[ooGloryoo]

My daughter, she'll be 11 July 2, is always taking off with my Curve. Half the time I spend the day with no phone at all. She's texting everyone under the Arizona sun. She talks to Shadow on a daily basis (when she's here with me and not at her dad's).
She doesn't have her own phone, and wont get one until she show responsibility but her first will be a Blackberry.

[garberinc]

My 7- year old has had a mobile for about one year. He was due for a renewal. I thought about a berry, but certainly a berry is too much phone for him now. We went with an LG Chocolate- mostly for music and pictures and the all important VZW Chaperone service. He is very active and in this day when kids are snatched in seconds, it may just save his life.
I started out 16 years ago with a 3- watt bag phone and have been through countless cheapies and more high- end phone through the years. I just recently got the berry and love it. But I feel having three kids and two full time jobs working as an emergency dept nurse and as a critical care transport nurse I now deserve a Berry to help manage my life. My son needs to spend some "time in the trenches" with lower end phones so that when/ if he gets a Berry he will appreciate it like I do.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

Cheers!

[rameal999]

Yeah my little brother has a chocolate and I used to thinks it's because of where I live that kids had cell phones but now a lot of kids have cell phones. Technology is good and bad. Good because of all the things it offers but without this chaperone I bet it would be really bad with all the things that are out there. I am the only one in my family with a BB but now my brother wants one or an iPhone which would have him go to att (we have Verizon) and I don't see the point for anyone at that age (11) yo have a phone with all that capability on it. They just need phone that can make calls and text message but I bet when I have children which is gonna be a while since I'm only 20 technology would be so advanced that all phones might have smartogone technology and seeing how I am kinds soft around the edges will be giving my daughter a super cool phone but not my son hehe jk he can have one too with tracking devices on both

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[exelant]

My 14 year old starts HS this Summer and really wants an upgrade from his Razor. I think the compromise will be a phone with a qwerty keybd. I don't know if he's responsible enough for a BB yet. He washed his Shuffle last Winter, lol. He's got the tech skills, though. I also know he'd be happier with a more media friendly phone for streaming.

Good question, I think I'll ask him what he wants. I pay him for work and he has neighborhood jobs so he makes enough money to help pay for whatever we get him.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[ems2857]

i would never buy a kid a smartphone while they're in high school. if you do, you're practically begging them not to pay attention in class (and if you think they're not on that bb in class, you're crazy). There's no reason that a high schooler needs push email and constant internet access. And there is no point in getting a bb if you don't need those things.

just throwing my two cents in!

[501]

I feel like in in the Twilight Zone reading this post, lol. I told my kids they can't even have a cell phone until they are 16.

[Roxy]

My 10 yr old daughter has a cell phone. It's a regular slider phone, and it adds $10 a month to my plan. We got it because the only house phone was my BB and I have started leaving her to run to the store. I wanted her to have a phone, but I also wanted to be able to call her. So I got her the free phone. She's responsible and rarely talks on it. The only person she sends texts to is ME!

Her first cell phone was at 7. She had a Firefly I purchased b/c her school left her on a bus with high schoolers and had no idea where she was for 30 mins. I wanted to be able to call her.

[Disturbed_Angel]

I didn't get a cell phone till I was 16, and that was only because I was out and about driving, and my parents wanted me to have the ability to call for help if needed, along with getting me off the land line at home. I am 21 now, and I still don't have a BB, but I will be soon.

[Roxy]

i think the pre-programmed "Firefly" and chaperone phones are a great idea for younger kids who are starting to get out/away from the house more as they are growing up..it gives them a way to check it with their parents (and vise versa) as well as a way to be able to call for help in the time of an emergency. these can also teach the kids the responsibility of having and caring for a mobile phone.

of course...this can work both ways so its really a parents judgement and like Marine39 said: its really a case-by-case decision.

We had the Firefly for about a year. But the minutes expired and she NEVER used them. And then we started having connection issues. She could never get a signal, so she ended up with nothing for a while.

When we got rid of the house phone, I realized she would have no way to contact me so I got her an el cheapo phone. I can't imagine purchasing my child a BB. I had a hard time shelling the money out for my own phone. I'm sure they'll be 16 or over and purchasing it for themselves if they ever get one. My kids all LOVE my phone though. Mostly for the games on it. lol

[jennifer.macneill]

I have a 14 year old that asked us to buy him a BB for his birthday. Once we explained to him that they were for more than just cruising the net, checking email, Iming, texting, etc and told him that all of the functions he was interested in he could get in a cell phone, he didn't want one anymore. I mean he has no use for calendar syncing, you know? We got him an enV and he is perfectly happy with it. He just wanted the QWERTY keyboard for texting. Everything else he is interested in is available on most cell phones now.

[pegb856]

I guess I am a bit confused by all of the posts about kids or anyone else for that matter being able to do what they want with a regular phone. Yes of course they can do all of those things, SMS, web, pictures, calandar, etc. but the BB does it soo much better. I don't need all of the functions it's capable of, I have it because I WANT it. I like the keyboard, stability of the OS, the ease of use and the nice screens, the rest is just the "icing on the cake" and I'm sure that if most of us are completely honest with ourselves we don't really NEED a Blackberry, we WANT a Blackberry (with the exception of the business users and if Business is all the BB is used for you wouldn't be on this forum posting!). Now grant you kids don't need all of the BB functions either but A Blackberry is 1st and foremost a "Messaging Machine" and in my opinion that goes for Text messaging too. That's what the kids really care about.

As for whether or not kids should have one, well that's a personal choice for their parents to decide. Are they responsible enough and is it worth the risk? JMHO.

[Miss.Horrible]

I don't think a BB necessary for anyone who can't pay for it themselves or is under 18.
I just don't think they're responsible enough. Atleast I know I wasn't.
I got my first phone, an Ericson, when I was 14.
Such a horrible phone.
But if I didn't need a BB for my job, I probably wouldn't have one now.
I think it's crazy how things have changed and how young kids are now when they get cell phone.
I have a friend who has 3 siblings.
They're 10, 12, and 14.
They all have cell phones. And they have had them for a couple of years now.
I think they're the Zune phones.
I just don't remember ever having the desire for a cell phone at the age of 10.
I guess it didn't help that at that time they were quite large.
Oh how things have changed...

[jennifer.macneill]

I guess I am a bit confused by all of the posts about kids or anyone else for that matter being able to do what they want with a regular phone. Yes of course they can do all of those things, SMS, web, pictures, calandar, etc. but the BB does it soo much better. I don't need all of the functions it's capable of, I have it because I WANT it. I like the keyboard, stability of the OS, the ease of use and the nice screens, the rest is just the "icing on the cake" and I'm sure that if most of us are completely honest with ourselves we don't really NEED a Blackberry, we WANT a Blackberry. Now grant you kids don't need all of the BB functions either but A Blackberry is 1st and foremost a "Messaging Machine" and in my opinion that goes for Text messaging too. That's what the kids really care about. JMHO.

I NEED a BB. I am a small business owner and use it primarily for business purposes. My husband NEEDS his BB. He is on call 24-7 and his job requires him to have one. Could I live without mine? Probably, but I've had smartphones for years and the increased productivity is invaluable. My kid on the other hand, I don't care how superior a device the BB is, I'm not buying him a 400 dollar phone just so he can forget it's in his pocket when he is playing baseball and slides into homeplate. OUCH.

[BBIronMan]

If your kid NEEDS a BlackBerry then they NEED to pay a portion of the mortgage and NEED to pay for their groceries and NEED to cough up the data plan charges and NEED to pay for their device insurance and deductible.

Now, if I had plenty of disposable income I'd get them all BlackBerry speaking as a RIM stock holder.

[trebb]

I'm 17 and I have a pearl. I don't pay for the bill, but I paid for the phone. I bought a voyager on my own but didn't like it's lack of functionality. I can do so much more with this, so I bought one on eBay. I told my dad if he ever wants me to pay for some or all of the data plan to tell me. I work all of the time and can easily pay for it.

I love this phone though. Oh, and for whoever said kids won't pay attention in school... I have a 3.8 GPA. If a kid doesn't want to pay attention in school, they won't. A phone won't make a difference.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[BBIronMan]

I'm 17 and I have a pearl. I don't pay for the bill, but I paid for the phone. I bought a voyager on my own but didn't like it's lack of functionality. I can do so much more with this, so I bought one on eBay. I told my dad if he ever wants me to pay for some or all of the data plan to tell me. I work all of the time and can easily pay for it.

Somebody erect a statue to this kid.

Good for you, you sound like you're together.

At least you love it and it's not your gem encrusted accessory.

[jennifer.macneill]

I'm 17 and I have a pearl. I don't pay for the bill, but I paid for the phone. I bought a voyager on my own but didn't like it's lack of functionality. I can do so much more with this, so I bought one on eBay. I told my dad if he ever wants me to pay for some or all of the data plan to tell me. I work all of the time and can easily pay for it.

I love this phone though. Oh, and for whoever said kids won't pay attention in school... I have a 3.8 GPA. If a kid doesn't want to pay attention in school, they won't. A phone won't make a difference.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Well now, this is different entirely. First, I don't really consider 17 a kid. And second, my son pays for (nor offers to pay for) NOTHING! LOL. If he was more like you perhaps he would have a BB.

[ecooper11]

I'm great at school and I'm on my bb all the time in certain classes. Sometimes, I'm answering a question or talking with a teacher and browsing cb at the same time. I'm 14 and I use my berry just as much, if not more than some adults. I do my homework on it and use it to research projects and reports that I may be assigned. I use email and texting to keep up with my friends and family. I think as long as your responsible with it and it doesn't affect your school work, I think kids can make great use of bb's. I know I have.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[jennifer.macneill]

Just to clarify. I am not necessarily saying kids should not have BBs, as it is a personal decision. I am just saying I would not buy one for my kid. I am a mean mom.

[abdala_24]

my first phone was a pearl 8100 when i was 11

[jessika.leigh]

I'm currently fourteen and I just purchased a BB Pearl two days ago. I spent about a week before buying the phone looking at different phones on the Alltel (the company I use) website, and the Pearl seemed like a good choice for me. Also, it was only $80 with the $100 mail-in rebate, which was an excellent price. My dad said that I would have to pay for the actual phone if I wanted a nice one, so I spent about three months saving up (babysitting, helping my dad out at his job, doing extra chores, etc.) so I could get a nice phone. I got up to $160 before actually getting the phone.

Most of you are saying teens aren't responsible enough for BBs, but that's not necessarily true. I know how nice my BB is, and I wouldn't dream of treating it carelessly. I got my first phone when I was ten. It was a little Nokia TracFone (which is a prepaid phone) and I had it for about two years until I switched to a flip phone with a camera, texting, etc. I paid for that phone with my own money. The year after I got that phone, I got a Razr, which I also paid for myself. Now I have my BB, and I love it, it's fantastic.

My dad is paying for the phone bill, but that was all his decision. When we were at the store they said the smart phone bills were more expensive than the others, and I immediately thought my dad wouldn't go for it. He looked at the list, and we got the cheapest plan. I asked him if he was sure it wasn't too much, and he said, "As long as you keep up the straight-A's, stay in sports, and be nice to your brothers, I don't have a problem with it." I told him I'll help pay for part of the bill anyway, seeing as I'm babysitting and will have extra money.

My dad also likes the GPS feature on the phone. We're going to Chicago (I live in a small town with a population of about 1200 people, so this is a big thing for me, at least) in August and he said he was not going to drive in that city again without some type of GPS, and that's part of why he got me this phone. He also knows I will get good use out of the phone. I've barely been able to put it down since I got it, ahaha. I love it.

Most of the people in my class are way too irresponsible to have a phone like the BB, but not all of them are.

Edit// I have to add, I've never used my phone in class. I'm not stupid. At my school, if you use a phone in class, it gets taken away and a parent or guardian has to come and get it back. If I got caught using mine at school and it got taken away, my dad would not go get it. He would probably wait to let me get it back at the end of the year, which is what I would deserve, being stupid enough to use it in class. I actually pay attention in class, anyway. I want to do well in school, and using my BB in class would not help that.

[amyvanwest]

My 12 year old inherited my prior phone (a pink Razr) and we have no plans to get her anything different for a loooong time.

[Berryaddict80]

I had a woman come into work the other day, and was looking at new phones. She decided she was going to get a PEARL for her son, because "he was technology advanced" lol Anyway, she purchased the phone, then decided to get another because the other child would feel left out. I finally asked, and her sons were 8 and 6. I really discouraged this, even though I would make some could commission. No matter what I said, she was set on getting them. And after all that, she declined the insurance. Good luck lady!!

[ecooper11]

I agree. My parents would never buy me a bb. I bought it myself and I pay the $30/month data plan with my allowence and babysitting my brothers and my sister.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Rizzleman716]

it all depends on how you feel, if you feel your kid can have a BB, then let it be. But its the same for the sidekick... Kids are very in touch with technology and BB is just a fanciers version of a phone! nothing wrong with a TEENAGER atleaste having one.
get over it