We recently had this debate in my house. Our oldest was turning 11 and my wife wanted to get her a phone. I didn't think it was really needed just yet but ultimately gave in to what my wife wanted to do. We did make a compromise, however. We didn't invest in a hugely expensive plan for her. She has a prepaid plan that costs $100 a year that gives her enough minutes to last her. If she runs out, she has to pay from her money to increase it. We also tacked on a $10 plan that gives unlimited texting and very limited data. If she goes over, she must pay to increase it although we do pay the $10 each month. Not a bad compromise and I admit it is nice knowing she has a phone for emergencies.
I find it incredibly amazing that my little nieces have cell phones and their like four an five years old the idea of having my own phone at that age was so far-fetched.
I Personally disagree, I was buying a book for Christmas for my God-Daughter and she refused and stated she need a cellphone. I will not buy a cellphone for a six year old child, it is not a necessity there is more at stake than a cellphone. The truth is a cellphone does not prevent an emergency and sometimes in emergency situation it happens so fast the cellphone was useless. They can also be a target because of their cellphone, my opinion they can start getting a cellphone at ages 13/14 and it all depends on how that child is performing. It should also be a normally cellphone not a smart phone.
I have seen inner city children with Cell phones in Elementary school. I thought about this for a moment and really and truly I don't know how to feel. I didn't get my own cell phone until I moved out my parents house! I still did chores and got good grades, not for nothing this isn't the 70's. Children do not need phones at all. Their primary focus is to go to school to learn. Peer pressure is enough of a distraction- they don't need another.
I think if kids are given cell phones they should be on a restricted and limited basis for the purpose of coordinating with family only. (And perhaps learning basic use of technology)
I'm all for kids having cell phones when they spend a lot of time at activities and they need to be able to contact their parents if something were to happen, but they should be basic phones. Parents who buy their kids really expensive phones when they're still so young actually make me really sick, because these kids are not old enough to be having something like that. I got my first phone on my 13th birthday, and it was a basic pay as you go flip phone and I needed to earn the minutes/texts on it by doing chores. That's how it should be.
Well, times change and nowadays parents provide their kids with cell phones early on. Partly because they rarely refuse their children's wishes, and partly beacause they feel that their kids will be safer having a cell phone on them in case of an emergency. I can't blame them on the last part.
Where I live, you can see parents buying phones for their kids from ages as low as 5! Come on, they don't even know how to properly put forks in their hands, how could you possibly expect them be any better with complicated smartphones?
I haven't got kids so I have got the experience to judge it, but I would only give a feature phone to a kid under 12 or so. That way they will appreciate that it's only for making important calls. And I would make sure that it's a pay as you go. I would not be giving them a smartphone. I really do see how they need it at that age.
I think that it depends more on the situation than age. Children grow up now using phones. I think that if the child is going to a school that is located in a high crime area, then an emergency cell phone should be an option. This goes for around the age of when they can understand what the phone is used for. Of course, it wouldn't be a smart phone. I'd give my child a smart phone when they are 16 and have good grades in school. When they get their first job, then they will have to pay for it.
There are certain types of cellphones that can only be used for texting and calling. These types are very useful for emergencies. Since the world is a very dangerous place to live in, it is quite important to me that my chikd has some type of communicating device with me. All other gadgets I can probably give him in the right time with the right rules. I believe that technology is inevitable but controllable.
I do believe children need a phone for emergency use, public phones do not exist any more as they did many years before the cell phone became a common thing. When I was a kid you always had money in your pocket for an emergency call, now you carry your cell instead of money. I needed a phone the other day, my battery was dead and could not find a phone to use I was away from home and no way to contact anyone, that is a scary feeling for an adult so you can imagine how a kid would feel in that siutation.
With the level of technology available today, I'd let my children access the internet for educational purposes only on whatever platform. Their phones would have no social media applications and the search feature has to have Nanny lock. It is important to introduce them to the wonders of the modern world but remember to warn them of the dangers that lurk on the World Wide Web. After all the internet is just as dangerous as the real world, maybe even more.
At first, I was against getting my sons a phone (13 and 10), but this school year there was an incident at my son's middle school where the school was locked down. Every time my son wanted to contact me, he had to borrow his friend's phone. While it doesn't seem to be a big deal, it was scary and I could hear the fear in his voice too. I went the next day to get them both phones. I know that I grew up without a phone, but realistically, so many kids have them these days that it has become a normal part of society. I know you shouldn't always follow the crowd, but to shun technology just to shun it, may not be the best decision either. We live in a different world than the one I grew up in and as parents, you have to adapt. With all that being said, I do monitor their usage and the social media that they are allowed to use. Common sense still prevails.
I think that little children should have a phone, but a simple one, not an iPhone or a Galaxy. I think the parents should not let them know about the existence of mobile games at this early stage of their lives, and let them experience and try what they want to do. I think that 10 years old is they age today for buying a smartphone, not before.
Kids these days are getting possession of cell phones at a very young age and I think it is not acceptable.I do not think that at a certain age a child should be given a cell phone, I believe they should earn it.My solution would be that when a child has earn their driver's license then the parents should consider getting them a cell phone so they could keep up with where their child might be for emergency and safety purposes.
I got my first cell phone when I started high school. My little sister got her first iphone when she was in 7th grade. I think she is far too young to have a cell phone, considering she shattered the first one. And the fact that her school is 2 blocks from our home, makes the cell phone unnecessary. I think getting a cell phone at 14 was a good age, I was mature enough to know that i had to take care of it and not be obsessed with it.
My cousin's son has his own iPhone, and he was only in pre-school that time. His mom is rich, so owning one is no big deal. Now my other nieces and nephews all have their own tablets and their parents just gave it to them without the kids even working hard for it. So I think when money isn't an issue most parents don't bother to consider the right age for kids to own a cellphone and they just give it to them right away.
Very young children should not have cell phones, they are more susceptible to the radiation they give off. Some countries are even starting to make laws around cell phone and children.
The whole problem with kids and cell phones is the maturity issue. You can't expect a 9 - 10 year old to be responsible with a cell phone. I got my first phone at the age of 13 and it was basic as all get out. It could call and text. That was it, but it was enough to get me in trouble in class and at home because I wasn't responsible enough. The greatest age for someone's child to receive a phone is when they can get one on their own. Too harsh? You can start working at 16 and I think that's the best age.
