kids and cell phones

[Pigeon]

I'm currently looking for the most stripped down (no camera and hopefully no texting) prepaid cell phone I can find for my 12 yo, who starts jr. high next month. It is for emergency use only.

 

[pezheadmeg]

I'm currently looking for the most stripped down (no camera and hopefully no texting) prepaid cell phone I can find for my 12 yo, who starts jr. high next month. It is for emergency use only.

T-Mobile has the simple ones on pre-paid. It's $10 every 90 days to keep the phone active and running.


As for the kid 81. It was an x-mas present. I handle the account. My grandmother just has to make sure it's charged.

I got mine in college, but that was when a simple line cost the same as my Blackberry and the extra line I have now.

 

[Tinkerbelle32]

Just got my daughters today from best buy. She just turned 10 last month.

 

[lindsmom]

3

Sure, but when you were 17, cell phones were not nearly as common as they are now and they were much more expensive. Now, you can simply add a line for $10. In addition to that, things have changed a lot since you were a child ---- heck, when I was a child, we left the home at 8am and weren't expected back until 4:30pm. No cell phones, no pay phones, nothing. Yes we survived but, again, things were much different back then than they are now.

She was 17 just 6 years ago. I don't really think things have "changed a lot" in those six years, except that the plans are cheaper now. I got my first cell phone eight years ago when my daughter was born, so I'm confident that they were pretty common then as I'm usually very behind the times in keeping up with technology.

I think that it depends on what your child's afterschool activities are, whether s/he needs a cell to get in touch with you. When my daughter starts doing activities that involve me dropping her off for a couple hours at a time, then she'll get one. Otherwise, it will be when she starts driving.

 

[Leajess99]

My middle one got her cell phone at 10 due visitation with her dad and now she rides 12 miles to school a day so I want her to have the phone on the bus in case of emergency. She can only call me or my mom during school.

 

[NYCDiane]

She was 17 just 6 years ago. I don't really think things have "changed a lot" in those six years, except that the plans are cheaper now.

That was my whole point..... when she was 17 (6 years ago), cell phones were not as common for children (not adults) as they are now and they were much more expensive (the "add a line for $10 is a relatively new thing). When I was talking about how "things have changed", I was referring to when she was a young child and further referred to when I was a child:

In addition to that, things have changed a lot since you were a child ---- heck, when I was a child, we left the home at 8am and weren't expected back until 4:30pm. No cell phones, no pay phones, nothing. Yes we survived but, again, things were much different back then than they are now.

 

[SarahKate]

I didn't have my first cell phone of my very own til my early 20's (I'm 35 now). Go figure!

When I was a teenager, cell phones were still very new. I would take my dad's phone which was one of those BAG PHONES. It weighed what seemed like 5 pounds and was huge. And I only used for emergencies because it cost an arm and a leg just to make a phone call!!! But boy did I think I was super duper cool with my bag phone.

I had a text pager for years in the early to mid-90's. That was the thing to do then.

My daughter is 7, and I probably would wait til she's at least 9 or 10. She is with us 95% of the time when not at school so it's really not a necessity. I know that will change eventually though.....

 

[buzz5985]

DS received his in 5th grade - which is MS here. He paid for it out of his allowance. He is now going into 7th grade, just upgraded his phone, and added texting, which he pays for out of his allowance. I get a 25% discount with Sprint through work - so his bill is $8/month. He has been very responsible compaired to his friends. He never lost his phone, treated it well, etc.

 

[Disneyliscious]

My oldest was 13 when he got his. He is now 15 and its a GREAT tool because I have something good to ground him from so it promotes good behavior. His phone is his lifeline...lol....and he gets unlimited text for $20 a month which is good because all his friends like to text.

He has always paid his own phone bill from working on farms, mowing grass, etc. If his bill doesn't get paid one month then it gets shut off. We lucked up and got him the good verizon pre-paid plan before they changed them all over to so much $$ per day of use (the absolute crappiest phone plan ever). He pays $70 a month and gets 700 aytime minutes, and unlimited nights and weekends, plus unlimited texts. As long as you have that plan, they'll let you keep it. He uses the phone every day and isn't charged the daily use rate.

Its by far not the best plan, but it keeps him managed on minutes. I know he'd have overages if he were on a regular plan.

 

[EvanMaddieMouse]

We got DS his first cellphone when he was 10, going into 5th grade, for the sole reason that he wanted to walk to school and back on his own. We do have crossing guards at the busy intersections so I wasn't worried about that; I just want to know that he's made it to school and when he's leaving so I can be home (if I'm at the store, or leaving work or whatever). He's starting 7th grade next month and it works out great---he has spent all summer out roaming on his skateboard with his friends and he's been able to keep in touch. I do have unlimited texting for him, though. It was only a few extra dollars and he and his friends text instead of talk. He also texts me and tends to tell me more thru texting than he does talking, so that keeps another line of communication open with us as well.

DD is 5. She is a LONG way away from her own phone! Although she does use the old inactivated phones to walk around making pretend phone calls. She's so cute!

 

[mamalle]

yep have one since last summer for dd who is 9. cost me $10 per month. dd takes it with her to cheer practice or if she spends that night at a friends.. normally it sits in my kitchen most days.. we all share minutes. I figure its like my copay when I take them to the doctors and find out that its nothing... better safe than sorry in my book..

 

[SaraJayne]

My son is almost 13 and won't be getting one for at least a few more years. And yes, he's involved in lots of activities...that all have a set starting and ending time.

The "everyone else has them" argument doesn't work on me. He won't "need" one until he starts driving and will pay for it himself.

 

[Dani C]

7 - but, it was a tracfone (prepaid with no plan) and it was necessary as her sports schedule required her to be on bus trips with no firm time for return. I am only now looking at regular cell phones with plans for her as she is going into high school and driving.

The prepaid option is great to start them off. It will allow them to understand the use of minutes and if it gets lost you can simply replace it. (Unsure about all of the prepaids, but with tracfone if you keep the serial number, etc. written down and call them to let them know it has been lost or broken they will transfer your unused minutes to the new phone so you are only out the cost of the phone itself.)

If you get one, be sure to check on the policy at school. Many do not allow them to be turned on during school hours, and if they ring (even resulting from a call from mom or dad) the student can be suspended.