What Age Should We Give Our Kid A Cell Phone?

[longtimeago 0]

ah , for this question we have to make a very big discussion i guess , but as of today the age dosent matter because even a 5 year old kid knows to medal with a mobile more than an adult , so all that matters is not the age at which you give a mobile to a kid but the depends upon the maturity level of the Kid .If the kid is matured at the age of 5 , then well and good go on, let the kid have a mobile at that age.

[Kidbeast 0]

I think you should give your child a phone when you notice they start going out alot with thier peers, which usually happens in there middle school years. So, i think 13 or 14 is a good age, Always good to stay in contact with them in case something happens.

[Watermonkey 0]

I don't think I'd ever give my child a cell phone. For a few reasons: First, I wonder if they'd respect the fact that they're really not free. If they had to pay for the phone and service out of pocket, then how could I argue with that? It just means they're accepting responsibility for having a gadget that's not necessary. Second, I'd consider it as a gift, or, more likely, as a reward for a scholastic accomplishment or something along those lines, but only with the understanding they'd have to pick up the service plan when what I paid for ran out. If I had a plan, I'd even consider letting them on as a family member if they made up their end of that added cost. Even if they were paying for it out of their own pocket, I'd demand a couple things: First, I'd make it mandatory they buy service from the same company I was using so that p2p calls were free. Second, I'd insist they research the hidden dangers of the microwave radiation emitted from the phone and encourage them to use a roof mounted antenna as much as possible when using the phone.

[Plenoptic 0]

With new phones that are only able to call certain numbers parents program as well as emergency numbers, it has allowed children to have a cell phone at a younger age without running up the bill. These phones are for emergencies or when children are away from parents. Defining an age to have a cell phone would depend on your situation. If you are working a lot and say your kid goes to a friend's house it would be nice for them to call you even if they are eight years old. This being the case, they mine as well start using them as they are young because it is becoming a larger part of society.

[HyBriD54 0]

I'd say when they start high school, and that is generally the time where they spend more and more time out of home rather than in home, and you will find giving them a mobile phone will keep both of you more informed than... alone. Well, you don't have to give them a crazy latest model type of phone, a second hand or older model will be sufficient.I got mine when I was 13 years old, when I started High School here in Australia. I'm not the type who envies others when they have better phones or anything, unless it's something I seriously want badly, and in that case, I tend to negotiate with my parents rather than whinge.

[mail_sup 0]

im 15 and dont have a cell phone (allthoe i need one) i think kids around 10 should get them.but im seeing 7 year olds running around with them. its rediculis, when your 7 you dont need a cell becauseyour with your perents 24/7

[street 0]

I think the youngest age a kid should have a cellphone is 12. During this age kids start getting into school activities and sports. When kids stay after school having a cellphone is a better way to keep in touch. In my old middle school, if you stayed after hrs to a point that the main office was closed their was no point of communication unless you asked someone to use their cellphone.During my middle school days i had many days where i walked home cause i couldn't contact my mom before she went off to work.

[pritamkumar90 0]

I think the perfect age for giving a cell is around 15yrs old....At that age teens spend a lot of time hanging out with frnds are in constant touch with them. Its also a great way for parents to contact their kids when they're outside....i got my first cell when i was 16.. after a long and furious battle. and then too it was my dad's old cell :lol:a motorola c200....ancient black and white model

Edited May 11, 2008 by pritamkumar90 (see edit history)

[french-german 0]

Obviously, a cell phone is a tool which a kid do not require, at least usually, but even if it could prove to be useful, we or you all should know the risks of a child using a cell phone, which are pretty much the same as for the adults, except the fact that the kid would have access to the internet, it would be expose to radio waves which could damage him fisicaly more then it does to the adult bodies because kids are more fragile, plus, kids should not have access to certain objects/tools until they are 16 years old at least, but it is better just when they are 18 years old, until then they should be educated of the risks, of the benefits and the advantages and disadvantages of using cell phones, one more risk is that anyone can call him, and if a pedophile man/worman calls him, is it not a very big risk, is it not the biggest risk, or even a murderer, a raper or a person that will want to trade the kid for money, or just kill him for revenge?There are a lot of risks, kids should not have cell phones, never!

[mail_sup 0]

Obviously, a cell phone is a tool which a kid do not require, at least usually, but even if it could prove to be useful, we or you all should know the risks of a child using a cell phone, which are pretty much the same as for the adults, except the fact that the kid would have access to the internet, it would be expose to radio waves which could damage him fisicaly more then it does to the adult bodies because kids are more fragile, plus, kids should not have access to certain objects/tools until they are 16 years old at least, but it is better just when they are 18 years old, until then they should be educated of the risks, of the benefits and the advantages and disadvantages of using cell phones, one more risk is that anyone can call him, and if a pedophile man/worman calls him, is it not a very big risk, is it not the biggest risk, or even a murderer, a raper or a person that will want to trade the kid for money, or just kill him for revenge?

 

There are a lot of risks, kids should not have cell phones, never!

OMFG what are the chances? plus as i said im 15 and you have no efin idea on how much i need a cell.

for ex if my parents and i are at a store and i dont know were they are how am i suopost to

find them, (imagine a 15 year old running around the store/mall screaming mommy, mommy, were are you mom?)

oh and ^{THE ATTACK OF THE KILLER RADIO WAVES}AHHH run for your lives. i think not. every one in my high school is still alive!

[hellosoliloquy 0]

Reasonably, I think that at least middle school age is a good age.Well, perhaps not even quite that young. Maybe high school. If I had a child in middle school, I suppose I really wouldn't want my child calling me up and saying, "Oops, I forgot. I was supposed to have practice today."I suppose the kid should just really prove him or herself responsible enough to have a cell phone.

[bangms 0]

I agree about the 'maturity' factor - if you believe they are able to handle the responsibilities of taking care of a phone without abusing their privileges. Generally, a kid should get a cellphone probably sometime while they are in middle school. Elementary school would probably be too early and getting one during high school is fine too but it would probably be better to get one before. I never had a cell phone until my freshmen year of high school and I really wished I had one at least a year before. You'll find it very useful to give your child a cell phone during certain situations. Of course there might be certain planning situations where you might have to give your child a cell phone at an early age because of dropping/picking them up.

[Csshih 0]

I think that kids can have a cell phone at an early age, but the cell phone shouldn't have many features, like texting which seems to be all the rage these day.Personally, I don't think that texting is very fun, I never use that feature.Maybe they can only have a few numbers, and cen be only used certain times of the day.

[ivantoar 0]

I got my very own cellphone 4 years ago (age 11). I think a child is ready to get a cellphone around 10-12. At that age, they starting to grow up to teens and at that age they are starting to have responsibility.

[rpgsearcherz 5]

I strongly believe that cell phones shouldn't be given based on age, but rather maturity. I have seen some people who are 16-22 for example that spam SMS and calls to people, racking up their phone bills for their parents. On the other hand, there are some younger kids who are responsible and do not use them unless it's for emergencies.I was personally given both a debit card and a cell phone at age 11-12, but I also knew how to keep complete control over both of them. I never used the credit card as it was for emergencies, and only used the cell phone for calling family if I needed something. Aside from that, nobody ever knew my phone number or anything.I feel that these are really both a necessity for kids because they can run into situations where they will be needed. At the same time, it should be based upon how much you feel that you can trust your children not to make the wrong decisions with these. To be honest it's kind of a risky situation overall, especially with peer pressure.If nothing else you could always just use a pre-paid cell phone. This will allow them to use X minutes(which you can obviously monitor - you're buying the cards after all, right?) and this will ensure that they are not using their minutes for wasteful reasons.