Parent of a pre-teen (TWEEN)

I would say if she's a good kid and all she wants is a cell phone then go for it. As a parent I would say try it out and give conditions and see what works best for you and your daughter. My daughter just turned 13 in August and has had a cell phone since last Christmas. It really worked and brought us closer because she would actually text or call me as well if she needed something. So far it's been wonderful but that could be very different with each child just like everything else. On my daughter's cell it's a prepaid and I only put $10 a week on it, she never goes through the whole amount each week so eventually you can skip a week when it builds up enough. For that amount we get unlimited texting free, nights and weekends free, and cell to cell free. You might check if they have a pay as you go phone that won't run you into the ground.