At what age is it appropriate to give your child a cell phone?

[AnnieEMT]

My older kids were in high school when they got theirs. By the time my youngest had started middle school, I was back to work full time & we got rid of the landline, so he got his a little younger -- I think it's whatever makes sense for your family as opposed to a specific age

 

[golfgal]

We got my DS one when he was 13 and a half and starting 8th grade. His phone texts and calls ~ that's it. Unless they are paying for it themselves, a teenager does not need a data plan.

Our DD (turns 10 in a few weeks) has asked when she will be getting a cell phone. One of her friends got one when she was 7. Uh, no. Her parents have questionable parenting skills to begin with.

For now, the answer is the "at the same time your brother got one ~ the start of 8th grade."

The "well everyone else does it/has it, so why can't I?" argument goes nowhere with me.

Good luck on your next phone purchase, pretty much every phone out there requires a data plan now.

I'm very 19th century when it comes to technology, so I'm embarrassed to say, I'll have to google this to see what it is!!

It is an Ipod Touch. It looks kind of like a cell phone but you can't make calls from it.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

I'm going to have 4 kids in middle school next year. No one has a cell phone yet. I'm lucky, I guess, but no one has brought up that they want/need one.

I'm a SAHM and there our several hall phones at school for them to use, as needed.

I think it's up to the family situation.

 

[msjprincess]

Good luck on your next phone purchase, pretty much every phone out there requires a data plan now.



It is an Ipod Touch. It looks kind of like a cell phone but you can't make calls from it.

That's not true. Just a quick search of Verizon's website, they list 30 smartphones and 22 feature phones

 

[mjkacmom]

At our home, around 10. This is when they're spending hours at dance class, sports practices, play rehearsals, etc., and are roaming a bit without adults, plus walking to and from school. We have unlimited texting, and no rules. No one has abused them, dd10 keeps hers downstairs unless she's going somewhere without me, and if the older kids want to stay up all night talking (not that they talk on them), they'll be tired the next day (I had my own landline back in the day, and have fond memories of talking all night).

They're not the cool luxury item that they were in the past - most kids have them by 6th grade here (I'm old, and got my first one at 25, and it was LARGE!).

 

[golfgal]

That's not true. Just a quick search of Verizon's website, they list 30 smartphones and 22 feature phones

Yep, and most of those feature phones require a data plan because they have internet capabilities. They have a $10/month data plan that most of these phones use. Read the fine print.

 

[luvsJack]

Dd has had her phone for 2 years, since she was 10. She has lost phone privileges twice and both times were for talking back.

She doesn't run up a bill, she doesn't talk on it past 9:00 and in the rare instance that she gets a text after 9/before she goes to sleep, she answers them with a short answer and a "good night, talk to you tomorrow" so that they know she can't talk.

Her service is unlimited texts and 700 minutes a month with free mobile to mobile, so no problem with paying for individual texts and she rarely talks on the phone to use her minutes-calls to me, her dad and her brothers are free.

She got a phone at 10 because it made MY life easier and her happy.

I would say that the "need" factor is going to be different for everyone.


I tend to agree with golfgal on this one, a phone is the one thing that I can see getting your kid because "everyone else has one". Parents need to remember what its like being a kid and socialization is a HUGE part of that. Being able to communicate with your friends, keep up with activities, etc are all important to them.

Besides, if your child doesn't have a cell and you let them go anywhere like the movies or such without an adult, how are they supposed to get you if they need you?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Good luck on your next phone purchase, pretty much every phone out there requires a data plan now.

Yep. You are forced to buy one on ebay, craigslist, Best Buy, WalMart, Target, etc....

We already are looking at them because dh needs a new phone and we do not want a data plan.

 

[SaraJayne]

Good luck on your next phone purchase, pretty much every phone out there requires a data plan now.



It is an Ipod Touch. It looks kind of like a cell phone but you can't make calls from it.

No, it doesn't. All three of us (myself, DH and DS) have brand new phones through US Cellular that don't require data packages.

We aren't willing to pay for something we won't need/use.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Yep, and most of those feature phones require a data plan because they have internet capabilities. They have a $10/month data plan that most of these phones use. Read the fine print.

10 bucks? Really? I might have to look into that.We have ATT.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

No, it doesn't. All three of us (myself, DH and DS) have brand new phones through US Cellular that don't require data packages.

We aren't willing to pay for something we won't need/use.

Does it have a QWERTY keyboard? How much were they?

 

[DeniseinNS]

How old are your kids? Once they hit middle school age, practice doesn't always just end at 5:00 any more. How about when they go out of town for competitions? There can be an hour give or take on the return time. Are you going to sit in the parking lot for 2 hours waiting for your kid to get home. It sure is a heck of a lot easier to have them call when they are 10 minutes from school and say "we are almost here"

My oldest is 9 1/2 and in grade 3. Middle School (Jr High here) doesn't start until grade 7 so that's a few years away for us still but when she gets to that point I will give her MY cell phone if they happen to have out of town competitions, but we live in a fairly large city so any stuff through school is usually in the nearby area and anything else we would take her too ourselves to watch her compete.

I don't want my kids to become addicted to their cell phones like so many kids and adults are these days. I work in a restaurant and it's shocking how many people sit talking or texting on their phones when they should be interacting with their families, it's really quite sad,

 

[golfgal]

10 bucks? Really? I might have to look into that.We have ATT.

I think "officially" it is $9.99 . It is limited and DD did go over her usage the first month because we didn't really know that. Basically they said that as long as you aren't uploading photos to Facebook from the phone, most kids are fine. We are with Verizon. Everything else around here stinks for coverage. I was at DS16's golf tournament on Monday and one of the other kids' Dad was there and could not get his phone to work, AT&T. He found one spot where he got a signal, my phone worked everywhere on the course.

 

[SaraJayne]

Does it have a QWERTY keyboard? How much were they?

Yes, they have a qwerty keyboard. They were free with our plan.

We've had US Cellular for almost 15 years and I don't have one single complaint about them.

I've only had a couple calls dropped in that time (when I drove behind a hill or something similiar), and the customer service is great.

I'd highly recommend US Cellular, if they are available in your area.

 

[momof1princess]

DD13 got a kajeet cell phone for Christmas in 2009; she was 12. we put her on our at&t plan in september of 2010, because the kajeet phone rarely ever had service-kajeet uses the sprint network. poor kid was always wandering the house and yard, looking for a signal, just to send a quick text.
LOVE the at&t phone-DD is in band, ballet and basketball, and she can always get in touch with me to pick her up. that's mainly why we got her a phone, because i didn't want her to be stranded somewhere waiting on me, if a practice or rehearsal was finished early. she's very responsible and we're really pleased with the service.

 

[mjkacmom]

My oldest is 9 1/2 and in grade 3. Middle School (Jr High here) doesn't start until grade 7 so that's a few years away for us still but when she gets to that point I will give her MY cell phone if they happen to have out of town competitions, but we live in a fairly large city so any stuff through school is usually in the nearby area and anything else we would take her too ourselves to watch her compete.

I don't want my kids to become addicted to their cell phones like so many kids and adults are these days. I work in a restaurant and it's shocking how many people sit talking or texting on their phones when they should be interacting with their families, it's really quite sad,

Not having your own cellphone in middle school (at least here) is like not having a landline when we were growing up. It's how all plans are made. No one is going to text someone's parent! And no, there are very few children special enough to receive a phone call on their parent's landline. They will really be out of the loop. Sure, some kids are addicted (the same way some kids spent hours and hours on their landlline back in the day). That's why they have parents to guide them. You will not be seeing any of my kids whipping out their phones at the dinnner table or restaurant here!

 

[luvsJack]

My oldest is 9 1/2 and in grade 3. Middle School (Jr High here) doesn't start until grade 7 so that's a few years away for us still but when she gets to that point I will give her MY cell phone if they happen to have out of town competitions, but we live in a fairly large city so any stuff through school is usually in the nearby area and anything else we would take her too ourselves to watch her compete.

I don't want my kids to become addicted to their cell phones like so many kids and adults are these days. I work in a restaurant and it's shocking how many people sit talking or texting on their phones when they should be interacting with their families, it's really quite sad,

Having a cell phone does not equal being addicted to one. Dd uses hers when she goes places with friends or to a friend's house. She does get/receive texts in the evenings. But she doesn't keep her phone in her hand or even by her side. Lots of evenings she gets busy doing other things and doesn't even think about her phone or where it is. She likes to communicate but its not an "addiction".

Besides, I remember being middle school and I remember thinking I "had to have" that land line phone. If the phone's went out for some reason--OMG!! It was the END OF THE WORLD!! All just a part of growing up.

 

[DawnM]

I think the right age is whenever they start being away from you and may need to have them contact you.

Dawn

 

[bethbuchall]

It all depends on the family's and individual child's situation. It also depends on how you define "appropriate."

I must admit, it drives me nuts when one friend of mine talks about how kids don't need cell phones and then expects that her child will be able to use someone else's cell phone to call when there are changes in practice times, etc.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

It all depends on the family's and individual child's situation. It also depends on how you define "appropriate."

I must admit, it drives me nuts when one friend of mine talks about how kids don't need cell phones and then expects that her child will be able to use someone else's cell phone to call when there are changes in practice times, etc.

I know, right? They are called moochers.