what does a 10 year old need with a cell phone

I think I would get my kid one of those phones that can only accept and make calls to numbers that are put in by the parents, so that he could call the police me or one of our close friends if he needed some kind of help or got stranded or some such. There was one time when I was a kid that having a cell phone to call the police with might have been very helpful for me, and saved me a lot of the pain I've been through since, so I think I would want my kid to have a phone where he could at least call emergency numbers and home. I guess that's my personal paranoia because of my history, but I just think it's safer that way. I wouldn't let my kid have a cell phone where they could call just anyone they wanted, or one where they could run up huge bills. But there are phones specfically for kids that you can program with certain restrictions, and I would get him one of those, for the reasons I mentioned.

My answer to this is, alot of parents give there children cell phones to keep in contact with them. When they are over a friends house or maybe they have to walk home from school. Alot of parents these days a working parents and they want to keep in contact with there children at all time. I have 2 children whom are only 6 years old, so I dont have to worry about that right now but when the time comes I think that I would give them a phone but I would have to worry abput who they are calling on it.

A 10 yr old does not need a cellphone. giving one to a young child is spoiling the child.

My 9 year old grandson has a cell phone...he got it for his last birthday....he is able to call me, his papa, his uncles only....it is kinda handy when he is out playing for me to not have to holler at them...I can just call him... My youngest son will begin school next month, I have purchased him one of those prepaid cell phones from cingular/att that will not allow a huge bill to develop but he will be able to call me if he needs me. He will be taught to turn it off during class time... That's just my opinion...

I agree with you. You are not being over protective. My daughter didn't get a cell phone until she started driving, and even then she was only to use it for emergencies. She has been very responsible with her use of it. But at 10 I don't think she would have been. I think that even if your chlidren think you are too protective of them now, later they will thank you.

My 11 yr old granddaughter wanted a cell phone so after hearing about it for a while my daughter got her a prepaid phone and told her she had to earn the money for the time cards to put on it, by doing chores for me and for her mom at home. She is doing the chores and earning the money. It seems to be teaching her not to wast the time on her phone and also to do her chores.

I am as confused as you are. On the one had I think that in more and more cases, both parents stay outside most of the time and kids are left to fend for themselves. It would definitely help if they had a mobile since landlines are not always dependable. Secondly, kids are no longer confined to their homes and neighbourhoods and its not always possible for parents to accompany them. So if they carry a mobile, the communication with home can be maintained. Then children demand to go to parties and trekkings and summer-camps and you cant always deny them. There also a cell phone is a very useful gadget. But being a mother myself, I understand your anger and frustration. The cell phone can also be instrumental in introducing unwanted elements in our children’s lives and suck them into whirlpools of darkness. And then, they just go on jabbering on their phones for most of the time as if the family just did not exist. So I think like internet, the cell phone is also both a boon and a bane. But no doubts on your protective and disciplinary practices. They are your kids and ultimately it’s your responsibility to ensure that they grow into adults as safe and unscarred as possible.

I think it is not the right age to provide them a Cell phone.

I think the restrictions imposed by you over your kids in using phone is right. Here also parents provide their children with cell phones now a days. Here most of the children will go strait from school to some private special tuitions. Then the phone will be helpfull for the parents, especially the mom to enquire about matters. But the parents should watch whom their children are calling and to whom they are talking. I think there is nothing wrong about it. Thank you.

Hi, This is really shocking for me to know that a child being 10 already has a cell phone ! Why is Gods name did you provide him or her with the cell phone. there is no reason and the power totally lies in your hands to give or not to give the cell to your child. That is not the ag for them to have cell phones at all i feel. Its alright when they are a little older and that is the time they are needed too, why other wise..and of course if you are giving them the cell, how can you keep track of whom and why they are calling...its giving them the freedom to call whom they like and then the bills add to your worries. Of course when they are older you provide the cell, with certain incoming facilities or a limited budgeting at first. All this is in your hands.

i don't think a 10 year old child need a cell phone.if he want to comunicate with his friends he can use the telephone at home.if you give him a cell phone,he will waste money to talk for long time,and the things he talks is no use.most cell phone is with high radiation,so cell phone it harmful to his healthy.if he use cellphone in the rainy day,he will be hit by the thouder.most children do not pay attention to it.

I think you should make a rule for your kid use cell phone.cell phones is conieven to conversation.

?????what do you mean?

She is too young to use a cell phone & her ability of self-control is so bad that she can't make sure how to protect herself.Maybe she waste lots of phone fee,or receive too much radiation.But i heard of a kind of healthy mobile phone designde for kids,no radiation ,no games,and it can record 5 phone numbers she usually uses,You can buy one for your daughter.

Your guess is as good as mine! I don't know why a 10 year old needs a cell phone...they shouldn't be anywhere alone where they would need to call home. I think a lot of the problem is the horible shift in societal roles. It seems that now parents let the children be in control of everything. To me, it is laziness on the part of the parents. They don't want to parent or have to deal with anything that might cause a conflict with their child, so they give in to every little whim and desire. It amazes me when I am out and I see a child who is behaving horribly...and then the parent buys them something so that they will be better. Go figure...I always thought rewards were for being good...after the fact, not before.

I don't think a kid that young should have a cell phone. I read something once about cell phones causing brain cancer, and I would not want someone so young using a device that could be hazard to their heatlth.

My daughter doesn't have her own cell phone but I have given her mine. She is nearly 12 and may go down the road to her friends house and I will give her the phone to call me when she arrives and call me when she is heading back. (They don't have a phone) Also if they go over to the convenience store or something and need me. I give it to her to go to school if she needs to tell me what time to pick her up if there is an activity she is doing and I don't know when to get her. (They won't let her use the school phone) It isn't very often that it happens that she needs to call me on it and she doesn't use it to chat with her friends. Considering I was running around the city doing whatever I wanted when I was her age, and we are in the country and I have a shorter leash on her then I ever had. She is a good kid that does well in school and respects rules. I feel I can trust her with it and that I can keep in touch when we are not together. I wouldn't let my 8 year old have one because he would rake up a $100.00 phone bill playing with the thing. I think it could depend on what is it for and how the child uses it that determines if it is an asset or an expensive luxury. Vicki

It depends on your motives of giving cellphone to your kids. Because sometime parents are eager to have the cellphone to their kids and none of it firstly comes from their kids, unless they are above than 18 years old. About restrictions, of course, any facilities given there will always be the rules and regulation. But in your story you miss to mention about the 'punishment' that will be inflicted once their respective bills above than 100.00. So better add it as one of your kids' usage cellphone rules and regulations.

For me to let the ten year old child use a cellphone has a an advantage.For example when in school they can easily text/call you ifever they have no class anymore in order to fetch them.

My nephew who is 10 years old got a cell phone because he was going to a course outside his school. We needed to be sure that he was ok, that he didn't miss the school bus, etc.. He is a very mature kid, and his phone had a limit. If he spent more than a certain amount in the month he wouldn't be able to call anymore unless he bought a card. It never happened. He only used it a couple of time, mostly to say hi to his mother. Now he isn't going to the course anymore, so he doesn't have the phone anymore. It is nice to provide a cell phone to a child for emergency, but I don't think children should have a cell phone all the time. They don't understand how much it costs.