Cellphones

I would say 16 years old. That's when most teenages start to drive, so they might need it just incase they have car trouble, or car emergencies. I was not allowed to have one until I was 19. My dad was really strict on how I spent my money (I had a job too at that age), but I would say 16 is a good age.

Hi, G....
My daughter (now 10) was given a cell phone at 9 yrs. She takes it when she walks to the park ( 1 1/2 blocks away) and when she spends the night or goes to a friend's house. She has needed to use it a few times, and is very responsible with it. Once, at a friend's house, she called us at 1:30 a.m. because the neighbors were fighting and she was scared, so we picked her up. We got her a TracFone. They are cheap and the cards are a good price. So, if something should happen to it, it's not TOO big of a deal. Also, they take pics, etc... just don't allow him to go on the net with it...it eats the minutes! :) Good luck, and teach him responsibility. I think it's a good idea in this day and age for kids to have one for the sake of emergencies, etc....

I believe that education will answer any question you have:

http://drbenkim.com/cell-phone-dangers

http://video.google.com/videosearch?oe=UTF-8&sourceid...#

http://public-healthcare-issues.suite101.com/article.cfm/...

http://search.mercola.com/results.aspx?k=cell%20phone%20d...

Educate yourself then you can make an informed decision as to what age your children can have cell phones.

B.
Family Success Coach

Hi G., Good question, and you will know the phone skills of your child the best. But think of this, old enough to use the phone properly, would that child be alone or in an emergency situation? We should be at soccer practice with them, dance lessons, and on time to get them from school... I taught a class to 13 year olds and younger about using money to spend, save and share, there were 9 children and 4 had phones! They had them out in a minute while the class was going on! It's a terrible distraction for everyone and that may be another issue our children will need to deal with that takes them from interacting with people in person, they were NOT talking to friends, only playing ,flipping screens and totally out of the room in 5 seconds!!! Scary
We talked about phones so the conversation was relevant, this is a sad thing that is being done in the name of safety. Keep our kids children as long as possible!! Playing and goofing around not staring at a screen in their palm. good luck on your decision, D.

Hmm, do you have a way to ensure that they will NOT use it for social life? Just a thought, just a thought. From what I’ve seen in my pre-teen world (and even with teenagers) – the phone is never on when YOU need to reach them or they do not “hear” the call. And there is a consolation that they will call you if THEY need you, but by the time that need comes, they have spent all minutes talking to friends. One would need to have very deep pocket or very disciplined children. Mine are neither, so I opted out : )
Good luck
V

My husband and i went round and round with this. We have 5 children 15.10,9,7, and 2. The fifteen year old lives up north for the school year and he of course has a phone, the 10,9,7 all share a phone. We got them this when I went back to work. It is brought to school so that AFTER school they can call us or have on hand if they have to walk home from school due to conflicts in schedules. They do have friends numbers in it, and do text on it, but it is minimal. I also have T-mobile and can preset text and calls (numbers and limits). Trust me, that does not stop others from calling - even telemarketers. We are stopping that ourselves. They are pretty responsible, and the phone is really basic, so if it breaks or they lose it, it does not break the bank. We are able to use it as a privilege and something that they can lose, so far it has worked for us.

My daughter was 9 when she asked me when she could get a cell phone(because her friends were getting them). I told her she could have a phone when she could pay for it.

I think that anytime before HS is TOO young to have access to a cell whenever/anytime/all the time. That being said I think that having an "extra" cell phone that you can give your child on an as needed basis is appropriate for anytime they will be on their own (going to the park w/ friends, movies, whatever.). But of course NOT at school, church that kind of stuff. So probably around 9 or 10 for occasional use. Hope it helps.

We got our son one for his 7th birthday.

Our reasoning is similar, we wanted him to be able to call us (or for help) in case of emergency, and also to be teaching continuing levels of responsibility, and to foster closeness between him and family/friends that aren't close geographically (actually, we use skype for international calling), and we wanted him to have a gps tracker in case of REAL emergency (like getting lost, or abducted).

When I was a child, all of my neighbors had phones in their houses. As did we. (These days, not only do WE not have a house line, most of our friends and neighbors don't, either). Our schools had phones in the front lobby, there were pay phones everywhere, and EVERYONE let children use them. So if something happened on the playground at school (elementary) I could go in the office and call my mom and talk about it. It was encouraged. If my friends and I were playing and someone got hurt we could run to any house and ask to use their phone. If there was a fire or real emergency we were always taught to run next door and use their phone. If it was a BIG emergency, it was accepted practice that it was okay to GO INTO ANYONE'S house to use their phone, whether or not they were there. This was all in elementary school, K-4th in particular.

As I got older, I was allowed a lot more freedom...the "be home by dinner" kind of freedom. Mostly nothing happened... but I spent hours and hours exploring the canyons. There was the time I discovered 6 rotting and mutilated corpses (1 child, 2 teenagers, 1 adult, & 2 that I couldn't identify by anything more than the fact that there were skulls. All (well, 4 at least, the other two were pretty far gone) Caucasian. I ran. I was about 3 hours from home in a part of the preserve I'd never been in before. It took me 5 hours to get home, because I got lost. Sitting on my curb later, I decided not to tell anyone because I would never be able to find my way back & I didn't want to be disallowed from roaming the canyons. (I was 11, give me a break, I've regretted and agonized over that decision for years. But the point is, my parents never knew. My dad was military special ops, and had a brand new satellite phone, early 80's it was the size of "gee I hope they let me get this on the plane" carry-on luggage and weighed at least 50 lbs. I remember wishing as I stared at the bodies that they made smaller ones so I could call for help. Then my adrenalin kicked in, and I ran. And ran. And ran.). There was also the time that (in familiar territory) 2 years later that I was chased by a gang. 15 minutes had me in the safety of my friend Ricardo's (illegal) encampment. His dad & uncles & older brothers chased the gangbangers off... and I stayed there for a few hours while they fed me up, made me feel better, and then made sure no one was hanging around, before they escorted me home. Ricardo's family was a godsend that day. Although I often spent time with them, they saved my life (or my chastity).

Gosh there are about a thousand examples of times a cell phone would have come in handy in my own childhood (although the previous 2 were SOME of the scariest). But the time my girlfriend ditched me at the movie theater downtown, a fieldtrip where 2 of us were left behind by the busses at San Juan Capistrano, and at least half of the times a cellphone would have come in handy from age 6-14) there was a payphone we could use...with a live operator that would call our parents, and make sure they answered. I've forgotten my cellphone recently and searched in vain for a payphone. They've mostly been taken out to discourage drug traffic. I've also had a rather desperate 2nd grader borrow my (a stranger's) cellphone, because no one had picked her up from the bus stop, and she'd been waiting for over an hour.

Anyhow... our son has been using our cellphones since he was tiny. We nearly got him one when he was 5... but didn't because we knew we were changing area codes soon, and would need new numbers. When he was six we got the phone, but saved it for his birthday.

If he's at home with us he has to ask to use it. Out and about, he's only allowed to use it for emergencies or to coordinate a playdate, or to take pictures. He tested boundaries with it the first 2 weeks, but since then it's been golden.

Anyhow... my thoughts and experiences. :)

R

I think it's a personal family choice. What may be good for me and my family, may not be good for yours. :) You can restrict them though - my oldest daughters is unavailable during school hours and after 10 on school nights. The younger one can only call my husband, myself, her grandparents and aunts. She can not even received calls from 'unknown' numbers.

N.

We got our daughter one when she was 12. At that time she was starting to go to Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and we wanted to be able to have a connection with her.

I found that middle school was a good time for a cell phone. Sometimes my kids stay afterschool for clubs, sporting events or homwork help. It helps me stay in touch with them.

G. so much depends on your child's particular circumstances. My children are ages 10 and 13 and I purchased an extra phone line about 18 months ago. I give the phone to which ever child needs it for a specific event, like a football game, movies with friends or a sleepover. It doesn't have internet or texting. A good many of both their friends have cell phones so they can and do get a hold of me whenever they need to. We have a landline so their friends can call them on it if they need to speak to them.

i agree that when they are in their teens for a regular cellphone or as you said, to use for their social life.

however, i do think it may be necessary for emergencies. especially since, nowadays, many places dont even have pay phones anymore. its not as easy to find phones to use.

i have heard of places having kids cellphones that only allow them to be used for like 5 numbers (usually parents, grandparents,etc..) and to dial 9-1-1. that may be an option, so that it truly is used only when necessary.

The funny thing is, my 5 year old knows how to use my Blackberry. I think as soon as he is in the "upper grade" (4-6 grade) I will get him that little green "Migo" device from Verizon wireless. They have only 5 or 4 buttons that call you, the police, or any of the other settings. I definetly won't get him anything other than that till about middle school, because by then, he will probably want to walk home. Good luck. :)

It all depends on your child, and their level of maturity. My daughter has a chronic health issue, so she had a cell phone at age 7. She never abused the privilege, and it gave her the freedom to have a more normal set of activities. She is now 11, and still only uses it in case of emergency, or for "mom" questions. If your child will follow your guidelines, and has no health issues, I think that 12 is a good age. Most kids are around adults that have phones they can use if they need to. If you are not sure if your child will follow your guide lines, then I would wait until they are 16.

K.

G.,
I've always explained to my kids that the day I need to get ahold of them and can't is the day they will get a cell phone.

My daughter is ten and a half and has a cell phone for over a year. We got it for her when she started Girl Scouts and when she started walking back and forth to school. She has free access to it, but knows when she can use it and when she can not. (no use at school, she turns if off there, no use during family time, so use at bed time) It also has text on it, which I found that I liked alot more then I thought I would. She can text me when she gets to school, when she is leaving school when she gets home from school, and the ringing of the cell doesnt bother anyone at my work (I keep the text sound on vibrate) I can discreetly check it to make sure she has safely arrived at her location. I also found it helpful when she was at a huge sleep over and there was some trouble brewing with the other girls (as there always is with too many girls at a sleepover) She could text me with out everyone knowing what we were discussing.
In this day and age with children doing more and more acitivites, I feel that a cell phone is important. There have been many times my daughter has had an event at the same time as her brothers....this keeps us connected when she is left in the care of other adults. Her cell also comes in handy when I was told that some event was going to end at a certian time and after my daughter arrives she founds out that it ends alot earlier then we were first told, she can then call or text me and let me know when I need to come back to get her.
I feel that her having a cell at such a young age has been very helpful in this day and age.

My son was 9 when I gave him a phone for "emergency" use. He is now almost 11 and never carries it with him, I have to remind him. The phone was as basic as can be and I turned off the texting and internet. Guess what? The thrill of the phone is gone. We also don't have to worry about inappropriate web surfing and cyberbullying.

Cell phones are dangerous for children.

http://www.safbaby.com/keep-cell-phones-away-from-your-ch...

My daughter started going to the mall and movies with friends at age 13, so they definitely need one by then, but she actually got her first one at age 11, but with limited minutes. You can check on the computer or on the phone if they are getting near the end of their minutes. My other daughter got one at age 10 but rarely uses it because most of her friends don't have one yet, but sometimes she brings it with her when she goes to a friend's house or something. The novelty has worn off for now, but once they are 12 or 13 is when kids really start texting a lot.