Cell Phone for Teens

[clm3]

We're looking into getting DS a phone, he turns 14 next week. Was hoping to get some feedback from other parents, should we get him the pay as you go OR add him to our family plan ?? I kinda worry about adding him to our plan as he could go "crazy" with texting and calling. I like the idea of being able to control his minutes. I definitely want Verizon so he can call us for free.

 

[Christine]

I added my DD to our plan (Cingular). I put parental controls on the phone, so no texting is allowed. That seems to be what gets the kids into trouble--the texting. I've heard horror stories. Just get the phone and have Verizon block texting on his phone. See how responsible he is and then, if you're feeling brave, you can unblock the texting.

 

[debabe723]

I got my DS a phone when he was 13 and he's been very responsible with it. We have Verizon and I just added him to my plan. We don't do texting so I don't have to worry about that and he mostly uses his minutes on the weekends, when they are unlimited. I think we have 500 combined minutes per month and we've never gone over, mostly because he calls me more than anyone. If by chance your son did go crazy, I'd just take it away until he could deal with it.
This has been my experience. HTH

Deb

 

[Marseeya]

I'm happy with our shared plan. We've had some bumps in the road with it, but overall it's been nice. I showed him how to get online and check how many minutes we've been using so he won't go over. (that happened once)

 

[AMcaptured]

Add him to your plan.

 

[wdwmom2]

I added my DD to our plan (Cingular). I put parental controls on the phone, so no texting is allowed. That seems to be what gets the kids into trouble--the texting. I've heard horror stories. Just get the phone and have Verizon block texting on his phone. See how responsible he is and then, if you're feeling brave, you can unblock the texting.

Yes, DD14 is one of those horror stories!!!! First month with a cell phone, last June, and she went over her texting by about 700!!!!!!!!! She had a text plan for 100 messages for $2.99. It cost us about $100.00 for her text overage if you add on the taxes and fees. We immediately blocked her texting, no incoming or outgoing. She just got her texting back about 2 weeks ago. She now has a plan that is 600 texts for $7.99 I think. I monitor it VERY closely. She knows that if she goes over that she will lose her text and NEVER get it back. She does fine with the minutes. But then how can you find time to talk if you are doing 800 + texts in one month ?!?!

 

[ILUVMYBRIT]

We started DS with a pay as you go. He is 12 and has had one since he was 11. He has done very well with it and was just added to my ex's family plan. We all have Cingular so he can call me for free as well as his dad. He is alone with his 7 year old sister everyday and I have always felt better about them having a phone to call us whenever they need.

 

[curlyjbs]

Sorry but i just don't understand the purpose of texting! I cant think of 1 good reason that kids NEED texting on the cell phone.

Seems like a big waste of money to me.

It's blocked on my kids phone.

~Connie

 

[Twinkles6892]

Sorry but i just don't understand the purpose of texting! I cant think of 1 good reason that kids NEED texting on the cell phone.

Seems like a big waste of money to me.

It's blocked on my kids phone.

~Connie

It's really convenient in school. Where you're not supposed to have phones out. But, um, you're less likely to get caught than notes, and you can go from class to class. But I have trac fone, so I use a half credit for every outgoing and ingoing text, so I'm really careful about how much I talk and text. I really don't want to spend my whole paycheck everyweek on minutes.

 

[golfgal]

We have DS13 on our plan. The agreement was that if he used too many minutes he paid for the phones, ALL OF THEM. He has used about 50 minutes in the past 2 years total. I don't think he text messages or if he does he doesn't use enough to go over what ever is allowed on our plan because they don't show up on the bill. I don't understand the text messaging either.

 

[DisTeach1]

Sorry, but I'm a middle school teacher and a mother of a 12 year old and I see no reason why kids need to text or even call unlimited on cell phones. I bought my son a "Migo" from Verizon. There are 4 speed dial buttons on it that he can call. He can call my cell, my husband's cell, our home line, and his grandparents. That's all he needs for safety. Anything else is unnecessary in my opinion. He shares my minutes. Anyone can call him, but no one does, at least not yet.

 

[clm3]

Wow, I didn't know you could block Texting from the phones. I doubt he would ever use it, but then you never know. I think we'll add him to our plan and see how the "trust" factor goes.

Isn't it bizarre how times have changed !! Who would think you'd need to get a cell phone for a 14yr old .... kinda scary these times we live in !!

 

[BrerLizzie]

Wow, I didn't know you could block Texting from the phones. I doubt he would ever use it, but then you never know.

He might not, but his friends might! On my plan, incoming messages cost. I have this friend who text messages me all the time and it costs like 10 cents everytime. It's not a lot, but it does add up.

 

[Christine]

Regarding the texting: I just "unblocked" my DD's text capability and bought her 200 text messages for $4.99 (the first month, though, Cingular gave me unlimited). I told my DD that if she went over, she would have it blocked again. So she has been carefully monitoring it. She was pissed off this morning because someone texted HER to ask about the History homework and used her last text for the month. She called him and said "WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST CALL ME?"

She checked her usage and she had used 80 text messages through the month. The rest were sent to her, which takes up her 200. We have to pay for incoming too. Now that I see how much they all text and not for good reasons, I think I will be blocking it again.

 

[golfgal]

Wow, I didn't know you could block Texting from the phones. I doubt he would ever use it, but then you never know. I think we'll add him to our plan and see how the "trust" factor goes.

Isn't it bizarre how times have changed !! Who would think you'd need to get a cell phone for a 14yr old .... kinda scary these times we live in !!

I know for me the decision to get DS a cell phone came for MY convenience! . I drive him to school and pick him up and I got tired of driving to school to pick him up only to have him ask if he could go to a friends house. It also comes in handy when he is away at Cross Country meets or a band something or other. He can call from the bus when they get to town and by the time we get to the school, the bus is pulling up. We used to guess when the bus would get back and go sit in the parking lot of the school and wait. Now we don't have to do that.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Sorry, but I'm a middle school teacher and a mother of a 12 year old and I see no reason why kids need to text or even call unlimited on cell phones. I bought my son a "Migo" from Verizon. There are 4 speed dial buttons on it that he can call. He can call my cell, my husband's cell, our home line, and his grandparents. That's all he needs for safety. Anything else is unnecessary in my opinion. He shares my minutes. Anyone can call him, but no one does, at least not yet.

AMEN!!!!!!!! Good for you!

 

[Christine]

Sorry, but I'm a middle school teacher and a mother of a 12 year old and I see no reason why kids need to text or even call unlimited on cell phones. I bought my son a "Migo" from Verizon. There are 4 speed dial buttons on it that he can call. He can call my cell, my husband's cell, our home line, and his grandparents. That's all he needs for safety. Anything else is unnecessary in my opinion. He shares my minutes. Anyone can call him, but no one does, at least not yet.

When my DD was 12, I was equally as adamant as you about cell phones. I finally got my DD a cell phone this past December (she is almost 15). She has just started high school and attends a school outside of our district (so no reliable bus transportation). She is also in the drama program so for 3-4 nights out 5, she stays after school. And it isn't like elementary school or middle school where they stick to a schedule. She gets out "around 5" which has meant 4:30, 5:00, and last night 6:45. After two months of sitting in the parking lot waiting or having her sitting in the parking lot waiting, we decided that a cell phone would be the best way to go.

I will tell you that her and one other girl were the *last* girls in her group to get a phone--it is rampant. But, it has been a lifesaver for *me.* It takes me 25 minutes to get to and from her school each night. I didn't care for sitting in the parking lot for 30 minutes on top of that. The phone has saved me lots of time.

The good news is that my somewhat/sometimes irresponsible DD has not abused it. We get 250 shared free minutes a month plus free weekends and we've never had an over usage event. Now the texting is another matter. No over usage yet, but I'm feeling it is about to happen. Most of the culprits are people texting her and I cannot control that.

 

[mudnuri]

I can't believe some companies charge for incoming text messages. Our companies around here, only charge for outgoing. DBF and I both have unlimited text messages, thankfully. There are many times when you do not have enough signal to make a call, but you can still send a text, or receive one.

DD9 has my old cell phone- it was a prepaid US Cellular phone that I cancelled. For some reason- she can still text message. Not sure why and i've even called US Cellular and confirmed the phone was cancelled...Anyway- she has the phone because it has quite a few games on it, and we found out she could text. I told her that she can not text anyone other than myself, her father, and DBF, and only if she needed us and couldnt reach us by phone. So far, she's been good about it. I think in the 3 weeks since we found out it could text, she's sent me 20 and dbf a couple, and those were because I didnt reply when she text'd me (my phone was off) She cant bring it to school (my rule) and generally will text me when she is at her fathers and needs my permission for something. If she wants to go to a friends house, after she asks dad, she will ask me if it's okay if he doesnt know the parents as well as I do etc.

I'm not sure when she will get a real cell phone, that actually calls, but she is going to middle school next year so I've begun thinking about it. If and when she does, she will be added to either my plan or her fathers, and will have unlimited text messages just as we do. I pay 12.95 for unlimited, which is only $2 more than the 500 plan.

I dont think you'll know how responsible your child is until you get the phone....a lot of kids who are responsible in every other way are very lax when it comes to keeping track on a phone.....its a lesson they all seem to learn the hard way.

I would go prepaid 1st- and see what they do, how they act etc... if they stay within the realms of your phones plan, add them. That way, your not adding another contract to your plan only to find out the phone isnt something your child is ready for???

Brandy

 

[Marseeya]

Brandy, my DD ended up getting my old Tracfone too. She was tickled to death and she's so good about the minutes. She's had around 250 minutes on there for months now.

Although, there was a period of time where her minutes were disappearing and I couldn't figure out why. Turned out, she was going into her room and calling my MIL (heaven forbid my MIL actually call HER), so I put a stop to that. Told her if she wanted to talk to her grandmother, she had to do it from the home phone. We haven't had any problems since.