[deer2myhrt]

My daughter is 10 and has a smart phone... mind u it is not a black berry but it is my old palm treo that I packed away for my first BB. AND she does not have a data plan or even has any desire to use one. She is a gymnist and rides the bus from school out to her gym several days a week, her gym is outside of the city we live in and she is there 4 hours each day. I feel better that she has me available at the touch of a button if anything were to happen. There are rules and she follows them (phone is powered off and in backpack during school hours). I recently got a new pearl as a "back up" phone and decided to play with it, I hate loosing the keys but LOVE that it is easier to slip in my pocket ( I work on an ambulance). SO I had been debating on giving her my curve with data just to see how she would treat it and to have the messenger access for us both. WOW there are a lot of adults with strong opnions about that here. I say you really have to look at the situation before passing judgement. My daughter is not a "spoiled brat" as some have referred on here. She works hard in school, has excellent grades, works hard in the gym and has really blown judges away at competitions, she keeps her room clean, does the household laundry for me, cleans the cat box and feeds the animals..... so IMO she really has earned the PRIVILEGE of a cell phone, I am not going to buy her a new phone so it just happens that she gets to use my old smart phones lol. Guess lucky her that her mom is a bit of a techie

[Devlyn16]

A couple of insights:

I can't help but wonder if the internet was as it is today, when I was a teen if there would have been adults complaining on some forum about teens and their walkman cassette radios and how teens have no need for such a device at a young age. How they should be satisfied with a transistor radio ETC.

In today's landscape of fractured families/marriages a Blackberry could be an invaluable tool. Parents could easily track & monitor their children, update all members of both families about various appointments. Johnny has spring concert on the 8th, Sally also has baseball practice ETC.

A blackberry is a tool and just like any other tool, it depends on if the person is mature enough to use it. I know 12 year olds I could safely trust to operate a circular saw, I know 35 year olds I wouldn't.

That said, just like any thing else TV, The internet ETC it is the Parent's RESPONSIBILITY to monitor and control what their child is exposed to.

[ngb802]

im 23 and im going for my Masters in Occupational Therapy, i agree kids dont need a blackberry, however as long as you pay your own bill and have a justifiable reason to own one ( i.e receiving email from your college, or peers about assignments projects etc) i guess its ok.

[Janey_G]

I do get the "Mommmmm, everyone else has one!! Why can't I?" And I have covered the whole bridge and friend's jumping thing. So now I just tell her that she can't get one yet because I am just a little evil and I enjoy wallowing in her prepubescent misery.

You and I think a lot alike. LOL

[Bcloutier]

I'm 16 with my Curve. I've always been the top student in my grade. I volunteer at the school, am a school leader and do everything I can to help what is going on. I am very busy with it but I love it.

BlackBerries should be able to given to responsible teens only. In my school there's over 100 BB's and most know how to use them - at least us that have anything except a Pearl. Some Pearl users know how to use theirs as well. I've taught people about properly using their BB's and now they know.

I use email all through the day. I have my personal one that I use for communicating with family and friends. I have my school email pushed to me as well so that I can keep up with what is going on and what I need to do.

BlackBerries are becoming more common - just get used to it, really. You won't change those parents that buy their kids those things; so why try?

For the record, my parents pay for my plan ($82/mo; large voice, data, text) and pay 50/50 with me for large purchaces (MacBook, downhilling bike, etc). I'm careful with everything I own. I have to pay for all of my accessories (backpacks, cases, etc). If I want to buy something more than they are offering, they put in their money and I pay the rest.

BlackBerries are for everyone - stop complaining about it lol. These topics are way too common now.

- Ugh; too long of a response on my Curve lol.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[hearmeoutx]

When I have kids they will have a basic phone that can only be used to call me, their dad, grandparents, etc. They will not have the luxury of texting their friends, or having a BlackBerry or any other smart phone until they are old enough to pay for it themselves. I do not see what an 11-12 year old is doing with a BlackBerry or anything that gives them unsupervised access to the internet, or allows them to contact anyone I do not approve of myself.

[talk-to-frank]

I pmsl reading some of these and thinking back over time...

When I was a kid, these damn things didnt even exist and ever since they originated Ive been a tech-head... I was about 15 when I got my first handset... wow... still remember the first day... black n white 1 line screen... amazing!

I have worked for UK networks for years now and when my Son got to the age of about 2yrs he was hooked just like daddy and wouldnt touch the "dummy" handsets I used to bring home from work, he wanted the real thing... so I had to get him a real working mobile at about 3yrs, and his Grandmother would call him on it... sounds really bad but it was either get him a cheap one or have him walking around with my latest $3/400 handset... erm.. no thanks...

He no longer has one and is now 6... but I would imagin when he goes to high school he'll need to have one as technology is increasingly becoming a part of their day to day life, like laptops... so in 10 years from now they'll probably be emailing assignments etc to their tutors!

With BlackBerry I can think of one useful app... Berry locate or something like that, send an email to the handset and it responds with GPS location (even without GPS using 3 point location) thus keeping you informed of where your child is etc... I know there are other services like that out there Im just saying that this is one of the benefits...

[tehBrad]

I'm 13 and have a Blackberry Storm. I love my Blackberry and no i dont pay a penny of the bill my mom does. the only reason i dont have to pay for it though is because i am a straight A student. But seriously, a kid having a Blackberry is not out of the ordinary. I know 5 other kids 13-14 in my school that have Blackberry Storms and i know MANY kids with curves and pearls they are everywhere. And besides having a Blackberry, on my bus, almost everyone has a smart phone, including palms and others.

i sense flaming is coming...

[redsoxrocker]

i can't believe this topic is up and running again. can mods shut this down? this just gets all parties riled up.

[cslave]

I assume this is some sort of upscale rich neighborhood with prissy preps all over? Sounds like it, considering most kids under 7th/8th grade don't even have a cell phone around here. ****, I have a few friends who STILL don't have a cell, and I'm a sophomore...

Personally, I saw absolutely no use for a blackberry before this year. To me it just seemed way too business orientated and you didn't need one unless you absolutely HAD to be on top of your business life 24 hours a day. Then the Storm came out and the social networking, IM, and various other apps like that really enticed me...plus the internet anywhere I went was the icing on the cake!

I've changed my mind though, I think I need it right now, since I do use my email pretty frequently to talk with craigslist/eBay buyers and sellers and my bosses are always emailing me things to do once I get back to work. Besides that, since I got it I've been racking up texts like a madman, most of my friends have a sidekick (HA.) or other phone with a slide out keyboard, so its pretty convenient for them to text me instead of call.

The only thing I'd love to see on the BB are more entertaining apps or apps marketed for teens/just for fun (I'm trying to avoid saying iPhone apps). Otherwise, its perfect even for a guy like me...but if you aren't in high school yet its pretty ridiculous to be toting around a bold or curve. All you need at that point is something to call your friends/mom with and occasionally shoot off a text.

[Reed McLay]

i can't believe this topic is up and running again. can mods shut this down? this just gets all parties riled up.

Please be considerate of others, and their interest in the topic at hand. You may have participated in this conversation in the past, but it is fresh and relevant to those members posting now.

[branden3112]

What is even more ridiculous is how bent people get when a 10 year old has a data plan...I've done this before and here we go again...

Proud dad of a 7 and 10 year old daughters both with 8330 pink curves loaded with whatever the heck they wanted. The 10 year old BBM'ed me to let me know that OS 5.0 is out in the wild for my Bold. How cute is that? Both my daughters were taught by me, how to use a PC when they were 2. They went from banging the keyboard giggling like a little insane person to opening the CPU and installing hardware/RAM. I have a 2 year old son and he can recognize and open MS Word and type his first name....my 7 year old taught him that. That took WORK and TIME, and I'm glad I invested in doing what I did.

You are not a bad person for disagreeing with me, nor for stating your opinions, just keep your judgements on parenting skills to yourself. I won't listen anyway. My kids, my rules.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

YOU should be my dad. lol.

[bigredjellyfish]

HAHAHAHA, I love reading these discussions.

PLAIN AND SIMPLE, NEW GENERATION!!!!!!
When you were kids, did you have the latest thing?? And your parents said "I didn't have one, u don't need one"??? DUH!

Of course I have a BB Curve, and I'm 16. My parents only got it for me because I worked for it and they got a deal on it. And if I break it, yes I get a "crappy" phone till I can pay full price by myself for another.
Plus, with all the cell phones today, NONE are basic. The only special things about BBs are the Name. Before, I had a "crappy, basic" flip phone, and yet it had email, web, Im, the only thing missing was a camera.

If they have worked for it and deserve it, then get it for them. If they need it because "my friends have one" Then NO.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[branden3112]

I'm 13 and I got my BB for my 12th BDay. I get straight A's, and am a national honor student. I also am taking 9th grade classes in 7th grade. I have since upgraded to a G1 and then the iPhone which I am presently using. I have been paying for the different data plan since my BB. Nothing you guys can say about that, but I know someone will.

[rachaelrant]

This is a silly thread.

My son and I both have 8330s and he is on my family plan which includes data and vision with my carrier.

My son is 16. He goes to school at Job Corps about 70 miles away, the trade he is taking is business. He has had cell phones since he was 12, never broke or lost one, never dmaged one (unlike me, who accidentally out one through the washing machine when I didn't check my pockets) and always (well almost always) obeyed my rules and limits for using them.

I know he mostly uses his BB for texting his friends, email and music, does not use it to its full potential and probably doesn't really *need* a BlackBerry, but then, neither do I , but I love it!

Sure, he could text and call me daily, as well as send me pictures of him and his friends, with any old phone, as well as organize his appointments and assignments (to some extent), but this gives him the internet as well.

And yes, I do pay for it for him, but how does that bother you? It is a BlackBerry, for cripes sake. Its not like I bought him a car and unleashed a teenaged boy on society by putting him on the road. Now THAT would be irresponsible of me as a parent.

Yes, he has a BlackBerry that I pay for so he can stay in touch with his friends and with me while he is away at school...and but the streets are a little safer.

I'm sure he doesn't use it to all of its fullest capabilities and maybe he doesn't *need* one, but then again, neither do I.

Obviously this makes me a horrible person and an equally horrible parent.

But I love my BlackBerry!!!!

[armedtank]

My daughter is 12, I plan on getting her a smartphone when she hits about 14. They are just too useful for her not to have one, gps, calendar, web browsing, email all in a neat little package. I am trying to teach her good organization skills early on which hopefully will help her later on in life. She will be required to use tasks, and especially the calendar to keep herself organized and be responsible for her own appointments, meets, etc. not just texting all day long......

[lakergirl23]

What is even more ridiculous is how bent people get when a 10 year old has a data plan...I've done this before and here we go again...

Proud dad of a 7 and 10 year old daughters both with 8330 pink curves loaded with whatever the heck they wanted. The 10 year old BBM'ed me to let me know that OS 5.0 is out in the wild for my Bold. How cute is that? Both my daughters were taught by me, how to use a PC when they were 2. They went from banging the keyboard giggling like a little insane person to opening the CPU and installing hardware/RAM. I have a 2 year old son and he can recognize and open MS Word and type his first name....my 7 year old taught him that. That took WORK and TIME, and I'm glad I invested in doing what I did.

You are not a bad person for disagreeing with me, nor for stating your opinions, just keep your judgements on parenting skills to yourself. I won't listen anyway. My kids, my rules.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Good point, people really shouldn't judge others on how they should raise their kids and chances are the things you taught them early on stays with them and puts them ahead of the learning curve. My dad did the same thing, taught me all about computers when I was younger

[talk-to-frank]

What is even more ridiculous is how bent people get when a 10 year old has a data plan...I've done this before and here we go again...

Proud dad of a 7 and 10 year old daughters both with 8330 pink curves loaded with whatever the heck they wanted. The 10 year old BBM'ed me to let me know that OS 5.0 is out in the wild for my Bold. How cute is that? Both my daughters were taught by me, how to use a PC when they were 2. They went from banging the keyboard giggling like a little insane person to opening the CPU and installing hardware/RAM. I have a 2 year old son and he can recognize and open MS Word and type his first name....my 7 year old taught him that. That took WORK and TIME, and I'm glad I invested in doing what I did.

You are not a bad person for disagreeing with me, nor for stating your opinions, just keep your judgements on parenting skills to yourself. I won't listen anyway. My kids, my rules.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Couldnt agree more with every word!

Looks like your kids will be running Microsoft / Apple / RIM and all the cool stuff when theyre older... and the other peoples kids will be trying to rush laws through congress for those bills you guys need over there that take away your freedom of speech... pmsl

[branden3112]

I'm 16 with my Curve. I've always been the top student in my grade. I volunteer at the school, am a school leader and do everything I can to help what is going on. I am very busy with it but I love it.

BlackBerries should be able to given to responsible teens only. In my school there's over 100 BB's and most know how to use them - at least us that have anything except a Pearl. Some Pearl users know how to use theirs as well. I've taught people about properly using their BB's and now they know.

I use email all through the day. I have my personal one that I use for communicating with family and friends. I have my school email pushed to me as well so that I can keep up with what is going on and what I need to do.

BlackBerries are becoming more common - just get used to it, really. You won't change those parents that buy their kids those things; so why try?

For the record, my parents pay for my plan ($82/mo; large voice, data, text) and pay 50/50 with me for large purchaces (MacBook, downhilling bike, etc). I'm careful with everything I own. I have to pay for all of my accessories (backpacks, cases, etc). If I want to buy something more than they are offering, they put in their money and I pay the rest.

BlackBerries are for everyone - stop complaining about it lol. These topics are way too common now.

- Ugh; too long of a response on my Curve lol.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

I wish my parents would do that! I agree completely with your post.

[branden3112]

I pmsl reading some of these and thinking back over time...

When I was a kid, these damn things didnt even exist and ever since they originated Ive been a tech-head... I was about 15 when I got my first handset... wow... still remember the first day... black n white 1 line screen... amazing!

I have worked for UK networks for years now and when my Son got to the age of about 2yrs he was hooked just like daddy and wouldnt touch the "dummy" handsets I used to bring home from work, he wanted the real thing... so I had to get him a real working mobile at about 3yrs, and his Grandmother would call him on it... sounds really bad but it was either get him a cheap one or have him walking around with my latest $3/400 handset... erm.. no thanks...

He no longer has one and is now 6... but I would imagin when he goes to high school he'll need to have one as technology is increasingly becoming a part of their day to day life, like laptops... so in 10 years from now they'll probably be emailing assignments etc to their tutors!

With BlackBerry I can think of one useful app... Berry locate or something like that, send an email to the handset and it responds with GPS location (even without GPS using 3 point location) thus keeping you informed of where your child is etc... I know there are other services like that out there Im just saying that this is one of the benefits...

We already do this at my school to save paper.

[cslave]

... so in 10 years from now they'll probably be emailing assignments etc to their tutors!...

Many schools do this already.

I go to an inter-district magnet school where all the students are given tablet laptops to keep for the year and so most of our assignments are electronic and managed through an online website where you interact with teachers/administrators and view/submit all of your assignments. Its great, I go to school with a couple pencils, a notebook just in case, and my laptop (all our textbooks are PDFs).

[frankiezjr]

Hey I'm 17 and im going to high school and college at the same time. I have the data plan on mine and yes i pay for it by my self. i have over 4 e-mail addresses that my bb is regitered to so push is important for me. I am getting CCNA cert and its important for recieving test scores and grades. And im starting my own computer repair bussiness so it is important that i have my BB

[NewDad8330]

new generation here folks!! if a parent wants to buy something like a BB for their child, who are we to tell them that they shouldnt? i would probably get my son a BB withOUT a data plan at first, and if he shows me he is responsible, he can pay for the data by doing chores or working. thats just me tho..

[Davanw]

It is simply a sign of the times. Society has advanced, technology-wise, so far that it seems odd or unusual or inappropriate for a child to have a smartphone.

But do you scoff when you see a teenager using a internet-connected computer? Of course not. What's the difference?

Its simply because our generation didn't have these gadgets when we were that age, that it seems unusual. But again, its a changing world out there. Imagine what 'toys' the next generation will have.

[redsoxrocker]

Please be considerate of others, and their interest in the topic at hand. You may have participated in this conversation in the past, but it is fresh and relevant to those members posting now.

hey reed, no harm meant. i don't usually participate in these topics, it's just usually bad news bears when the kids+adults mash up over who should have a blackberry. just don't like seeing forum members get upset over something when everyone comes together over having a great smartphone! sigh.