Simple question:
At what age should a child get a mobile?
ps: this question was generated based on this reply.
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Simple question:
At what age should a child get a mobile?
ps: this question was generated based on this reply.
Since it's based off my reply. Our son didn't get his until he hit 10 last year. The ONLY reason he has it is for emergency's and that's it. If he's off at a friends house then it's very easy for him to call us should he want to stay later and for us to be able to reach him for some reason.
We have a neighbor who bought his daughter a cell at 5. She has no idea how to use it or what it's for but he said that she'll learn. That's just a stupid reason IMHO.
I think it depends on the maturity level of the child. If they're old enough to know how to dial 911 and to call home, then they should probably carry a phone in their backpack or something.
They should also be responsible for taking care of their possessions and understand the responsibility of owning and caring for a costly electronic item.
I don't have kids, but I would also suggest telling your child to not let other children know they have it, so as to reduce the urge of other kids to take it.
We have 6 IMPORTANT numbers programed into my son's BB and they are programmed into speed dial which he learned how to use first. He knows what order he dials using the speed dial until he reaches someone. We felt it was very important for him to know this. His friends know he has a BB and they think he's the coolest kid in the school because of it but since I removed the phone number off the home screen, nobody knows the number.
We recieved a lot of slack from people when they saw that he had a BB but these are people that buy their kids razor's and complain they had to replace it for the 10th time because their kid dropped it out of their backpack and it hit the ground. Where our son's BB fell out when he was riding his bike to school, was ran over my a car tire and he picked it up, called me and told me what happened and was hoping he wasn't going to get in trouble.
My daughter is 4. She has a 7290 and types away on it....presses send but it doesnt send...
Ah yes, the battery and sim...they were removed...
BUT i dont think she will be getting one much before 12 +. I think kids get their mobiles too soon, and here in the UK its become a huge issue in classes etc ....the craze went round that if you had a video phone you could video all the fights and bullying etc...which i dont agree with....
Its "each to their own" and its ultimately up to the parent how and when....:confused:
...is 10, and he has a mobile. I couldn't believe it when his mum gave it to him. Am still not sure how I feel about it...
ps: he calls me from it, from time to time. He's in London, and makes international calls to me! :eek:
Now, I have a 4 month old daughter, when does she get one? LMAO!
My sister went through a divorce about a year ago, and since she has a 7 year old daughter she has to share custody of, she bought my niece a LG Migo to keep in touch when she is at her dad's house. I think that type of phone is the best for young kinds because they are really limited to who they can call. It has four buttons that are programmed at the store, and of course a 911 button. Other than that, she can't call anyone else. It has worked really well. Plus, an added benefit for my sister is that Verizon offers a GPS tracking service with that phone, so she can really keep tabs on her daughter.
Not a bad idea - gps tracking!
when there old enough to pay for it themselves.
I think it has to do with the maturity of the child, what their peer group is like (do they have cell phones/BB/?) and definitely only when they take care of their items responsibly. They're great for emergencies and to keep in touch with the child--sometimes giving it to them with rules and boundaries is helpful. I also would say a cellphone would probably be better than a BB (given its addictive nature :D ). I wouldn't think before freshman year of high school is necessary but I think looking at each case (each child's situation/qualities) individually would be important. IMHO.....
**firefly**
My son got his 1st cell phone his freshman year of hight school. Yes, I have a child that old! LOL ! Anywho, he had a lot of activities that he was doing after school and needed one just for my sanity.
my daughter wantrs one in the worst way...
shes ten. i told her uh...no.
i told her she could have one the day she goes off to high school...
-db
but sometimes i think even that is too soon...
My lil sister is 14, my lil brother is 12....sis has a contracted line that I personally pay for, but she is well trained in her usage as she has come to realize that overage on her account will result in a temp disconnect, however my lil brother has a pay as you go account, I think pay as you go is a good way for kids to learn usage and once those lessons are learned move onto a contracted account....I started my sis on a pay as you go, and the process works fine at this point.
My nephew got one when he was 9 (11)now, depends on how mature they are, plus it keeps them off of yours.
My two oldest got their first cells when they became more independent and spent increasing ammounts of time away from us(trips with friends etc.). They both had them about the 8th grade.
Im thinking of giving my 7 year old an old 7230 so i can ring him without speaking to my ex.
i wonder how we ever survived without a phone....i got my first when i was 23....spent most of my childhood out with friends or riding my bike all day...AND NONE UF US HAD A PHONE...how did we do it?
Cell fones here are cheap. I can get one for $7US. These are prepaid.
So people just buy them because they are cheap and give them to their kids.
I got my first cell fone tht I bought myself when I was 19. Times have surely changed.
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We don't have a land line at all, but we realized we should probably have a phone for the house, for babysitters, etc... My wife and I have Curves, and we got a third cellphone for the house. My 15-year-old uses that as "his" phone number with his friends, and he takes it with him if he goes out. He does NOT take it to school. My 7-year-old is begging for a phone of his own. Ain't gonna happen. There are a couple of ancient Nokias floating around the kids' room, though. ;) I haven't donated them yet.
That's a tough one. The ex was dead set against them having phones(before she was the ex). I was less stringent about the issue. (they didn't get them till HS) Since then she's gone through a half dozen phones herself and each of the kids has had 2. She texts back and forth with them constantly and their texting with their friends mixed with their grades has lost them the use of said phones for periods of time. Your mileage may vary.
I know of someone who said "My princess is getting an iphone from mommy clause this Christmas". The kid is 10. No wonder kids are how they are nowadays.
I have an 8yr old son & a 6yr old daughter that stay with their mum & this is exactly the reason they both have phones. It's great to be able to just call them without having to go through her first!
My wife and I both have bb curves. A while back I broke down and let my wife talk me into getting our daughter (12yrs) a cheapy pre paid virgin mobile phone. She is home schooled and always has acess to a lan line. Her school work is done online, and all she does on her phone is go online and DL ringers and crap. She uses the house phone to call her friends, and recently asked me to get her a phone for christmas. She wants a phone on my plan, with a camera, mp3's, and full web capability. Needless to say I am getting her an ipod and a little 3 mp digital camera. As far as internet acess, she spends her school day online on a computer, I don't believe she needs something else to go online with, especially something that could end up costing a lot of money. So my answer is cheapy pre paid that she can do chores to earn cards for.
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