Children and Cell Phones

My son has been asking for a cell phone he will be 12 in July. I do think it would be a good idea in case of an emergency as he rides his bike to school. I would start off with one of those prepaid phones though to test and see how responsilbe the child is with it. She is right though it seems like all kids have a cell phone now.

well as a just coming out adult. i just turned 18. anyways my mom never bought me my own cellphone, i bought one when i turned 16 and i was working at a school district office for the summer. anyways cell phones are a big thing now, the best way to go if your goin to buy a cell phone for your child is prepaid. the pay as you go cellphone. my phone is prepaid the great thing about my phone is that i get free nights and weekends.

I think 8 or 9 is to young for a cell phone. My oldest is 11 going on 12 and so far so good. She doesn't go anywhere that requires her to have one anyway. So maybe when she's older like 15-16, then she will get one, so I will feel safe. You can look around for those kid cell phones that you can have important numbers stored into the phone, doesn't have the text feature or anything special, just a cell phone. Honestly, I have a razr and I can't wait until I can trade mine in to get a better one. People can barely hear me when they call me, just not worth it's money. I think Disney has cell phones that has a tracking feature on it, just in case something happens. Those pre paid phones or Go phones aren't bad either, then you can make her do chores around the house to pay for it and you won't be stuck with a contract and high bills when she goes over her limits.

Honestly, it all has to do with the childs maturity. Some children can handle a cell phone at nine, and some cannot. I would have to say look at the child, and see if she is mature, and then ask like her teachers, and adults that are around them when you are not. That's all the advice that I can give except trust your kids.

not at that age, but heading on for 12 or so i would, for fun, but also for a safety feature, there are soo many strange people out there, i would feel safer if i knew that my child was only a button away =] Chris

I agree with you, your daughter doesn't really need the cellphone for the reason that she's always supervised. I think that in other cases wherein, their children would need it when their parents are both working and they have to communicate when who's going to pick them up at school.

This is a toughy! But let me tell you... not from personal experience, but I witnessed it with my auncle has his daughter, she's 10. She asked and asked that she wanted a cell phone. So they finally said ok... but they went to the town market and bought her a used one, because they knew that she would lose it sooner or later.... she hasn't lost it yet. She said the same thing, everyone has a cell phone! But this is what they did... they did not allow her to take it to school, because they are not allowed! So, she said ok. She was only allowed to have it after school, if she was going to a friends house, or if they were at the mall, and she wanted to wander off with friends or something. And so far so good. OH! IT's also pre-paid. No texting, because they figure if she's able to do that, she'd be doing it all the time. So they said, that once they see texting on the bill or what not, she wont' be able to use it until the next billing cycle or something. So, I think that's a very good idea! Pre-paid, only certain locations, no to school, and monitor! It's good for emergencies, and you should put important numbers on speed dial. I know a girl who's 25, who works nights and when she walks to her car she has 911 on the screen, and has it open, so if something happens she just pushes talk! That's a bit extreme, but you know what I mean! Good luck!

its the society today. i have seen my just 4 yr old niece calling herself from a cellphone! it really amazes me. i really don't think she needs one. what is the need for such a young kid? actually many parents are spoiling their kids to this extent and others are also getting involved.

my niece was 13 when she first had her phone, same as anyone else she insisted that she wants to have a cellphone because everybody in her school has one, my sister which is her mother also objects to the idea of giving her a phone at that young age but it seems like she got tired of her daughter's persistence that she finally agreed to buy her a phone. we bought a sony ericsson for her and told her to take care of that, the bad thing was she was very excited of her phone and she keeps on texting until midnight, since i share a room with her i always caught her chatting with her friends in the middle of the night talking about little girls crushes. we got a problem with her grades later on that we confiscated her phone for months for punishment. the usual problem with young ones with own phones is that they tend to put that at the center of their life making studies to be put aside,.

My parents gave my sister a cell phone at 9. She has lost 5 phones. Within a month or so of getting one she looses it. They have been left at school, on trips, at friends houses and one was even dropped while she was crossing the street and a car ran it over. I dont think a child that young needs to have a cell phone. I have heard of cell phones that can ONLY call home and 911. I dont remember what they are called, but something like that i could see. It would be useful if they ever got in to some kind of situation where they needed to call for help. But in my opinion, at that age, where are they going to be off on their own that they might need help?

My oldest wants one to, everyone else has one. O well I said. There is no need for it. Really! Now when she gets alittle older yes then we may talk about it. I was 11 years old once and did just fine with out a cell phone. She will 2.

well..they need a cellphone for emergencies..but i don't think a razr for an 8 or 9 year old..a too fancy cell could lead to "non-stop" gaming and texting..and the child would do that 24/7..that's y i think you should give ur child a lmtd credit..such as 10$/month..so he/she can't text and phone so much.. my sister (almost 8 years old) has also a cell phone..but just a classic, old one..and nothing happened..she used it for essential things, such as calling our dad..etc..maybe you should teach and explain to your child 1st what's the purpose of having it..and what he/she can't do (receiving/calling strangers..etc) maybe then ur child will understand and won't use the cellphone for dangerous activities! =)

NO I would not give a 8 or 9 year old a phone my lil sis is 12 and just got one she also started wanting one at that age and i know why b/c on tv the kids on there have one and they are the same age kids just want to be in style if she keeps on you could get her one that is a tracphone and make her earn the mins by doin something positive like cleaning or doing well in school. I do not think she should have a pic phone b/c boys now of days might want her to send some bad pics if ya know what i mean!