don't see any inappropriate cell phone stuff from Rain...

Dar

[khrisday]

But Dar, it's YOU who had need of the cell phone in this case- not your daughter or your dates kids. They were at home, with use of a phone. I don't know, I just wanted to point out the difference since this is a discussion about kids and cell phones.

[lilyka]

I am not catagorically opposed to them but since I don't have a plan to add my child to they would have to pay for it themselves. Also they would have to pay for the phone because I know it will get broken. My dh isn't even responsible enough to make a phone last more than year . cryin' shame really. Also i think it would be ore likely that we would get a family phone or two and all share them. But I do think it is great thing for a kid to have on them when they are out and about. I would really worry about my dd talking on it while driving but we have a long time befire they will be getting drivers liscences. We wil be facing the cell phone question much earlier.

[sylviamama]

I guess I was thinking something similar as mom2radata - I got along fine without a cell phone growing up, and am still doing allright without one at 31! So why does dsd need one? Because her mother and her friends have them....?

You're right that people are vulgar, not the cell phone itself, Dar, but if everything else is an indicator, I fear dsd may be one of those vulgar users. I'm just wondering how long we can hold off on her having one, and what parameters to set so our annoyance at said anticipated vulgarity is minimized... My SIL suggested we get it for her first so the parameters set by us might hold more weight than if her mother got it for her - but we don't have a plan to add on to.

[skj474]

Glad this thread is here I have been thinking about getting DD a cell phone, only for emergenies, gonna be late and so forth. She is almost 12 and a lot of her friends have them (at which I was VERY surprised at). I KNOW she is going to use it for other than what it is for, afterall she and her friends LOVE to talk on he phone!!

[TiredX2]

My DD is 5 and already "ready" for one. She is willing to wait until she is 7, lol.

We have a family plan where each phone is only $10 extra a month, so I just might go for it. We homeschool and she takes extracurriculur classes. So far, I just wait outside the class but when she is old enough to stay the length of my class I think I will want her to have one. It would make her feel a lot safer which makes me feel better about leaving her.

She also loves calling her Nana & Poppa (and uncles--- they are all on the same plan & calling is free between that brand of phones) and grandparents on the phone which is nice since we don't see them often.

[aka_angelz]

i dont know when the right age would b but my little sis is 12 n shes had her fone 4 like 2 years!shes a straight a student n just git a pic fone like mine.i think that as long as the kids want it,deserve it,dont misuse it its ok to get them a cell.theytre good 4 emergencies