When you think it's safe and appropriate to buy a cell phone for your child?

Um. i think the child must know how to use it first. I mean he/she should know about its functions like text , and calls and all. But he/she should be misusing it like giving fake call, calling anyone unknowingly etc. But cell phones are important because anything like accident or any emergency case can happen anytime. so child can inform their parents by cell.

dear ice, in this jet age and technology, i say it is ok. the children will be allowed to learn the value of safekeeping at the same time. and during emergencies, it is a very helpful both for parents and children to communicate when they are away from each other. have a nice day. ann

Like you said it all depends on the maturity of the child. I feel that 10-12 would be old enough with them having the understanding that it isn't a toy..and that it is to be used for emergencies only or to keep contact of their whereabouts..kids that age start to have after school activities such as sports and stuff so it is wise for them to be able to use a phone to contact you when they need to. It is best to have rules and limits. If they break the rules then they could lose the phone altogether. They do have phones out that allows a child to only call the numbers that the parents put in it's memory..which would be a good first phone. : http://www.mytictalk.com/Main/index_Cingular.jsp

Things have changed so much since I was a kid. I was 18 years old in 2000, and bought a cellphone on my own, which I paid for. I think that kids should be allowed to have a cellphone as soon as they are able to pay for it entirely, themselves. This way they will have something to work and save up for.

I bought my nephew his cellphone when he reached the age of 13, kind of starting off into his teenage years. I gave him instructions not to forget his spelling just because he is using a cellphone. So many of today's children I see in elementary levels having a cellphone and then their spelling in school as I see in their notebooks shortened words mostly without the vowels. Since my nephew started high school, I really needed him to have a cellphone so that I can be able to call him when he is late coming home from school. And he can text me in case there is a project he needs and I need to buy some materials for him. His friends can also communicate with him when there are emergency meetings regarding their activities in school.

In my personal opinion, I find it absolutely ridiculous to give a child a mobile phone before they have began adolescence. I've seen kids as young as seven walking around in public fiddling with mobile phones, like they are just displaying it for potential muggers

I let my daughter have a mobile phone when she was 12. She was in year 7 then. I wanted her to become used to it, as the following year she would be in high school and would need one then. I put her on a $20 plan, that is, $20 of phone calls or texts per month. She has never misused it.

We told my oldest that she could have one when she was 12. She got hers a little bit early due to my husband dropping his in the pool. Since we had to go get him a new one anyway, we got her one as well. So far she's been pretty responsible with it. But now the two little ones are under the mistaken impression that they are going to get one when they are 11.

Hi icesmile, I bought my son a cellphone last Christmas, he is 10 years old. I did this because I want to be in touch with him when he's out on school activities like field trips, inter-school competitions or any other occasions. He leaves it at home most of the time though because the school doesn't allow any gadget, except well, during school activities. He's responsible enough when to bring it, and when not to. I require him to bring his cell phone whenever we go to the mall or elsewhere, so that it's easier to locate him and vice versa, just in case we lose sight of each other specially in big places like malls, parks or resorts.

...Hi icesmile, This is tricky, because if there is an emergency, and the child might need to call his mother or something, having a phone would be good. On the other hand there is research out there which states that the electronic rays or whatever they are called in the cellphones could cause tumors in the brain, especially in children, because their brains are developing and are more susceptible than adult brains. If one buys a cell phone for a child, they would have to make the child realizes that the phone cannot be held against their heads for long periods of time. It is too dangerous. Color television sets emit rays that are unhealthy and should not be sat in front of too closely. If I had a child and were thinking about getting them a cell phone, I would have to research a lot to be sure I knew enough about it relative to children. Take care.

Hi, I think 14 is just alright if your kid knows how to use and handle the phone and be responsible enough to take good care of it. I was 13 when I had one, it was really useful since my father and mother can contact me, they can find me and knows who i am with... and also I can contact them if I need something. Actually, I really think its up to the parents to decide since they really know the child and its up to us, the children to prove to our parents that we can be trusted and be responsible. =))

A child should probably be given a cellphone like at age 16 or so because when I got a cellphone when I was young I started to know a lot about the naughty things and such.

i think the best time to buy your child a cellphone is when you see and feel that your child has become responsible enough in taking care of his things. but when you buy your child a [hone, be sure to remind him/her the responsibilities that goes along with it.

I am not yet a parent but am going through the process of adopting, so I hope my opinion still counts! I would only buy a cell phone for a child once the child became involved in a lot of extracurricular activities. For example, if the child joined band, track, football, etc and had a lot of away trips, I would definitely look into getting the child a cell phone. It would make it easier to stay in contact and the child could let you know if the bus was getting back earlier, later, etc. I definitely think my child's first cell phone would be something like a tracfone or something prepaid rather than part of my "normal" wireless plan. This would teach them to be responsible about their minutes and usage.

I think children should be given cell phones at an age of 15.No one should be given a cell phone below that age.If you give them cell phone at a small age keep an eye on them.They may wasting time spending hours on the phone.So it is more safe if you give them a postpaid connection cdma cell phone.So that you can check the bills to find how much time they are spending on phone