Pros for letting a 12 year old have a cell phone?

[scrapquitler]

A Kajeet cell phone is intended for kids. Hence it only gives you 10 minutes of air time per month at 4.99 Now if the poster claiming they had a cell phone for $5 a month was also driving a car, and caring for a baby I have to assume they that the person is an adult.... as such I doubt they are breaking the rules and getting a kids phone based or claiming to be a child.
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I JUST called Kajeet. I said "Hi, I know your website says that Kajeet is for kids. Is it against the rules for an adult to use your service?" The person on the end of the phone (who picked up in about 15 seconds after I called, BTW ) said "Kajeet can be used by ANYONE who wants to purchase a phone and pay for the service"

So there ya go. It's not breaking the rules for an adult to use Kajeet.

On top of that, I just called BOOST Mobile. They charge 20 cents per minute, yada yada yada...you have to add money to your account every 90 days to keep it active, and the minimum you need to add, according to what the lady told me was that you need to add a minimum of $10 every 90 days to keep the account active...So that works out to approx. $3.34 per month. That would be a very inexpensive way to have an emergency phone plan. Again, no rule breaking.

So YES you can get a phone for that much without it being one of the government subsidized ones. You just have shop around and ask questions.

 

[scrapquitler]

what's the point your kids don't NEED it. They want it.

You don't NEED a refrigerator and a freezer to keep your food in, but I bet you have it anyway. I love my kids, I give them LOTS Of things they want rather than need. If it's not breaking the bank, its not causing any harm and my my DH and I agree on it, why do you care?

 

[MomToOne]

The fact is Virgin Mobile Paylo DOES NOT have any phone that is only $20 a quarter with rollover minutes because the only plan they have that is $20 a quarter includes zero minutes and you have to pay for them at $0.25/minute

You clearly know nothing about pay-as-you-go/by the minute cell phone plans.

The cost for the phone calls/texts you make on the Virgin Mobile Paylo basic rate plan is deducted from the $20 you load onto the account. You do not pay anything additional unless you make enough calls/texts to deplete the $20. Since calls are 25 cents/minute, that means you can make 80 minutes of calls in that quarter for your $20. If your usage is below that - which for many of us that keep phones mainly for emergencies it is - you do not pay anything more than your $20.

 

[persimmondeb]

Unless your children spend every minute of every day with you (which after a certain age is another issue entirely) they are eventually going to NEED reasonably reliable access to a phone. In this day and age, that's a cell phone, since payphones have become pretty much non-existent. The age at which it's appropriate is up for debate, and probably isn't the same for every child.

We got one for our mildly disabled DS when he was about 12, after a couple of scary incidents of his being separated from us in stores. It is such a relief to be able to call him, or have him call us. Additionally, it allows us to let him have a little more independence, since we have the phone as a safety net. He can call 911 in an emergency. If his bus breaks down he can call us and let us know what's going on. He's 16 now, and he doesn't text, and isn't on it much, but it is such a relief to know that he can reach us if he needs us.

As to being socially isolated without one, and how we got along just fine, think about how isolated any of your classmates would have been without a home phone, which previous generations will have got along just fine without.

 

[Madeleinesmommy]

To OP:
Hi. I got my daughter a phone at age 7 but mostly because I am a single mother and when she gets to and from her destinations with her father I would like to know that she arrived safe. It is also her only way to contact me during visits with her father. So I guess like some of the other posters on here it is for my peace of mind. I guess whether to get a cell phone for your 12 yr. old really is dependent on your needs. My daughter has a lot of after school activities and she can call her Aunt or grandfather to come pick her up since the school is closed and she might get out early. The cell phone works out well for us. As for the cost - her father got that in the divorce decree till she's 18 but it is on his family plan and he does have unlimited texting so that helps a lot since she loves to text over talk. When she talks to her friends at school she uses my phone so that she doesn't use her dad's minutes. Hope this helps. Guess it just depends on every family's needs. I can add though that she gets all her school updates, messages from teachers, after school activities, Girl Scout activities through her texts. But that is just more convenience since she already has the phone and set things up that way. I could just as easily have them come to my phone.

 

[thomas998]

Wow - you are just a jerk, aren't you?

VirginMobile, grandfathered Minute2Minute plan that requires me to top up only $15/month to keep the number active. I don't use it much, so that amount more than covers my usage. While you can't sign up for that plan now, anyone who signed up for it while it was available is still covered by it. Check the VirginMobile terms and conditions if you don't believe me.

And VirginMobile currently offers the "Basic Rate" Paylo plan that is per minute charges, and requires only a $20 top up every 90 days to keep it active. So even new folks can get a plan that works out to $6.67/month.

My daughter will be on PlatinumTel, which requires only a $10 top up every 90 days to keep the number active. Since texts are only 2 cents each, and phone calls are only 5 cents a minute, that should be enough for her usage at this point. So my monthly charge for her will be only $3.34.

Do your research before you act like such a know-it-all. Just because YOU don't know about plans like these doesn't mean they don't exist.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Virgin's cheapest plan is not $5 a month it is $20 a month if you don't want to pay $0.20/minute... I had never heard of PlatinumTel until now... but according to their website the cheapest plan they have is $14.50 a month.... seems to me that the best you can do with a real cell phone plan is closer to $15 a month.

I'm not a jerk, just tired of having people brag about getting government hand outs. And please don't bother tell people about some plan you are grandfathered into, my family also has one cell phone with a special deal because of when we got it, but I want to find this mythical $5 dollar cell phone plan that is supposed to exist right here and now that anyone regardless of income can sign up for... and no phone where you have to pay by the minute counts because I don't want a cell phone that I can only use as a paper weight, I want to find one with some minutes... maybe just 100 minutes, but some.

 

[thomas998]

You clearly know nothing about pay-as-you-go/by the minute cell phone plans.

The cost for the phone calls/texts you make on the Virgin Mobile Paylo basic rate plan is deducted from the $20 you load onto the account. You do not pay anything additional unless you make enough calls/texts to deplete the $20. Since calls are 25 cents/minute, that means you can make 80 minutes of calls in that quarter for your $20. If your usage is below that - which for many of us that keep phones mainly for emergencies it is - you do not pay anything more than your $20.

Sorry but 80 minutes for three months is unlikely... Do you really think phone companies actual create plans where they believe you will only use the phone for less than 30 minutes a month? Please, be a little reasonable. Those rates are teaser rates that are intended to get people to use the phone and then squeeze out more money when the phones are used.

 

[MomToOne]

As I mentioned in a previous post, Virgin's cheapest plan is not $5 a month it is $20 a month if you don't want to pay $0.20/minute... I had never heard of PlatinumTel until now... but according to their website the cheapest plan they have is $14.50 a month.... seems to me that the best you can do with a real cell phone plan is closer to $15 a month.

Don't know why you had such a hard time finding it, it's the very first rate plan on their website: http://platinumtel.com/plans/realpaygo

I want to find one with some minutes... maybe just 100 minutes, but some.

For $20 every 90 days, you get what amounts to 400 minutes with PlatinumTel. That exceeds your 100 minutes criteria, and gives you a net cost of just $6.67/month.

 

[MomToOne]

Sorry but 80 minutes for three months is unlikely... Do you really think phone companies actual create plans where they believe you will only use the phone for less than 30 minutes a month? Please, be a little reasonable. Those rates are teaser rates that are intended to get people to use the phone and then squeeze out more money when the phones are used.

I simply mentioned my cell phone cost me $5/month, I did not tout that as covering everyone's needs. YOU were the one that claimed such a plan simply DIDN'T EXIST. It does. It more than covers my needs since I don't use the phone much. You've been proven wrong, so now you are trying to turn the conversation so you don't look so bad. Can't be done.

 

[scrapquitler]

Sorry but 80 minutes for three months is unlikely... Do you really think phone companies actual create plans where they believe you will only use the phone for less than 30 minutes a month? Please, be a little reasonable. Those rates are teaser rates that are intended to get people to use the phone and then squeeze out more money when the phones are used.

For the person who only use the phone occasionally, 80 minutes for three months is NOT unreasonable. It's NOT a teaser rate. If you want the phone for emergency use, that's plenty of minutes.

 

[Pigeon]

As I mentioned in a previous post, Virgin's cheapest plan is not $5 a month it is $20 a month if you don't want to pay $0.20/minute... I had never heard of PlatinumTel until now... but according to their website the cheapest plan they have is $14.50 a month.... seems to me that the best you can do with a real cell phone plan is closer to $15 a month.

I'm not a jerk, just tired of having people brag about getting government hand outs. And please don't bother tell people about some plan you are grandfathered into, my family also has one cell phone with a special deal because of when we got it, but I want to find this mythical $5 dollar cell phone plan that is supposed to exist right here and now that anyone regardless of income can sign up for... and no phone where you have to pay by the minute counts because I don't want a cell phone that I can only use as a paper weight, I want to find one with some minutes... maybe just 100 minutes, but some.

Or maybe you're just looking for a way to interject your political opinions in threads that have nothing to do with politics.

 

[Pigeon]

Sorry but 80 minutes for three months is unlikely... Do you really think phone companies actual create plans where they believe you will only use the phone for less than 30 minutes a month? Please, be a little reasonable. Those rates are teaser rates that are intended to get people to use the phone and then squeeze out more money when the phones are used.

I never use more than 20 minutes a month, and I've had my cell phone for eight years. Most months it's more like 0-10 minutes. I use it if I absolutely have to contact someone when I am out of the house.

 

[thomas998]

Don't know why you had such a hard time finding it, it's the very first rate plan on their website: http://platinumtel.com/plans/realpaygo



For $20 every 90 days, you get what amounts to 400 minutes with PlatinumTel. That exceeds your 100 minutes criteria, and gives you a net cost of just $6.67/month.

Not sure why I didn't see that plan when I googled Platium tel either... the page I saw listed a $14.50/month plan as the cheapest... that one certainly exist and I'll be dropping one of our phone for it.

 

[donalduck]

You can continue to believe it's a want. When my daughter is staying after school 3-4 days a week (and there are NO payphones in the building, and the office closes at 4) she NEEDS to be able to call for her ride home.

like I said a WANT not a NEED

 

[donalduck]

And giving kids something they want, but don't need, is bad. Fine. You're entitled to your opinion. Of course, it makes you a big ol' hypocrite, since YOU have things you want but don't need, but whatever.

Not really. Kids now theses days are spoiled. I am not a hypocrite. I buy what I WANT not NEED with MY OWN MONEY. No one NEEDS any thing. They WANT

 

[donalduck]

You don't NEED a refrigerator and a freezer to keep your food in, but I bet you have it anyway. I love my kids, I give them LOTS Of things they want rather than need. If it's not breaking the bank, its not causing any harm and my my DH and I agree on it, why do you care?

Your right I don't care. It's my opinion. Just like you have your opinion. That doesn't mean I am right and it doesn't mean that you are right. All I was saying is that no one NEEDS anything but food and shelter. When parents have came on here saying that my childen NEEDS A CELL PHONE BLAH BLAH BLAH. O no they don't NEED A CELL PHONE. No one NEEDS A CELL PHONE.

 

[NotUrsula]

... and no phone where you have to pay by the minute counts because I don't want a cell phone that I can only use as a paper weight, I want to find one with some minutes... maybe just 100 minutes, but some.

Clueless, absolutely clueless. You might try educating yourself a bit about various types of phone plans available before you jump to such conclusions.

Of course they count. You pay by the minute on all very basic PAYG plans; that is the entire point of such plans. They are specifically designed for people who don't talk on the phone very often. If you have a situation where you are using it more often than you normally do and you don't happen to be carrying a balance, you are free to add more cash to the account for THAT time period only. It is the very cheapest option for people who don't like to pay for minutes that they will not use. The cost per minute isn't an ADDITIONAL charge, it is the ONLY charge, once you have purchased the phone itself (and I didn't pay for any of our basic phones; they all came free with the plan when I opened the account.)

We have 3 VM basic accounts, plus my add'l smartphone account that has unlimited data monthly (which my employer subsidizes because I need it for work.) We have had two of the basic accounts for 10 years, and the third one for three years. I can count on the fingers of one hand the situations where I have had to add more cash than my usual $20/quarter. I'm just not a big phone talker; I prefer email. My son isn't much of a talker, either; he only sends maybe a dozen texts per month, and right now he's carrying a balance of nearly $400 on his phone account. DH has a company-supplied phone that he carries during the work day; he only uses his VM phone on nights and weekends when he's away from the house, and just about the only person he ever calls on it is either me or his mother. Why on earth should we pay for more minutes than we actually use?

I simply LOVE getting badgered by phone service salesmen in malls and such, because I love watching the looks on their faces when I tell them that my total annual bill for three phones that all have voice, texting capacity and data access is a whopping $240. They always slink away with their tails between their legs, because they cannot come close to that. I have not encountered any traditional phone plan that can match that bottom-line price and include access to all three types of service.

 

[donalduck]

I have no idea why people on the dis boards have to come on here and talk about how right they are. Who cares what you think. It's someones opinion. Your not going to change anyones opinion no matter how hard you try. This includes me also. It's my opinion that CHILDEN shouldn't have a cell phone. That's my opinion it doesn't mean I am right and it doesn't mean I am wrong. So no matter how much you come on here and blah blah blah blah blah and fight back and forth no one is correct. So it really doesn't do any good. Also to add to this. I have no idea whats so ever why people even come on the dis boards and ask questions like this in the first place. Use your brain that god gave you and go with it. Just my opinion.

 

[MrsPete]

Your right I don't care. It's my opinion. Just like you have your opinion. That doesn't mean I am right and it doesn't mean that you are right. All I was saying is that no one NEEDS anything but food and shelter. When parents have came on here saying that my childen NEEDS A CELL PHONE BLAH BLAH BLAH. O no they don't NEED A CELL PHONE. No one NEEDS A CELL PHONE.

Eh, maybe. Needs exist on multiple levels:

We really do need a whole lot more than food and shelter. Yes, in a worst-case scenerio, we can exist for a while with only those things -- but we can't go on indefinitely with just those two things. For example:

To start with the refrigerator that you mentioned, sure, I can do without a refrigerator. But it means I'll have to shop almost every single day. It means I can't take advantage of sales on things that I might freeze /save for later, and it means I'd have to buy milk in small packages since I couldn't save it. In the long run, having no refrigerator will cost me in both time and money. Not having a refrigerator isn't a realistic choice in the long run.

Likewise, I need to go to work to continue to maintain food and shelter for tomorrow; therefore, I need professional clothing and a car to get to work.

My 17-year old is having a minor surgery soon. The dental insurance that's going to cover most of the cost is awfully handy. That's not not food or shelter, but she's in some real pain, and I can't say that letting her go on this way because the surgery "isn't a need", given that it's neither food nor shelter.

A whole lot of things aren't necessary to keep ourselves alive today, but that doesn't mean they aren't necessities to live a reasonably efficient life in today's society.

To get back to to the original topic . . .

True, my life won't end if I don't have a cell phone.

However, to functional efficiently in today's modern world, I do need to be able to communicate with other people -- today, for example, I received phone calls from the school and the doctor. Not receiving that information really wasn't a reasonable option, and neither of these organizations was going to contact me anyway except the phone. A phone of some sort is the most practical way to meet that need, and a cell phone isn't any more expensive than a house phone.

We chose to get rid of our house phone and get cell phones for everyone. It works well for us, and since long distance is included, it isn't more expensive than our old house phone.

 

[gina2000]

LOL....I give my child things he wants....and things he needs. I was given many "wants" in my life and I enjoyed every single perk I had. I will always provide perks in my son's life...and when I don't think of it my husband does.

I don't care if it's a want or a need. I want to give him gifts that he loves, enjoys, and uses. A cell phone meets all the above. He's not spoiled...he's a great kid who appreciates being treasured...and spoiled.

He's used a cell phone since he turned 10. It's given me peace of mind and it's given him pleasure. He doesn't mooch off of anyone else to borrow one (shame on the poster who suggested it....it's fine to use if you're not paying for it....). I don't care if you consider it a want and I consider it a need. All I care about is providing my son with a service that is useful and one that he wants. I love that the two concepts dovetail.