Cell Phones for Teens / Tweens.....

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I chose "other". My son got his first cell phone the Christmas he was 9 because he really really really wanted it. It was a super cheap pay as you go, and I bought him a bunch of minutes, and told him he could get more the following Christmas -- but, predictably, it didn't last that long and was left at a friend's house and disappeared.

He's now 11 and will go to Middle School this fall, and will have a new cell phone. I told him I'd pay for the most basic pay as you go, so he's doing chores and saving his allowance for a fancier one. We'll see how much he saves.

In Middle School he'll be riding his bike back and forth. He'll also be coming home to an empty apartment, and will be taking the dog out for a walk. I'd like for him to have a phone with him at those times.

 

[tiggerlover]

My son is 13 (soon to be 14) and in 8th grade. DS got his phone the summer before 6th grade (middle school). The reason for this is because middle school did not start until 9pm and DS was going to be responsible for getting himself on the bus in the morning. His phone was a basic phone with no texting and it served him well the first couple of years. We upgraded our service last summer and decided to add texting to the family plan. DS has not abused his privilege so we do not regret getting him a cell phone at all, if anything it gives me peace of mind because I can reach him when I need him.

 

[descovy]

Three 4th grade girls in my girl scout troop have one (out of 10). We won't let them use them during meetings, but my co-leader allowed them to bring them on an overnight trip (thinking it would ease parent's minds)

OMG! A nightmare. They'd sit back and text each other. Then a couple got in a squabble. Now they were "tattling" to mom back home that "she" did this to me... ugh...

The parents weren't much better. One girl asked me to hold her phone at one point (about 2 hours) it kept going off with silly, non-important "chit-chat" texts from mommy.

I may consider a phone at Junior high... but for my family, certaintly not now.

One girl asked me why my daughter doesn't have one. I said she doesn't need one. "What if she needs to call someone?" She uses MY phone...

 

[Tinijocaro]

Maybe I am over protective, but even with a phone, my child would not be doing this.

You might be right-this sounds a bit overprotective to me for a 12 year old. I suppose it depends how far the ride is, what type of town you live in...maturity level of the child.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

The reason for this is because middle school did not start until 9pm . . . .

Please don't let my son, who thinks he's 1/2 vampire, hear about this school, he'd be in heaven sleeping all day and going to school at 9 p.m..

I assume this was a typo, but it's kind of a funny one.

 

[robinb]

My 10-year old has a cell phone. We bought her one last December so we could keep in contact with her at WDW in case we were separated. She also uses it for her after school activities (dancing and swimming). I can call her if I'm running late and she can call me if she gets out early. It also comes in quite handy when she and a friend wants to go to the local park, or when she wants to walk home with friends instead of taking the bus or when she wants to stop by a friend's house on the way home. The advantages far outweigh any disadvantages for now.

ETA: I got her a $25 Verizon phone from Wal*Mart but the service is from Page Plus Cellular (http://www.pagepluscellular.com/). The service is great with a longer time between topping up. My DD doesn't use her phone often and I would have had a pay a LOT more or to add her to my AT&T plan or with other pre-pay plans where you need to top up every 45-90 days. Page Plus top up is every 120 days! The Howard Forums: http://www.howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=364 is a great resource for learning more about Page Plus.

 

[rszdtrvl]

My son has a Virgin Mobile phone. We only pay $20 every 3 months for his plan. He has $60 in credits on it still, because he rarely uses it.

We just upgraded his phone though, to one with a QWERTY keyboard, so I am sure he will be texting soon. His old phone (a TNT! flip phone) was just not cool enough, LOL.

He is very active in sports and school activities. He is in track right now and calls me when he gets back from a meet (sometimes they arrive earlier or later than anticipated). Plus when he is at dances, he calls me when he wants to come home and calls me when he is almost at the school to pick him up after school trips.

I feel very comfortable with him having a cell phone.

 

[eduk8r26]

We have an 11-year-old 6th grader who recently got a cell phone. He is now in middle school and the main reason was I got rid of our landline. HIs mom wanted to be able to contact him after school if there was no one home.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I voted "yes" because my 9-year-old has one.

 

[powellrj]

My DD got her first cell phone when she started middle school. We had too many times that things either went longer than planned or ended earlier so it was better to be safe than sorry.

I don't think of it as a status symbol at all. She just has a go-phone and its really pretty cheap piece of mind.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

I often wonder, after reading these threads, if my mother was ever "nervous" or "worried" or lived without "peace of mind," as so many on here have claimed.

When I was 12, I had long sports practices, rode my bike all over creation, went to friends' houses, etc. The same as kids do today. I didn't have a cell phone.

As to the whole "safety" issue, I don't think there are any more safety issues today than there were years ago, just more media.

My DD & DS aren't at that age yet, but I see how my 14 year old niece and her friends abuse their cell phone privileges and it really sours me on the whole thing.

I also don't buy the whole, "texting is how kids communicate." They don't have to. It's only that way because they're being allowed to do that. When kids can't even communicate face-to-face anymore, what does that say about us? As a society we are forever moving towards isolating ourselves through technology, and it kind of saddens me.

I'm a huge tech junkie (work in I.T.), but the whole cellphone/texting allure escapes me.

 

[java]

My daughter got her cell phone at 10- she was in the school play(middle school) and when practice was over they would just dump them outside. So if it ended early she was outside ALONE! With the varying schedule of the play I felt like she needed one.
And since her brother was 13 at the time I got him one then too although he really didn't need one. But I thought it wasn't fair to get one for the younger and not the older. So he benefitted from her active schedule.

 

[robinb]

I often wonder, after reading these threads, if my mother was ever "nervous" or "worried" or lived without "peace of mind," as so many on here have claimed.

When I was 12, I had long sports practices, rode my bike all over creation, went to friends' houses, etc. The same as kids do today. I didn't have a cell phone.

As to the whole "safety" issue, I don't think there are any more safety issues today than there were years ago, just more media.

I didn't have a cell phone either because there were no cell phones when I was a kid. Heck, there weren't even any cordless phones and I remember having a rotary phone when I was in elementary school.

I am perhaps one of the least "worried" or "nervous" parents on the DIS and I actively roll my eyes over the "Better Safe Than Sorry" parenting mentality. My DD has a cell phone for my convenience. For instance, at 10 many BSTS parents wouldn't let their kid go to the park alone. I don't want to go to the park and watch my 10-year old play, so the cell phone goes with her so I can call her and tell her to come home. My DD starts middle school next year and there is no longer any bus service to/from school. I don't want to have to pick her up from school every day and the cell phone allows her some more freedom while still keeping in touch. Instead of borrowing a phone to call home to tell me that she stopped at a friend's house she call call her self.

If you don't want to give your kids cell phones, that is certainly your prerogative. But please don't paint all of us who do as over-protective helicopter parents.

 

[golfgal]

I often wonder, after reading these threads, if my mother was ever "nervous" or "worried" or lived without "peace of mind," as so many on here have claimed.

When I was 12, I had long sports practices, rode my bike all over creation, went to friends' houses, etc. The same as kids do today. I didn't have a cell phone.

As to the whole "safety" issue, I don't think there are any more safety issues today than there were years ago, just more media.

My DD & DS aren't at that age yet, but I see how my 14 year old niece and her friends abuse their cell phone privileges and it really sours me on the whole thing.

I also don't buy the whole, "texting is how kids communicate." They don't have to. It's only that way because they're being allowed to do that. When kids can't even communicate face-to-face anymore, what does that say about us? As a society we are forever moving towards isolating ourselves through technology, and it kind of saddens me.

I'm a huge tech junkie (work in I.T.), but the whole cellphone/texting allure escapes me.

I have 3 teenagers and texting has in no way hampered their ability to communicate face to face. It is no different then when we were teens and would hang on the phone for hours at a time. Yes, some kids are allowed to text at inappropriate times but that is a parenting issue, not a texting issue by any means. Texting IS how kids organize their social life. Our kids frequently get text messages about going to a movie, going to dairy queen, meeting at a friend's house, etc. It is an efficient way to get the word out. Those that do not have texting usually are left out because the kids just don't always remember to call those without text capabilities because those kids are few and far between.

 

[mjkacmom]

I didn't have a cell phone either because there were no cell phones when I was a kid. Heck, there weren't even any cordless phones and I remember having a rotary phone when I was in elementary school.

I am perhaps one of the least "worried" or "nervous" parents on the DIS and I actively roll my eyes over the "Better Safe Than Sorry" parenting mentality. My DD has a cell phone for my convenience. For instance, at 10 many BSTS parents wouldn't let their kid go to the park alone. I don't want to go to the park and watch my 10-year old play, so the cell phone goes with her so I can call her and tell her to come home. My DD starts middle school next year and there is no longer any bus service to/from school. I don't want to have to pick her up from school every day and the cell phone allows her some more freedom while still keeping in touch. Instead of borrowing a phone to call home to tell me that she stopped at a friend's house she call call her self.

If you don't want to give your kids cell phones, that is certainly your prerogative. But please don't paint all of us who do as over-protective helicopter parents.

This is how I feel, too. I'm probably one of the lest overprotective moms I know (I feel no reason why my 1st and 3rd graders can't walk to school without me), and I feel like the cellphone is a huge convinience to me, one which I'm sure my mom would've loved to have. Sure, I survived without a cellphone (and internet, a tool I use a lot, same as a cellphone), and my parents survived without cable, and my grandparents survived without television. When my children are adults, I'm sure they will have technology that I never had.

Anyone remember party lines, where a bunch of people shared the same land line?

 

[Toad_Passenger]

If you don't want to give your kids cell phones, that is certainly your prerogative. But please don't paint all of us who do as over-protective helicopter parents.

That wasn't my intention at all. I apologize if it came off that way.

 

[design_mom]

I voted "no" because my son (who isn't quite 10, but will be in a couple months) doesn't have a cell phone and has never asked for one. But nearly all the kids on his hockey team (10 and 11 year olds) have them.

I do not think my child needs one right now, but I can see getting him one at some point in the future. When he goes to his friends' houses, I often send my phone with him. A bunch of boys play together and often move from house to house. I don't mind him being at any of those boys houses, but I want to be able to reach him without calling all over the neighborhood. And he can call me and say "we're going to Jacob's" without bothering anyone else.

Hockey practice usually begins and ends on time...and I usually stay (because I like to watch) although not every parent stays. However, if a child *needed* to call someone during practice, they'd have to borrow a cell phone or ask to use the rink phone. There is no pay phone. (I'm not sure what the "policy" is for using the rink phone either.)

To be perfectly honest, I don't "need" a cell phone either, but I enjoy the convenience of having one. I don't plan to get my son one in the near future, but if he starts spending a lot of time away from home (friends/practices, etc.), I would consider it. Not so much "for him" but as a convenience for me, so I can get ahold of him when I want to and/or I can expect him to get ahold of me if plans change, etc.

 

[robinb]

That wasn't my intention at all. I apologize if it came off that way.

Thanks .

 

[Mickey's Minion]

Yes, my teen(13) has a cell phone. He has had it since he was 8, although at that time it really was just an extra phone.

He has unlimited texting and data, as does every other middle schooler he hangs out with. 99% of the kids in his school are extremely responsible. The 1% who abuse their privileges give middle schoolers the bad name that there is sexting, bullying, etc. I personally have never seen any of this and I am in a middle school every single day. I have heard of isolated incidents of sexting, but like most bad things teens do, it is very limited and with the worst of kids. Most kids I know are very, very aware that this is against the law.

He plays lots of sports, he rides his bike everywhere. His friends do text mainly to coordinate impromptu football or basketball games at the town fields or the school. And no, they don't sit down and call 20 or 30 kids. They send out a group text and whoever shows up, shows up.

Does he absolutely need one? Nope. It is pure convenience and the fact that we like to live in the present and not the past. The monthly fee for his phone is less than the Club Penguin and/or Xbox live membership.

I love it when parents say "I got along without one just fine." Well, my ancestors also got along just fine without indoor plumbing. I find indoor plumbing more convenient. I find Word on my laptop more convenient than the IBM Selectric I wrote my first term papers on. I don't miss white out at all! I love my microwave and my DVR. Do I need any of these things? Nope, but they sure make life more convenient.

And, most parents conveniently forget that pay phones were on every corner back then. I never left my house without my dime or quarter, knowing I could call my parents if needed. Try to find a pay phone now. None of my kids sporting venues have payphones. The town pool does not allow kids to use the office phone except for medical emergencies. Lightning - tough luck. The football field -no pay phone in the immediate area. Even at the schools - the office doors are locked at 4pm and no phones are available for after school activities

Another thing, my pet peeve - The parents who forbid their kids to have cell phones, yet when the storm rolls in at that soccer practice and it is canceled early, these same parents fully expect others to allow their forbidden children to borrow somebody else's phone, use minutes that they are not paying for, to call to pick them up. If your child has ever needed to borrow a cell phone, even just once, then your child needs their own phone. My kids will never have to ask to use somebody else's minutes. Some of my kid's friends have a set limit of minutes they can use each month, so it is absolutely not fair to expect them to pay for my child's needs. That is akin to just asking them to hand your child 50 cents or a dollar.

Another convenience is when they are at friends. I can call them directly to come home and not have to bother the family. My child can call home if he is not having fun, he doesn't like the behavior, etc without having to humiliate himself by asking to use the home phones. I will never put my child in the position of having to ask a parent to use the house phone if there is risky behavior going on that he is uncomfortable with. To many well meaning parents want to know why you are calling home, as they take it personally when a kid wants to go home early. They feel like perhaps they are not being good hosts. I can see the conversation now:

Kid: May I please use your phone
Parent: Why dear?
Kid: I need to call my mom
Parent: Anything wrong?
Kid: Yeah, your kid just lit up a joint downstairs and I want to go home.

Or, how many well meaning parents would say "Honey, why don't you just go back downstairs, your mom will be here pretty soon." Nope, again, I want it to be convenient for my child to get out of situations that are uncomfortable for him.

So, does my kid need one? Nope. But life is so much more convenient with him having one. It is the 21st century, not the 1960's, or '70's or even '80's. Cell phones are part of our lives and you can either embrace the technology and teach your child how to use it responsibly just like any changes or you can sit there, be a fuddy duddy and fight it and say "I didn't need it when I was a kid."

 

[descovy]

My son has a Virgin Mobile phone. We only pay $20 every 3 months for his plan. He has $60 in credits on it still, because he rarely uses it.

We just upgraded his phone though, to one with a QWERTY keyboard, so I am sure he will be texting soon. His old phone (a TNT! flip phone) was just not cool enough, LOL.

He is very active in sports and school activities. He is in track right now and calls me when he gets back from a meet (sometimes they arrive earlier or later than anticipated). Plus when he is at dances, he calls me when he wants to come home and calls me when he is almost at the school to pick him up after school trips.

I feel very comfortable with him having a cell phone.

Hehe... my dh carries the Virgin TNT flip phone... and he's 38! It does exactly what he wants it to... make calls when away from home/office.

I guess he's too old to worry about whats cool...