[minasoprano1]

what the **** does a child/teenager need a blackberry for??? god some people are so ridiculous.

[wabbit]

what the **** does a child/teenager need a blackberry for??? god some people are so ridiculous.

what do they need a cell phone for? thats the better question, a child should be monitored, not let free, he is not an adult.

[minasoprano1]

im sorry.. Im reading everyones posts... 12 yrs old and have an iphone? L O L. thats a little too much. thats ridiculous. I see these little girls prancing around with coach purses and phones... theyre um 9 and 10 yrs old.. whats the big hurry to be an adult i dont get it.
I am 21.. and the most i got at the age of 13 was one hour on the internet...... and use of our home phone. that is it.
I got my first phone at the age of 16 I think...
God its so sad what were doing to our children nowadays.. there are no ****ing rules or boundaries.. they can do whatever they want. mommy and daddy will buy them blackberries and gucci shoes and highlight their hair so they can fit in with women who are 40 yrs old with college educations and careers.
I also like the whole "well i monitor my kid" bull****.. but face it .. you arent a robot and chances are you may miss some key things... which can lead to god knows what.. kids being kidnapped raped assaulted etc etc etc. and then you cry about it and regret it. I am not saying that happens to everyone 24/7 but it certainly does happen. there are sooo many pervs out there in the world.. and giving your kid a way to get in touch with them is just disgusting.
kids DO NOT need IPHONES and blackberries.. if you are SOOOOOO "concerned" about your "kids safety" get them a damn prepaid phone... they do NOT need phones with internet access/texts/cameras/emails etc. come on people have yall lost your ****ing minds? this is really ridiculous.

[minasoprano1]

what do they need a cell phone for? thats the better question, a child should be monitored, not let free, he is not an adult.

Im sorry I am absolutely DISGUSTED at some of the posts. People think theyre good parents/caring by letting their first grader sport an iphone at school... come on..
like I said in the post I just made... if you are SOOOOo concerned .. get them a prepaid phone. for JUST calling.
Youd be surprised how sneaky and smart kids are nowadays.. Im sure they do **** behind your back.. weve all been there weve all done it weve all lied to our parents..

[minasoprano1]

Ok that is a little ludicrous.....little kids dont need damn cell phones unless their parents are that terrible at parenting that the cellphone is their tracking device.

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A ****ING MEN! this is the best post in this whole thread.

[wabbit]

did schools high school and down change polices? last i remember beepers/cellphones were banned.

[blackberryfairy]

Thanks for all the responses.I have already stated I do not like this idea at all,BUT it is my inlaws and my husband that has to be convinced.I am at the point now I give up on alot with her because not much is ever really said to her about this stuff.
All I can do is monitor her the best way I can and keep tight tabs on her,I honestly try to do right by her and keep her safe and it sickens me that her of all kids are or will be getting this phone.I have talked to my husband and he dont seem to care so what am i to do?Nothing I ever say in regards to her is ever really taken seriously,and all I can do is say what i feel and deal with it.

Yes life is way too short so I figure in the long run there are more important things to worry about and get upset over.

I think IMO that no child under 12 should have them and defintly no one a Bbb till they can pay for it.Thats what I tell my son and I will stick with.My 10 year old wants a cell phone but knows he must wait till he is 12 and even then he knows it will be an old basic phone.My 12 almost 13 year old son just recently got a camera/mp3 phone(nothing too fancy) and that s what he will have till I think he deserves and matures to get a better phone,and hes ok with that.He will be livid when he finds out his step sister who is only 2 months younger is getting this phone when I have been adamantly saying no.

Again Thanks for all the response,I guess this is another one I lose on,Im used to it by now,and Yes I hate to say it but she is spoiled and she knows it and she uses that to help her case.

Thanks again

[xandrex#IM]

Agreed,
I think I made a few generalizations. Let me reiterate.

I retract my statement about email and industry kingpins. My point was directed at kids (and parents who get them one) who are just getting blackberries without good reasoning. As an organizational tool I 100% agree with. What I disagree with is the apparent need of a device without reasoning which would justify it. I don't think it is needed to have a phone which exceeds your use. In most cases a camera phone would work out fine for most teenagers and preteens. However in my opinion there are circumstances where a blackberry or such device would be a great asset.

As you said yourself BBs are adult oriented devices. However college or other circumstances would force one into the adult world then all the power too you.

I mean no disrespect towards anyone. Just my two cents.

Also I think it should be mentioned that the focus of the blackberry line is heading more consumer. Back when blackberries were called RIMs I don't think any teen would be caught dead using one of those bricks with the token ear bud style hands free set.

That I do agree with.

The ends must meet the means. If it's practical for someone to use and they "need" it (arguably, nobody NEEDS a Berry), then it's the right fit.

[overmydeadberry]

I say a cell at 10+ is ok but BB? I say 18 and over.... Too expensive and potentialy dangerous for those under 18

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[overmydeadberry]

And by cell at 10+ I mean one with no cam and the little special kind that can only call like 4 numbers... Or what not till 16 but at 16 still no cam puberty plus cam equals disaster!

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[FireMedic911]

My girlfriend's 10 year old nephew had a Curve he got from his mom. She got 2 through her job and gave one to him. I thought that was crazy for him to have one at that age. He had one way before i got mine and i'm 3 times his age. He didn't fully understand what exactly he had sitting in the palm of his hand. Yeah i was jealous that he had one and i didn't. But i get the last laugh. His mom lost that job and had to give the Berries back. She now works for the Apple store and he claims to have an iPhone now which i have yet to see. But i have my Curve that i never have to give back so i have that 10 year old beat now.

[mikeslammer]

One thing I didn't see brought up was the fact that a BB is a huge BUSINESS TOOL! Kids don't have jobs where they need to be constantly in touch with clients, or receiving updates on worldy events. They only want to text to their friend about what the most popular girl in school is wearing!

I got my first cell at the age of 16, and it was a simple Nokia, green screen and all. It was Verizon, and I would have to put the antenna up!
A few weeks after is when I remember seeing the flip phone start to gain popularity.

The only reason I had a cell phone was because I had my own job at that point and was starting to actually NEED my own phone to be contacted.

But oh well... my 11 year old had gotten a $350 PSP last year for Christmas. Four months later, he lost it.

[crackvegas78]

OMFG did someone really ask this. For god sakes they are not candy, do not give them to kids, what is wrong with people

[minauderie]

I really hope you self righteous people are having a whole lot of fun deciding who gets what.

If people want to get blackberries, no matter how old they are, why is that your place to decide if the move was dumb or not? It was their decision, not yours, and I know I'm not the only one that doesn't appreciate it.

[ERDude]

My 12 almost 13 year old son....He will be livid when he finds out his step sister who is only 2 months younger is getting this phone when I have been adamantly saying no.

Thanks again

I'd say this is the real issue the step-sister is being treated differently by her paternal grandparents. Your children are not their blood relative so, you can't expect your children to be treated the same.

As to the original question about appropriate age I think that's up to the individual parent based on the child's maturity. In todays day and age I think a child should have a restricted cell phone that allows them to call family members in the event of an emergency, other than that the phone is completely locked of all other features. As the child matures and understands responsibility the parent can remove restrictions.

[mzshey2x]

I really hope you self righteous people are having a whole lot of fun deciding who gets what.

If people want to get blackberries, no matter how old they are, why is that your place to decide if the move was dumb or not? It was their decision, not yours, and I know I'm not the only one that doesn't appreciate it.

It's not that we're being self-righteous.

Most of us are just giving our 2 cents, our opinion.. which is basically WHY the thread was started.

All we're doing is discussing the pros/cons & whatnot. It's opinion & it's up to whomever to do what they want with their children.

[Rhon228]

OK i am trying really hard here not to be upset at my inlaws.My step Daughter whom they spoil incessantly and make my 2 boys feel like crap have done the ultimate in my book for now.Here is the thing,she is 12 almost 13 in july and they went and bought her a BB pearl!!!!
Now I was gonna get her a sidekick so she can text and all cause she does that and she has unlimited texting(they pay her bill)Now I am 31 and I just now got me a curve and My husband who is 36 does not have one.So here is my question,anyone else think she is too young for this phone?
I dont know what to say or do.Now I know she will not have internet(they think she dont need that but needs this phone-go figure)but still this phone is loaded and i am really wondering if i should worry about it.

any help would be great

thanks

U can pin me too if youd like to talk
242f35d9

If the phone is under your account, change it to a sidekick. You have 14 days to do so. My son has one and I think she will enjoy it more. If the inlaws foot the bill then dont worry about it; let her run up their bill.

That's too young... I hope that sidekick you were thinking of was the I.D. because any other Sk would cost more than a Pearl. You can always add unlimited plan to a cheap phone. I'm thinking 16 is she has a part time job.

I agree but the I.D. is not on the website anymore so I don't think it's an option.

I don't think that 12 is to young for a bb, if you've already allowed your daughter to have a cell phone it doesn't really make much difference if its a bb or a sk. She can still do the same things on both. I think the problem you may want to address it the grandparents going over your head and getting it with out your permission

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Brownieangel, this is so true. They are overstepping and interfering if they are not consulting the parents with things like this. I realize we may indulge kids whims but they should talk to you first, Fairy.

[xandrex#IM]

One thing I didn't see brought up was the fact that a BB is a huge BUSINESS TOOL! Kids don't have jobs where they need to be constantly in touch with clients, or receiving updates on worldy events. They only want to text to their friend about what the most popular girl in school is wearing!

I got my first cell at the age of 16, and it was a simple Nokia, green screen and all. It was Verizon, and I would have to put the antenna up!
A few weeks after is when I remember seeing the flip phone start to gain popularity.

The only reason I had a cell phone was because I had my own job at that point and was starting to actually NEED my own phone to be contacted.

But oh well... my 11 year old had gotten a $350 PSP last year for Christmas. Four months later, he lost it.

The Blackberry WAS all about business, but RIM is creeping into the consumer market. Are you suggesting that consumers - including *gasp* teenagers - want to have a phone that can browse the net, check their Facebook accounts, chat on AIM/MSN/Yahoo, organize themselves (some more than others), and have a nice QWERTY keyboard to type on?

When you break it down, everyone is judging on age, when they should be judging on maturity. At 17, I feel more like an adult (even when I was 15) than I ever did a "teen". I've never done the stereotypical teen things.

Also, all of this "kids losing things" is sorta...well...useless fluff. I know just as many adults who lose their cell phones and other gadgets - including many who have washed their cell phones with their clothes. It's not like once you hit 18 you stop losing things. *eyeroll*

[kfrey]

I had the same issue with my ex. She got our 5 year old a cell phone not a BB just a flip phone. I told her that the phone will not come to my house on the week I have my daughter

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[lush242000]

I would say you are old enough to have a bb when you are old enough to pay for it and the monthly bills, thus having a job.

[SevereDeceit]

Right on Sunkast! You sound like the kinda guy you can sit down and have a beer with...

[procrastinator86]

what kind of teenager needs a smartphone?
im 21 and i dont even think i need a smart phone lol

she is old enough for a cell phone, but not a blackberry!

[xandrex#IM]

Nobody needs a smartphone. Nobody. Nobody even needs a cell phone. People got by without them. It is a false need to have cell phones in this day and age, but because they exist and "everyone" has one - so we "need" one. Smartphones are becoming more popular because people want access to more data, more information. It's really just our natural curiosity demanding the most out of our technology.

Teenagers develop social habits of always wanting to be around people their age. It's natural. It's not too hard to figure out that if it's readily available as a high-tech social device, teens will want it. That's why they want smartphone. Need? No. Want? Yes.

[IrishJK09]

Nobody needs a smartphone. Nobody. Nobody even needs a cell phone. People got by without them. It is a false need to have cell phones in this day and age, but because they exist and "everyone" has one - so we "need" one. Smartphones are becoming more popular because people want access to more data, more information. It's really just our natural curiosity demanding the most out of our technology.

Teenagers develop social habits of always wanting to be around people their age. It's natural. It's not too hard to figure out that if it's readily available as a high-tech social device, teens will want it. That's why they want smartphone. Need? No. Want? Yes.

I understand where you are coming from, but you really need to broaden your scope and understand that the way things were years ago hold no weight over today. People "got by" without them because the world was different during that period. Back in 1975, people didn't have the same sense of urgency and need for constant connection as they do today. If you try to run a business without email and a cellphone, your business is doomed to fail. It is just a fact of present day life. Sure, 30 years ago it wasn't like that, but 30 years ago the world wasn't used to having such technology. For example, if only had a landline and an answering machine that said nothing more than "I am out and will be back later, I will call you then," I would quickly lose my customers and find myself hurting badly.

I do NEED a cellphone, my livelihood depends on it.

Smartphones and PPC devices are another story altogether. These types of devices are far more subjective when it comes to being a necessity or a luxury. You and your friends may not "need" one, but choose one for your own reasoning; be it your social image, your personal needs, a love of the web, or whatever else. On the flip side, a traveling business man that finds himself in taxis, on trains, and in airports more than he finds himself in an office may very well need that device. No, not want, but genuinely need. The same concepts I outlined above hold true for this type of person. If he can't access his email, reply to his clients, and keep track of his life from where ever he is, he is dead in the water and his better equipped competitor is going to take his business. He truly needs it to survive.

I am not quite in that position, but I am not far from it either, and for that reason, I half need/half choose to have a smartphone.

I started off saying that I understand where you are coming from, and I honestly do. It can be easy to proclaim that because we got by without something years ago, it isn't a necessity today. That comment is far from true however. If you want to be technical, the world got by hundreds of years ago when there was no big business, no technology, no electricity, no heat, no running water, etc; does that mean we don't need those things today?

[latina berry]

My opinion is
when they are old enough to pay for it themselves.