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Need your feedback - Kids & Phones...

Posted : 3/27/2007 5:03:17 PM

OK, I'd love to get some thoughts/opinions on the issue of cell phones and kids. My kids are 9 and 13...are they too young for phones? The only reason I'm really even thinking of it is that we have walkie talkies that we use currently to keep in touch with them when they are out playing. The 8 yr old isn't as much of an issue, as we of course don't let her go very far - though we do have woods and she does sometimes get out of earshot there. The 13 year old is allowed to skateboard and ride bikes in the neighborhood with his friends. Thus the need for the walkies, so we can call them home or just check in.

Well, one of the walkies has been lost and so now I'm wondering if it makes more sense to buy new walkies or just replace them with cell phones. Even though the 9 year old has several friends with phones - I'm not totally comfortable with it, so if we did get her one, I would customize it so she can only call certain #'s (similar to the firefly child phones).

I don't know - I'm going back and forth - it seems like it would really be a convenience for DH and I to be able to get in touch with them whenver we need to and Verizon (my cell phone carrier) has a serivce called Chaperone, where you can locate the child's phone - which seems like a nice option. But I guess I'm just conflicted b/c I've always been one of those parents that thought it was crazy to allow kids to have phones, though when I started looking into the kid-focused phones - it made me think about it differently (more of a safety thing)...what do you think about kids and cells??

Thanks!

rwbeagles

Posted : 3/27/2007 5:24:37 PM

Somehow I made it thru life until age 25 or so...without a cell phone. Mind you this was ancient times...you know...the 80's and 90's and part of 2000's...lol!

Seriously. I came home when I was told to, time wise. I wasn't "called" to come home by phone...but by my mother in the car who PHYSICALLY removed me into said car or walked me home, should I lose track of time. BUT I also was usually where she expected me to be/where I said I'd be.

My kids if they were old enough would SO not be adding to my bills, and detracting from their educations (and yes despite rules kids DO use them in school to text etc...I have a HS'er in my family that let's me know the secret stuff!) by having phones. But that's just me.

rwbeagles

Posted : 3/27/2007 5:26:57 PM

Oh and the time my kids would get cell phones (or cars, or a laptop, etc) would coincide with them being able to pay the bill themselves...i.e. when they had a job. I think having to work for conveniences is something that gets lost in the shuffle these days by some...not saying that applies here...just random thouhgts here...[

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Cita

Posted : 3/27/2007 5:51:52 PM

I was the first of my friends to get a cell phone - my mother got me one for my 16th birthday because she didn't want me t be driving without one in case of emergency. I would say if you do decide to get your kids a phone make sure to get some sort of insurance for it for when--excuse me, "if"--they lose the phone. [

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Raja19

Posted : 3/27/2007 6:38:05 PM

I was 15 when I got my first phone. Alot of people already had phones, when I didn't but I don't think its really nessicary.

My boryfreind has a phone when he was ion 6th grade he told me!!To me thats pointless.

I would maybe get the 13 year old a phone but not the 8 year old. Plus when I was 8 I don't think I would have even been able to remeber the phone and not leave it places.

NicoleS

Posted : 3/27/2007 6:44:07 PM

I got my first phone at 16, when I started driving, and I had a WHOPPING 50 "anytime" minutes a month, and then nights and weekends. It was only $20/month and after the first 6 months I paid for it since I had a job. When I was in HS (I'm only 22 now) only the "rich kids" had phones any earlier than that, and it was more of a status symbol.

Kids shouldn't be allowed to carry them at school, IMO. At least not until HS anyway, since many kids drive and have jobs by then.

I too think anything younger than teens are too young, and all they do is take things like this for granted. Even on a family plan it adds up with the bills, and I don't think kids understand the idea of using minutes and it costing parents a butt load of money if they go over, etc.

My coworker is going through this now with her soon-to-be 9 year old son. I don't think she will allow it, though.

sl2crmeg

Posted : 3/27/2007 7:22:46 PM

maybe only let the 13 y.o. have it when he's not in school? to prevent the whole 'text messaging in class' issue?

I made it until high school without one. When I got my 1st job, when I was 14, IIII bought myself one of those pay-as-you-go ones.

the_gopher

Posted : 3/27/2007 9:19:42 PM

Personally I don't agree with letting kids have phones until they can pay for them themselves. I see too many coworkers and friends complaining that their kids keep going over the minutes and racking up huge bills, of which they don't care about (b/c its the parents footing the bills). Plus, they do distract from education when they bring them to school.

I'm 25, no kids, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I got a cell phone when I was about 18 and working full time. I have long since gotten rid of the blasted contraption and have survived quite nicely without (I do have a tracphone right now that stays in my car b/c I live in a rural area and am definately (and realistically) afraid of breaking down in my car at night miles from any phone.

boneyjean

Posted : 3/27/2007 9:33:17 PM

I am not sure how I feel about it either. I had a thread about this last Christmas b/c my stepdaughters mother decided to get her a prepaid cell phone and she is 11...will be 12 in May. Although it is not as cost efficient, I have decided it is a good way to teach them some responsibility without taking on a bunch of expense. She typically gets $30 a month which is about $1 a day. The first month her minutes where like crack as DH joked as she ran out almost immedietly. The second month she wasted a bunch of minutes downloading ringtones or playing games or something...but by the second month she knew she wouldn't get anymore until the first of the month. This month is almost over and she has almost $12 left which tells me the newness of playing on her cell phone has worn off some. Granted, we live far away and part of getting the phone was so she could talk to us and her grandma who she missed often b/c her mom works nights. For us, it has been nice b/c we can talk to her when we want. Although we end up text messaging her b/c that is much less expensive for hert than making a call. So there you go, I am not sure how I feel about it still, but it hasn't been a horrible thing for us and it has been nice to be able to keep in touch more. I also find she is less worried about what her surroundings are when she talks to us b/c it is her phone and not her mom's. We probably have an unsual situation though.

hlb118

Posted : 3/27/2007 10:57:42 PM

I'm 23, and I got my phone one year ago. I had to pay for the account and the phone. But I worked for it. Working full time for a year and working in real estate (out driving around for the boss) on top of that meant, it's time. My daughter is 7 and asked me yesterday when she could have a phone. I laughed and said... "when you have a job and can pay for it on your own."

My opinion is... like some others... they shouldn't get one until they can pay for it.

mollymoo

Posted : 3/27/2007 11:39:51 PM

It depends on the child and the cell phone. I am going to be talking about a stepson whos mother got him a cell phone at the age of 18. He went over the min. every month for 6 months. She paid the bill. Then when he rack up a bill in one month of $1,300 she finally shut the phone off. So be careful with cell phones.

Hubby and I use the pay as you go plan with alltel. You give them money they put it in your phone and when the money runs out you have to put more in. We don`t use the phones very much so it cost me for a year about $30.00. on my phone and hubbys phone about $35.00 a year. $65.00 a year for 2 phones is not bad.

Freereign82

Posted : 3/28/2007 1:08:31 AM

Well, I think some of it should be based on your kids..whether they are mature enough or not. For a 9 year old I think the firefly phones are great. And if your 13 year old is mature & responsible enough then sure get him a phone. However I'd probably do a prepay phone & make him do some work for you in return for minutes. My niece & nephew each have a cell phone..she's going on 13 and he's going on 15. She can be trusted w/ the phone and uses her minutes wisely but my nephew has already lost 2 cell phones & his current one he flys through his minutes (buying games & ring tones...he's never actually talked to anyone on his phone) and expects his mom to buy him more without him earning them. That is my sisters fault though because she always gives in...if it was my kid he wouldn't have got another cell phone after losing the first one.

WestieGirl

Posted : 3/28/2007 7:39:56 AM

Thanks for all of the great replies - I think you've all echoed what I really knew deep down all along...they aren't ready! I really was thinking about it from the convenience/safety standpoint as a parent, but in actuality, we keep a pretty tight reign on our kids, so it probably would turn into more of a problem (going over minutes, sneaking them to school, etc) than anything else.

What I was really surprised to hear is that everyone got their cell phones at a much older age than I thought people were getting them nowadays (wow - that makes me sound really old![

]). I personally didn't get one until I was well into adulthood, but I'm in my late 30's, so they weren't as popular when I was in my teens. So many of my kids' friends (both the 8 & 13 year old) have them, that I think I was starting to question myself b/c of that. We've always been pretty strict with our kids and are definitely trying to teach the "work for what you get" mentality and I'm glad you've all reminded me that that's still a valued trait!

mrstjohnson

Posted : 3/28/2007 7:49:22 AM

but by my mother in the car who PHYSICALLY removed me into said car or walked me home, should I lose track of time. BUT I also was usually where she expected me to be/where I said I'd be.

Boy, does that bring back memories!!!

I don't know how I feel about the issue, there are good points and bad, but if you need to call them home, then they should be where they are supposed to be. One thing I noticed from the OP is that they already lost one of the walkies...what will happen to the phone? I got my first cell phone (it was a bag phone for those old enough to remember those) when I was having to drive through Detroit for college classes at 11:00 pm. I don't think I have to explain why. Even then I didn't use it.

dubilpie

Posted : 3/28/2007 8:53:00 AM

My kids all got them when they got to 6th grade. They were all pre-paid phones. None of them have ever lost them. They are really good about using their minutes. Once they were old enough, they bought their own minutes. I got them because they were into sports and I can't be in 3 places at once so they sometimes were at their sports and I was somewhere else. I feel better knowing they can get in touch with me if they need me. When they were out playing in the neighborhood, they didn't take their phones, they knew to be home by a certain time.