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Community weekly poll: At what age should kids get their first cell phone?
- 6/20/06 10:06 AM
Yes, sometimes
by sleeppro319 - 6/20/06 8:16 PM In reply to: Yes, sometimes by lkbambiI too have a ten year old, but we have a land line and she can call me from there, of course I don't allow my daughter to run the streets when she gets out of school. She has homework and chores to do till I get home, so I already know where she is and therefore no cell phone is needed. Please don't misunderstand, but you did imply that your child was running the streets.
I just got my first one about three months ago but only because my car had broken down several times. It is only on when I am in the car, but not to chit chat, but for emergencies only. I too hate those who feel they can talk and run stop signs/red lights or turn without turn signals because they are too busy holding the phone.
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Kids with cell phones.
by sasquatchll - 6/20/06 7:23 PM In reply to: At what age should kids get their first cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
A few years ago a group of Israeli second graders were on a field trip to an island in the Jordan River.
A terrorist opened fire on them and due to the Israeli custom of never sending the kids to school with out their cell phone, the kids were able to call for help.
The kids were saved and the terrorist (turned out to be a Jordanian soldier) was captured.
My wife and I gave one to my 11 year old
by slopok8225 - 6/20/06 7:26 PM In reply to: At what age should kids get their first cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
My son is 11 and in my opinion very mature for his age. I can't answer for any other parents of children that are 11 years old, but we felt that he was old enough and wise enough to know when, how and to whom he could talk to with his phone. So far he has yet to disappoint us. He takes the phone to school and sets to vibrate only and answers only if it is my wife or myself calling him. If he receives any other calls during school hours he does not answer it and just lets it buzz till the caller stops trying to call. He waits until late evenings before using it to call friends and even then does not talk for long periods, even knowing that nights are free.
I personally think that every parent has to evaluate for them selves, on a kid by kid bases, as every one of them mature at different times. I have a 9 year old that at this point, I would say that we do not think that he will be mature enough for his own phone at 11, unless something drastic changes about him. He just isn't growing up as fast as our 11 year old did.
Good strategy
by wresnick - 6/21/06 12:43 PM In reply to: My wife and I gave one to my 11 year old by slopok8225It's hard to say what your 9 year old will be like in a few years. Kids can change. The nice thing is that you are setting an example of what is expected.
Kids should get to use their PARENTS" cell phone
by kybruce - 6/20/06 7:39 PM In reply to: At what age should kids get their first cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I let my children use MY cell phone when they went out with friends. They did not get their own cell phones until they could help pay for them. They would call me and let me know where they were, or when the went from one place to another. It is important for a parent to be able to keep track of their children, especially when they or their friends start to drive. Which raises another question. Do parents allow their children with driver's licenses to have passengers in their car? My answer is NO. My children were not allowed to have friends in their cars until they had driven for at least a year, and then they could only have one friend in the car.
Using Parent's cell phone
by afenya - 6/21/06 7:16 AM In reply to: Kids should get to use their PARENTS" cell phone by kybruceMy mom always let me use her cell phone until I went away to university and then I got one of my own and was put on a pay as you go plan because when I'm at school I had manditory night classes and I no longer live on campus and walking home alone at 10pm isn't the safest feeling, I think it was a good time to get my own phone.
And on the topic of driving with friends in the car. If you don't want your kids to drive with their friends in the car for at least a year I think you're being ridiculous. I live in Ontario where we have a graduated system so for the first 8 months I drove I had to have a experienced driver with me in the car but I was also usually driving with 3 of my friends in the back seat to and from practices and found that my friends who never got to drive with other people in the car were not confident or safe drivers for a while after they started driving by themselves. I much prefer people who's parents took some time with them when they were learning to drive with some friends in the background cause you children will be a lot less distracted by conversations when they are driving if they are used to the background noise. Plus a radio is a lot more distracting then friends when you play it at the volume you would with no one else in the car. And if you leave your kids home alone with a car are they really going to only go out with one friend???
A Good Start...
by sheshe1987 - 6/21/06 7:47 AM In reply to: Kids should get to use their PARENTS" cell phone by kybruceWe did do that with our oldest child. When she first started going out with her friends, she would take DH's phone since mine is used for work and personal. Once she showed she could be responsible with the phone, she was allowed to get her own phone...she was 15 at the time. Once our son started being away from us more often for sleepovers and such, the same thing was done for him and he received his phone at age 11.
They showed us that we could trust them with a phone at a time that was right for them. Our daughter wasn't interested in getting a cell until she was 14. Our son is involved in sports and is a social butterfly hence him getting his phone at an earlier age.
As for the driving thing, it's the law here that you can't have more than one passenger unless the passenger is over 18 during your first year of being licensed. After your 1st year, you can carry no more than three passengers under 18. These restrictions are for drivers under 18, but do not apply to family members.
Our kids know and respect the rules set regarding their phones, and I can honestly say that I haven't been disappointed yet! The package that my DH's phone is on allows plenty of minutes for the three phones to share, so I'm only paying for having the extra lines added to the account. That extra $20 for both the kid's lines is well worth the peace of mind we have knowing they can get help IF they need it.
How does that help?
by wresnick - 6/21/06 12:19 PM In reply to: Kids should get to use their PARENTS" cell phone by kybruceThat way, they have a phone just the same, but you don't have one all the time. If my kids call me to come pick them up after a party, I'd like to be able to call them when I'm on the way if something comes up. If I think it's important enough for my kids to have a phone in an emergency, then I think I can justify the same for myself.
These days, a phone can cost as little as $10 a year, once you have the initial phone. And people sell them cheap on eBay. You can probably even find somebody to give you an old GSM phone for free.
If it's merely a matter of not wanting them to have the phone all the time, then it does not matter if it's "your" phone or not. You can give them their phone to use whenever they go somewhere that you think warrants having a phone with them.
As for driving, my state laws are the same as the other poster's. It all comes down to responsibility.
Yea, i'd say 10
by UndrgrndTw2 - 6/20/06 7:49 PM In reply to: At what age should kids get their first cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I'd say around 10. I know alot of 14 yearolds who are all stoked up about their first cell phone, but they usualy ow alot within the first week. When your 10 you realy dont have alot of need for one so you get used to controling your self.
I persionaly dont have a cell-phone, but I'm startig to see how one would be usefull, as I'm away from my parrents at work or on bike rides (to name a few scenarios) more and more often.
Just my 2 cents.
At what age should kids get their first cell phone?
by Sindi - 6/20/06 7:58 PM In reply to: At what age should kids get their first cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
In this day and age, children need all the safety aspects they can have. You never know when something will happen. At 15 or older, they start going places without you. That is when they need it. Or sooner if they are allowed to go places if you aren't with them. Sure they will talk over their minutes once in awhile. But it is better to have a way for them to contact you if they should ever need to. The old pay phone isn't very handy anymore. We live in a small community and my Granddaughter has had one since she started being in places without Mom or Dad. "Better safe than sorry."
Thank you,
Sindi
No Mobile Browser For Sure
by TheOzz - 6/20/06 8:00 PM In reply to: At what age should kids get their first cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
At this point I don't see the need for a kid to have a cell phone. I am a parent and reserve the right to change my mind. I do know that my kids will not have Internet access via their cell phone.
One shortcoming of mobile browsers found in cell phones, PDAs, hip-tops, and other cell phone hybrids is the lack of Internet content control, filtering, or permanent logging. If your child has an Internet capable cell phone then they have access to just about anything. Many adult content sites are only protected by a yes/no button choice when visitors are asked if they meet minimum age requirements.
Mobile browsers are just one small way kids get around parents attempts to monitor and control their children's Internet activity. I will be posting more on how kids circumvent parent's security on my blog.
http://www.hoei.com/blog/
No Browser
by don509 - 6/20/06 8:05 PM In reply to: No Mobile Browser For Sure by TheOzzThey already have access to everything, you just don't know it. Unless your kids are younger than 14, you can't really, sincerely believe otherwise.
When the can work.
by jeeps71 - 6/20/06 8:02 PM In reply to: At what age should kids get their first cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I was given my first Cell phone when I started working. Only used it when I needed it. So I think around the age that kids start to work and drive is a good time for a cell phone. But I am sick and tired of these kids that are 10, 11, or 12 talking on a cell phone. Who do they really have to talk to that badly. But saying this I do like the concept of the Cell that allows the parent to program 4 number and an emergency number that's not a bad way to go. All in all when the start to drive and work I find it the best time to give them one. But who pays is a hole other topic.
At what age did you start using computers?
by wresnick - 6/21/06 12:22 PM In reply to: When the can work. by jeeps71Did you use them when you were young, and do you think you might have developed better writing skills without them?
My daughters got hers at 13
by qualityinnsd - 6/20/06 8:12 PM In reply to: At what age should kids get their first cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
At 13 my daughter showed that she was a responsible enough younglady to receive her first cellphone. After two years of never going over her minutes she has been everything a younglady should be . I guess parents should use there own disgression with kids .
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