What age is the right age for a child to have their own cell phone?

[dawnikus]

My daughter just turned 9. She asked me how old she has to be before she can have her own cell phone. I told her that 9 is too young and she agrees. She told me that a lot of the kids at her new school walk around with cell phones.

I dont know how to approach the rest of the question and told her we would discuss it at a later time.

What are your view on what age is the right time to be allowed a cell phone?

[2girlsmom]

I think when they are old enough to pay for it then they are old enough to get one. I know I did not get one till I could pay for it myself.

[momg]

Well i disagree my daughter is 8 and has a cell phone.When she was 7 we got her the firefly and added her to our family plan. she could only call who was in her list and recive calls from who was in her list and i set the pass code and the numbers so i had control of who she calls. she now has a regual one she don't use it often we never incur charges from her phone.she only uses it when she is away from us so we can get ahold of her she likes to go out with her great grandparents and grandparents and i can always get a hold of her.i like that she has one and is learning early the responsibilities of such a thing.

[2girlsmom]

If my girls are away from me, then they are with an adult who has a cell phone who can call me or I can call them. There is no way my girls 5 and 7 are about to get a cell phone any time soon.

[Prue]

I dont have kids but I think if I did they would get a cell phone as soon as they were at an age where they would be out without my supervision. I would likely do as momg suggets & get a phone like the firefly which restricts their usage.



Working at Rogers I have been truly amazed at the number of parents who buy their children $500 phones and pay tremendous cell bills for them!! Its very depressing when a 7 year old has a nicer phone than you do! And you would not beleive some of the bills parents get! I had a lady come in once with a bill over $1000 from her teenage daughters overage calls & text messages. Mom was not impressed with her daughter!!!

[CanadaLovesFree]

I'm 20.. I don't have a cell phone.

When I am at my parent's place, and if I am taking the car out, there is a cell in there for safety reasons.

There still are some pay phones around a quarter is cheeper then a phone plan

[kdoucette]

I hardly even use my cell phone that I have. Society seems to have a need to be constantly connected! Why does a 12 year old need a cell phone with her at school? Don't tell me so parents can get a hold of her - phone the office at the school!!

Cell phones are over done IMO, and I am tired of people yapping on their phones everywhere. I have occasionally used my in stores, but rarely.

AS CLF says - there are payphones and in emergencies, most stores will let you use a phone, and enough people have cells that someone is likely to come to your aid!!

That said - we have a cell phone, pay-as-you-go , and we barely use it!! It does come with me on long car trips, and has been useful.

I don't think children need to have one - parents should know where their kids are (or at least have a good idea - I know teenagers are apt to tell stories about where they really were!)

Enough babbling from me!

[ilovemykids]

Well i disagree my daughter is 8 and has a cell phone.When she was 7 we got her the firefly and added her to our family plan. she could only call who was in her list and recive calls from who was in her list and i set the pass code and the numbers so i had control of who she calls. she now has a regual one she don't use it often we never incur charges from her phone.she only uses it when she is away from us so we can get ahold of her she likes to go out with her great grandparents and grandparents and i can always get a hold of her.i like that she has one and is learning early the responsibilities of such a thing.

I really love this idea! I think 7 is to young... but I'm not there yet. My oldest is 4.
I think maybe around 12. When they start leaving the neighborhood. AND if they are responsible enough.
I love the firefly idea. I wonder if I could get one on my phone for my 15 yr old step son...

[blistex]

definitely haf to be out of elementary school!

[Young_Freebie]

When I turned 17, I finally got my cell, but since I almost never use it, it's not worth it for me.

[Prue]

If your on Rogers you can subscribe to call manager, its $5/month and it allows you to set up usage rules for the phones on your account. They can be based on time of day, which numbers are allowed etc. Seems like a good idea for people who want their kids to have phones but don't want to end up with huge bills. (sorry not trying to promote Rogers just thought it may be useful to some of you parents! )

[wanna_be]

I think it is a personal decision. For me, it was when my kids were old enough to be driving the car on their own. I wanted them to have the cell in the event of emergency or car break down.

[dawnikus]

I'm 20.. I don't have a cell phone.

When I am at my parent's place, and if I am taking the car out, there is a cell in there for safety reasons.

There still are some pay phones around a quarter is cheeper then a phone plan

It isnt a matter of cost with us, the company my husband works for subsidizes our phone plans aka they pay for it.

Also, I hate using pay phones, if I am lost the last thing I want to be doing is wandering around a strange city looking for a pay phone when I could have used a cell phone. I do agree that cell phones should be just that a phone. Not an mp3 player, or a TV, if you want those, go home.

I was lost last Monday, in a residential area, no pay phones, no people walking around, lots of condos and no one else around but myself and my daughter and this little slug we saw on the sidewalk. My cell phone would have come in handy if I wasnt stuck on the telus mobility network and had a local cell.

We are in the electronic era, it isnt going away anytime soon so we might as well get used to it.

as for the firefly idea, I have never heard of this dealy, so I will have to research this thing. Thanks to those who mentioned this phone.

[ilovemykids]

If your on Rogers you can subscribe to call manager, its $5/month and it allows you to set up usage rules for the phones on your account. They can be based on time of day, which numbers are allowed etc. Seems like a good idea for people who want their kids to have phones but don't want to end up with huge bills. (sorry not trying to promote Rogers just thought it may be useful to some of you parents! )

Good information! Thanks Prue!

[Kero_1116]

I think kids should get a cell phone when they can afford it. Make them use Pay-to-Go. That way, they can learn how to budget.