Kids Cell Phone - What age/why?

[jensen]

My 12YO son has been asking for a cell phone, saying that all of his friends have one. I cannot think of a single reason to get him one... we have a land line for his friends to call him on. He doesn't roam freely around town. When he's not at home, I always know where he is. If he's at a friend's house or the pool or library or YMCA, there's a phone there he can use.

I'm curious when people get them for their kids and why.

Did you drop the landline at home and go all cellular?
Are the kids on their own after school and you like to check-up on them?
Are they driving age and you wanted to track them?
No reason, you just wanted to?

Are they basic phones for calling and texting or full data plans?

 

[mhsjax]

My 12YO son has been asking for a cell phone, saying that all of his friends have one. I cannot think of a single reason to get him one... we have a land line for his friends to call him on. He doesn't roam freely around town. When he's not at home, I always know where he is. If he's at a friend's house or the pool or library or YMCA, there's a phone there he can use.

I'm curious when people get them for their kids and why.

Did you drop the landline at home and go all cellular?
Are the kids on their own after school and you like to check-up on them?
Are they driving age and you wanted to track them?
No reason, you just wanted to?

Are they basic phones for calling and texting or full data plans?

All my kids got cell phones when they went into 6th grade We still have our land line They really don't roam freely, but I love them having a phone so I can know where they are, or if I need to contact them If they are at someones house, I don't have to call and interrupt the family, I can call my child and have them come home Also, on rare occasions they are at practice alone and if something comes up, I like them to be able to call me and not borrow a coaches phone, (we are prone to storms) Also DD has texted me on occasion, if she wants to say something to me, that she doesn't want her friends to hear I love my kids having a cel phone and I feel safer with them having one

PS, Yes I realize there are no periods in my post, my period key just ins't working Sorry lol

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

My older two kids got them in 5th grade.

My oldest has Asperger's, so talking on the phone with friends doesn't happen. Having a phone allows him to text, which is a whole lot easier for him

My dd is on a jump rope team that practices 45 minutes away, 4 times a week. I felt better with her having a phone being that far away. She also goes on weekend/long trips with the team. Now that she's in 6th grade, all of her friends really do have them, and that's how kids communicate (texting). I don't see her calling much. It's all about the texting! Middle School seems to be the magic age when most kids around here get phones.

 

[angierae]

By 7th grade, my daughter was walking to the library from the middle school and hanging out there until she needed a ride home. There was not a reliable pay phone at the time (and now I doubt there's one at all) and they were heavily discouraged from asking to use the library phones. She would also go to the library for teen night once a week and need to call for a ride. (And when she would walk from school to the librar, which admittedly wasn't that far, I liked having a phone call to let me know she'd arrived.)

Basically, she got a phone when she started spending time without the direct supervision of an adult whose phone she could use, which was around 12.

 

[drcmk]

I'm curious when people get them for their kids and why.

Did you drop the landline at home and go all cellular?
Are the kids on their own after school and you like to check-up on them?
Are they driving age and you wanted to track them?
No reason, you just wanted to?

Are they basic phones for calling and texting or full data plans?

Our kids got cell phones when I needed them to have them so I could be sure of their safety and whereabouts. For us, that was 7th grade. In Junior High, the students in our district have after school activities and evening school trips and they'd need to call us to pick them up when an activity was over or to call me to let me know that a club was meeting and they weren't coming directly home from school.

We still have a landline because I need to use a fax machine.

Being home alone is not an especial concern. My kids have iphones, therefore I can check their exact GPS locations with an app. This has come in handy very often, for example if they are on trip and I want to know how far away the bus is so I'll know when to be ready for the pick up.

Not driving age, yet. But as long as I am paying for the phones, I'll feel free to track them. And I am perfectly willing to pay for the phone service as long as I feel that I need to be able to contact them at any time (for safety and security) so that is probably through college.

In my opinion, for my family, the phones are a necessity for my peace of mind, not a privilege, that's why I pay for it. As it turns out, a family texting/data plan is not much more money than the texting/data plan for DH and me, so my kids both can text as much as they want and can use the iPhones for fun.

 

[drcmk]

Basically, she got a phone when she started spending time without the direct supervision of an adult whose phone she could use, which was around 12.

You said it better than I did. In elementary school, when my kids were not with me, they were either at school (so I knew they were safe and I could contact the grown-ups in charge at any time) or with the parent of a good friend (whom I could contact by cell phone). That changed in seventh grade, so my kids needed their own phones.

 

[mjkacmom]

My kids do wander around without me, and those that do this, have phones. They go to play practices, sports practices, movies, the mall, all over town, etc., and I like to be able to get in touch with them, and know where they are, and if they need a ride home.

Dd11 got hers at 9, because of dance class (every night). If she needed to call me, she'd have to stop class and borrow the teacher's phone. My kids also start walking to school in 2nd grade.

And I can tell you that once they get to middle school, kids WON'T call the home phone! They usually just text, and that is how they set up activities. No cell, no invite. Not having a phone can be social suicide.

Dd16 has an iphone, the others just regular ones. I really would love to get ds9 one, since he plays so many sports, and practices NEVER end when they are supposed to, and I hate the hurry up and wait. However, dd9 has no need, because she is in dance class with dd11, and I don't let her wander yet.

 

[pigletto]

8th grade.. so 12 almost 13 for dd. None of her friends used the landline, they all text, she was starting to go places more often where I would like her to have a phone, and it was a Christmas gift.
It really wasn't a must have scenario, it was part convenience and part want. She's a good kid, and I was fine with getting it for her. I wish I'd gone with a less expensive plan, but that's on me.
We have a basic bare bones VOIP line for our home number and use our cell phones almost exclusively.

 

[BellaBaby]

Our kids got cell phones when I needed them to have them so I could be sure of their safety and whereabouts. For us, that was 7th grade. In Junior High, the students in our district have after school activities and evening school trips and they'd need to call us to pick them up when an activity was over or to call me to let me know that a club was meeting and they weren't coming directly home from school.

We still have a landline because I need to use a fax machine.

Being home alone is not an especial concern. My kids have iphones, therefore I can check their exact GPS locations with an app. This has come in handy very often, for example if they are on trip and I want to know how far away the bus is so I'll know when to be ready for the pick up.

Not driving age, yet. But as long as I am paying for the phones, I'll feel free to track them. And I am perfectly willing to pay for the phone service as long as I feel that I need to be able to contact them at any time (for safety and security) so that is probably through college.

In my opinion, for my family, the phones are a necessity for my peace of mind, not a privilege, that's why I pay for it. As it turns out, a family texting/data plan is not much more money than the texting/data plan for DH and me, so my kids both can text as much as they want and can use the iPhones for fun.

Sorry to hijack but, I'm curious. My DH and I have AT&T and we just left there after inquiring about getting the family plan vs. just my DH and I on our iPhones. My DD11 says all she wants for Christmas is a phone. Anyway it would be $60 more per month for the texting/data plan! That seems like a lot to me. Is that what yours is? Just curious....

 

[Bob NC]

Not having a phone can be social suicide.

Whoop, there it is.

 

[Colleen27]

For us it is middle school, because that's when there's no longer a bus to/from school and they're walking or biking. Activities also get much less parent/driving centric at that age around here and I want them to be able to call home if the bus gets back early or is delayed after an away game, or if they are staying after school for something unexpected, or want to stop for ice cream with friends instead of coming straight home, or any of those other little things that come up.

Both my kids have QWERTY phones with unlimited plans through MetroPCS. I don't want to be worrying about overage charges, their costs are reasonable ($35 per line), and the coverage in our area is good.

 

[Leajess99]

My 12YO son has been asking for a cell phone, saying that all of his friends have one. I cannot think of a single reason to get him one... we have a land line for his friends to call him on. He doesn't roam freely around town. When he's not at home, I always know where he is. If he's at a friend's house or the pool or library or YMCA, there's a phone there he can use.

I'm curious when people get them for their kids and why.

Did you drop the landline at home and go all cellular?
Are the kids on their own after school and you like to check-up on them?
Are they driving age and you wanted to track them?
No reason, you just wanted to?

Are they basic phones for calling and texting or full data plans?

My 14 year old has had a cell phone since she was in 5th grade. It was first gotten as she was going to the BETA convention an hour away and I was not there. She actually did not end up taking her phone as her BETA teacher is someone I knew and trusted with my daughter and I had her cell number.

My daughter did however need the phone the day after the Beta convention as she and her little sister were going on visitation with their father. Had she not had the phone I would not have heard from my girls in a week and that is not okay with me.

She would've been getting a phone a few months later anyways as her bus ride in middle school was 12 miles one way. Thankfully she has had her phone as there were some bus rides where problems happened. The one time I grounded her from her phone, the bus ended up delayed due to a medical emergency and the panic set in. Never again.

My youngest will also get a cell phone when she starts 6th grade as she will also have a long ride.

She only has calling and texting nd not a smart phone.


Also, we no longer have a landline since the oler kids and I have cell phones and no need for the extra expense.

 

[okeydokey]

My 14 year old got it when she was 13, almost 14. She was entering HS and is in the band and is at practice several days a week.

The kids all talk to each other by texting, so that makes it different than the landline. We only have talk and text for her now, I think many of her friends have a data package as well.

 

[ENSOCK]

both of my boys got it in 5th grade. After school practices and sleepovers at friends. DS18 has a data plan that he did not get until he was 17 but DS13 just has a basic phone for texting. Most times he does not need a phone but it is good to have just in case.

 

[caribear]

I'm in the same boat with you, OP. My DD is in 5th grade....and she is one of the only kids without a cell phone! At this point I just can't justify the cost. I do not let her go anywhere alone....and I always know where she is. My DH still uses a flip-phone! I have an older phone too....and we have a basic plan plus 250 texts per month between DH and I. Our cell phone bill is already $85/month...and we can't see spending anymore on cell phone coverage at this time. I am thinking of switching to Page Plus....which uses the Verizon network (which we currently have), but need to bring our own phones to the plan....so I have been looking on Ebay/Craigslist for used phones. Sooner or later DD10 will get a phone....but I do not think it is a "must have" at this point....and it definitely will not be an iPhone...just calls and texting.

 

[Darcy03231]

Both my kids got them when they were 13 for several reasons. (1) they went to their dad's frequently and his phone kept getting disconnected. I didn't like the idea that they were over there with no phone; and (2) they started middle school and had more activities after school and in the evenings. School is only a couple of blocks from our house, so I wanted a call when they left the school so I knew they were on their way.

 

[scrapquitler]

My 12YO son has been asking for a cell phone, saying that all of his friends have one. I cannot think of a single reason to get him one... we have a land line for his friends to call him on. He doesn't roam freely around town. When he's not at home, I always know where he is. If he's at a friend's house or the pool or library or YMCA, there's a phone there he can use.

I'm curious when people get them for their kids and why.

Did you drop the landline at home and go all cellular?
Are the kids on their own after school and you like to check-up on them?
Are they driving age and you wanted to track them?
No reason, you just wanted to?

Are they basic phones for calling and texting or full data plans?

Just be aware that not everywhere has a phone that they are willing to let people use. At my daughters school for example, there IS no pay phone and students are not allowed to use the office phone.

We got my DD a cell phone the day she was coming home from Girl Scout Day camp and the subsitute bus driver got lost. I think she was 11 at that point. The bus was AN HOUR late coming to the bus stop (in a different town from our home) and I had NO WAY to find out where she was...the camp office was closed and I wasn't even sure what town's bus company the bus was from because the camp was in a different town that we were. Eventually the bus driver got a hold of the bus company, who contacted the police, who came to the bus stop where I was, but it was a scary hour. After that, she had a phone so that if anything happened, she could call me.

And I know that it's going to sound bad, but kids don't talk to one another on the phone like we did when we were kids back in the stone age of the 1980s. They don't talk, they only text. I think that once kids get to a certain age (and it may well be older than your child's age), they are out of the loop to a large extent if they can't text their friends. Your Mileage May Vary.

ETA: She is 16 now. When we first got the phone for her, we got a prepaid one. When she was 13, we added her to our family plan at our renewal time, and she still only has a basic text/call phone, not a smart phone. It only costs us an extra $10 per month, which a small price for our peace of mind.

 

[DawnM]

Oldest has a flip phone (spot mobile pay as you go plan) and hates having a phone at all and will only take it if I make him. I text him on the ipad when I am out and he is home.

Middle has an iphone but only talk and text on his cheap (spot mobile) plan. He can go online on wifi only. He can use a free text and talk app when in wifi and only uses his plan when he is out.

Youngest has an ipod touch and can text and talk on it when in wifi. He doesn't need a phone as he is always with us.

 

[lisateaches]

I told my daughter she could have one when she starts turning off lights and stops using using a whole roll of toilet paper each time she pees. that should cover the cost.

 

[chuckabone]

My oldest DD12 got her phone at 10. With cheerleading,drama practice and having medical issues I felt safer with her having one.
My twins 10 just each got a phone tonight. I put them on our plan for talk and text only. Why, because I want to be able to get ahold of them when I want to. If they are with family, friends etc.. I dont want to call someone else to get to talk to them. I can text/call directly and not worry about it. They do not go many places by themselves yet, but they will and I know I can keep it touch. Plus now they will leave my phone alone!