iPhone 3GS from AT&T. Free Shipping
Community weekly poll: At what age should kids get their first cell phone?
- 6/20/06 10:06 AM
As soon as they are old enough to use one
by reen6290 - 6/20/06 8:17 PM In reply to: At what age should kids get their first cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
A special phone that is designed to keep in touch with parents only, with a GPS installed can be a life saver should you ever lose track of your child for any reason, and should be used as soon as the child is capable of answering the phone.
Make sure you use velcro so it stays with the child.
If you think you would never lose track of your child you can only be called ignorant and possibly even neglegent.
With predators acting rapidly, you must use every defense available today.
For those with teens, prepaid or spending limits is your answer. The GPS tracking will always be useful to see if the teen is where he/she says.
Wow 1
by Ralphdb - 6/20/06 9:06 PM In reply to: As soon as they are old enough to use one by reen6290Talk about policing your Kids.. My EX wife calls her son 2 or 3 times a day to make sure he is Ok. Has been for a while now.. Oh yes He is 35 years old.. Went the kids move out or get a real Job then they can have cell phones. I ride home from work 16 miles and follow a car that the driver is on Her or sometimes his Cell phone all the way Home and not dialing any other Number. what on earth do they find to talk about. Is she telling her daughther how to Cook a 8 course meal ? At least if your wife don't believe where you are, you can send her a Picture.. lol or maybe next time she will tell you to get GPS... Come on give me a break.. Oh you don't need to give your 2 year old a cell phone so you can track him. you can sew a beacon transmitter into his jacket.. and follow him the rest of his life. you will have to keep upgrading when he out grows his jacket.
You missed the point
by wresnick - 6/21/06 12:28 PM In reply to: Wow 1 by RalphdbThe poster was talking about emergencies, not meddling. My wife's phone has a GPS that makes it possible to tell where she is at any given moment. It's called onStar. If she is in an accident, it "phones home" and the onStar people can tell exactly where she is.
If there's some sort of GPS device on a cell phone that kids can activate in an emergency, I'm all for it.
What you are talking about makes a compelling case not to give cell phones to adults.
GPS
by Ralphdb - 6/30/06 12:30 PM In reply to: You missed the point by wresnickMy Exwife would have loved for me to have one with a GPS. Not that I was dishonest like she thought. If I was in the Flower shop getting her some flowers it would not have been any of her business.. the age of Policing our every move will soon be here. We don't Need it..
That's a different issue
by wresnick - 3/7/07 10:21 AM In reply to: GPS by RalphdbWhat I posted has nothing to do with that. If I call the onStar people and tell them that I want to know where my car is because I'm trying to find my wife, they won't tell me. It will let them know where it is if something is wrong, and will allow them to track the car for you, once you get the police involved, but that would require a good reason such as a theft or abduction. In general, though, it will allow the car to call them. Then they can help you in an emergency and know where you are.
Whether you want your wife to know your every move is up to you, but as an adult, you should be able to make that decision. If your wife wants to fit you with a collar, then the issue is your marriage, not the technology. But the issue of whether I should be able to track my kids is a very different one. If you want to make a case that a parent should not have the right to know the location of her five year old child because it violates that child's privacy, then go ahead and state your case.
Some people have trouble communicating...
by jeanjaz - 6/24/06 11:59 AM In reply to: Wow 1 by RalphdbI didn't have to look at your name to tell you are male. The comment "what do they find to talk about?" gave it away. It is very easy to picture what your marriage is like. You don't have a very high opinion of your wife, you don't talk to her - really talk to her - very much and she is lonely and starved for real male companionship so she gets it by talking to her son. It is only wrong or ridiculous if he doesn't like it, otherwise he is being a good and respectful son by being a friend to her. You are just lucky she doesn't get her male companionship from someone other than her son - like a boyfriend!
Your views on whether a *child* should have a cell phone are a little bit skewed by your personal situation and your bad marriage doesn't have anything to do with the discussion.
- J
Gender Problem
by Ralphdb - 6/30/06 11:27 AM In reply to: Wow 1 by RalphdbI did not Say anything about a FEMALE if you read my post again.. Are you feeling Guilty ? And you know nothing about me to make the comment you made about me talking to Her. She calls me also and will talk about Nothing or something on TV for 35 Minutes.. I call that Drivel...
At least 8 - 10 yrs.
by ccopes - 6/21/06 3:59 AM In reply to: As soon as they are old enough to use one by reen6290My youngest child is 8 and we decided to get him one ever since 911. My wife and I work and it is an excellent thing to be able to put your finger on your kids when needed. However, there is the drawback of the child losing or misplacing it, which has happened but the positives I think outweight the negatives. In this day and age of uncertainty you need constant contact w/immediate family members.
I Agree, But Not On Quite The Same Grounds
by RobertMusil - 6/21/06 9:23 AM In reply to: As soon as they are old enough to use one by reen6290The odds of getting hurt in a vehicular or other accident are exponentially greater than getting kidnapped, although a quick statistical check online shows that approx. 1/2500 kids will be kidnapped with some sexual component every year. That's troubling. It's noteworthy that those aren't typically long-term abductions and that most involve teenagers though, but in any case it's not something parents want to gamble with, however much these rates have actually been dropping for many years in the US. If there were one such abduction per generation I'd worry because that's parenthood.
Nevertheless, the many, far more likely things... Including simply getting lost... Make the phone a credible asset. And not as a GPS target since that doesn't actually work well in practice, because the phone is obvious (thus disposed of by kidnapper) and it can't pinpoint location inside a "cell" to my knowledge.
What it really boils down to is that I like hearing from my kid, so I'll buy him a phone as soon as he is ready, willing, and able to have one.
Kids run amok
by don509 - 6/20/06 8:29 PM In reply to: At what age should kids get their first cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
So many negative replies in this one. Now I understand who is using the V chip in their televisions. Sounds like a lot of people who really like to say, "Why when I was a boy we used to walk 5 miles to school, barefoot. And we liked it!
It's just a telephone, (and a camera, and a web browser). My son got his when he was 14(he's 18 now), and he uses it all the time, but he doesn't go over his minutes.
This is about parenting and faith and growing our children into the 21st century world. If this was the most serious thing I had to worry about with my teenager I would be a deliriously happy father. Instead, I'm happy to be able to get in touch with my son whenever I want to.
A little freedom
by caudle - 6/20/06 8:33 PM In reply to: At what age should kids get their first cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
As they enter high school and are involved afer school activites it there maybe times when you need to communicate and this is the easiest way. as with any privledge there is responsibilities.
When the Parents are mature enough......
by stlaw01 - 6/20/06 8:42 PM In reply to: At what age should kids get their first cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
If the first criterion is met, then the mature parents will decide when their children are mature enough. Simple? But who is to determine when the parents are mature? Right. In a world that seem ''going down hill'' because we seem to hear about any crime against people, even in the USA from a small village, say in Germany and vice versa...the news media seem to embellish how unsafe the world is. (But is it really?) Since we hear very little about the good that is happening, what can we reference the safety of our plant to? Point is, we seem to fear for our children because of this and the Cell Phone companies probably ''pick up on'' this information with that which sell cell phones... And with many of your children's friends having cell phones, how do you make the best decision....WOW! We gave in with our female child on her 13th birthday...nine months ago. She has surprised us...has not lost the cell phone, and we are still under 700 total daytime monthly minutes. We are lucky, so far. (Truefully, has she gained her maturity from her parents (us) or from her TaeKwonDo 8th Degree Black Belt, Korean Grand-Master? She is already working toward her 3rd Degree.) So what does she need a cell phone for, really?
as soon as possible
by littlefaith - 6/20/06 8:46 PM In reply to: At what age should kids get their first cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Reading this forum has made me think seriously about getting my 5-year-old his first cell phone. I am wary of sexual predators, because my stepfather turned out to be one. While a phone is not really protection against evil, it's still a worthy tool, and I would rather him learn how to use it responsibly now while he's a loving child that listens seriously to everything I tell him, than wait until those teenage years when who knows if rebellion will set in.
tool not toy
by littlefaith - 6/20/06 9:20 PM In reply to: as soon as possible by littlefaithI wanted to add to my post that it is precisely because a phone is a tool and not a toy that I want my child to have one as soon as he is able to learn and practice good phone habits. I feel the same way about cell phones as I do about money, microscopes, computers, scissors, screwdrivers, mixing bowls, pianos... they are all useful things. I want him to have real things that have real responsibility attached to them. What my son does not need are more "toys" or throwaway "junk".
Kid do not need a cell phone...period.
by rsmifsud - 6/20/06 8:47 PM In reply to: At what age should kids get their first cell phone? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
As a NONPARENT, I can say this from only an observation stand point, no, kids should not be allowed to have cell phones. If one wants to have a cell phone, they should be 21 years of age, with certain exceptions. I can see if there is a teenager who works and gets off from work at night. Yes, a phone is necessary for that because there could be some sort of trouble. But for casual phone usage, no.
First, cell phones, (like computers) are not toys. They are tools to help out every day life in the real world. They can be a valuable tool in helping those lost find directions or get help when needed. But casual usage like in grocery stores and the like are nothing more than...well...stupid. To me, it is nothing more than to show off...''See what I got.''
I can't stand that. And the ringtones...please.
A waste of time and money.
But let's be real. I am 40 years old. I remember when I was a kid, around 14 years old. My life was not that important to warrant a cell phone. I talked to my so-called friends at school. And if I had to call one of my friends, which was only for school, my mother was right there listening to my conversation. My mother knew where I was and who I was talking to at ALL TIMES. So I figure the same thing is true now. How many times does one need to talk about what boy is liking what girl and vice-versa?
Third, the cost. People complain about the high cost of living. It is one thing to have a cell phone for the adults. But when there is one for the kids, on some plans that is an extra $50 or more. So most cell phone bills run ridiculously high, stiffling some families. Some have to get up $200 or more a month according to usage plan because they have gotten rid of their land-line phone, making it an unneccessary expense. That money could go toward paying off credit card bills, mortgages and maybe a savings account for a rainy day.
It comes down to parental responsibility. Parents today say, ''I want my kid to have a cell phone where
I will know where he/she is at all times.'' That is bunk. Because Bethany called ''Mommy'' or ''Daddy'' and said that she was at Jennifer's house spending the night, doesn't mean that she is exactly where she says. Most parents that take explanation at face value. They don't take it upon themselves to call ''Jennifer's'' parents to see for sure. For all they know, their little one could be in the middle of a crack den or at a hotel room with a boy doing God knows what.
These same parents also say,''I want my child to have what I didn't have.'' Letting them have a cell phone is a status symbol. I have seen several parents
like this. One is a relative of mine. They gave her everything, but it still didn't do any good. Let me just say that it didn't turn out well. That train of thought never pans out. I was one of the last to have a video game. I was one of the last to have designer clothes. And also I am the last of my generation in the neighborhood to get driver's license, something that I still don't have because car insurance is expensive for a first time driver. I was the last because my mother did not keep up with the Jones'. She kept up with her wallet. It was based on need.
So in closing, when a gadget comes on the market and the kids clamor for it while you savor it, ask yourself, do I really NEED it, do the kids really NEED it or do we just WANT it. If it is the latter, save your money for a rainy day.
| Forum legend: | |
 |
Locked thread |
 |
Moderator |
 |
CNET staff |
 |
Samsung staff |
 |
Norton Authorized Support team |
 |
AVG staff |
 |
Windows Outreach team |
 |
Dell staff |
 |
Intel staff |
