Hellobee Boards Topic: When will you allow your child to have a cell phone?

Hellobee Boards Topic: When will you allow your child to have a cell phone? https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 04 Apr 2026 04:45:28 +0000 Bookish on "When will you allow your child to have a cell phone?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-will-you-allow-your-child-to-have-a-cell-phone#post-600853 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:37:55 +0000 Bookish 600853@https://boards.hellobee.com/ This is such a hard question! Obviously in 10 or so years the technology will be insanely different, but still! My nephew got a basic phone 'for emergencies' when he was 8 but he now texts his friends and us at times (he's 10 now). I hesitate to say that smart phones will be off limits until HS, because who knows what smart phones will look like in 14 years.... maybe all phones will be 'smart!' Gah! It really is a difficult question, one I will just have to consider as the years go by. Mrs. Pen on "When will you allow your child to have a cell phone?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-will-you-allow-your-child-to-have-a-cell-phone#post-600848 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:37:31 +0000 Mrs. Pen 600848@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Mrs. Stroller: hahahah. Yes. stargal on "When will you allow your child to have a cell phone?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-will-you-allow-your-child-to-have-a-cell-phone#post-600846 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:37:06 +0000 stargal 600846@https://boards.hellobee.com/ 12 i think is a good age. Bao on "When will you allow your child to have a cell phone?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-will-you-allow-your-child-to-have-a-cell-phone#post-600837 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:34:53 +0000 Bao 600837@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Maybe 10 years old... Mrs. Stroller on "When will you allow your child to have a cell phone?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-will-you-allow-your-child-to-have-a-cell-phone#post-600836 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:34:51 +0000 Mrs. Stroller 600836@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I think like Mrs. Bee said it's too far away to think about right now. Maybe I'll just implant him with a GPS tracker and keep dibs on him all the time. Haha Rainbow Sprinkles on "When will you allow your child to have a cell phone?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-will-you-allow-your-child-to-have-a-cell-phone#post-600834 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:34:16 +0000 Rainbow Sprinkles 600834@https://boards.hellobee.com/ 10-12 probably. Alivoo01 on "When will you allow your child to have a cell phone?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-will-you-allow-your-child-to-have-a-cell-phone#post-600822 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:32:26 +0000 Alivoo01 600822@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Probably not until they start participating in after school events/sports when I won't be able to have a good idea where they're at andrea86 on "When will you allow your child to have a cell phone?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-will-you-allow-your-child-to-have-a-cell-phone#post-600818 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:31:37 +0000 andrea86 600818@https://boards.hellobee.com/ Dh's ex wife just got DD (I claim her, she's always lived with us full time) an iphone. She is 13 and neither of us wanted her to have a cell phone yet. We did have an "extra" flip phone that was available if she was going somewhere when the time frame for pick up wasn't set or somewhere that I just wanted to have contact with her. We have found a way to block all apps and internet though so she can't use that stuff unless we enter a password first. I didn't like my 13 year old having access to the whole internet at the tips of her fingers! .twist. on "When will you allow your child to have a cell phone?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-will-you-allow-your-child-to-have-a-cell-phone#post-600810 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:30:07 +0000 .twist. 600810@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @Mrs. Pen: hahaha!!! oh my. blackbird on "When will you allow your child to have a cell phone?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-will-you-allow-your-child-to-have-a-cell-phone#post-600798 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:28:53 +0000 blackbird 600798@https://boards.hellobee.com/ So that we can be in contact or someone is late picking her up? Yes. But it'll be heavily disabled as far as internet and "fun stuff" goes until she is older! Maybe 13 for age-wise? I dunno, we'll see. Maybe one shared "kid phone". I don't necessarily want her using my phone to chat with her friends, since mine will have more functions on it. As far as technology goes, I dare her to outwit DH and I on that, lol prettylizy on "When will you allow your child to have a cell phone?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-will-you-allow-your-child-to-have-a-cell-phone#post-600797 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:28:46 +0000 prettylizy 600797@https://boards.hellobee.com/ When she has a car/starts driving. No need for a phone before that. Mrs. Pen on "When will you allow your child to have a cell phone?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-will-you-allow-your-child-to-have-a-cell-phone#post-600794 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:28:33 +0000 Mrs. Pen 600794@https://boards.hellobee.com/ @.twist.: with how tech savvy our kids will be- I'm concerned even with those restrictions, they'll find ways around it. My brother once hacked into my moms computer when she had it locked! Mrs. Bee on "When will you allow your child to have a cell phone?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-will-you-allow-your-child-to-have-a-cell-phone#post-600793 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:27:50 +0000 Mrs. Bee 600793@https://boards.hellobee.com/ that's too far ahead to think because technology will be so different by then! i would allow one of those kid phones at a young age... maybe 8? they only let you call emergency numbers and parents. .twist. on "When will you allow your child to have a cell phone?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-will-you-allow-your-child-to-have-a-cell-phone#post-600786 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:27:05 +0000 .twist. 600786@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I struggle with this too. I think it depends on the kid and their maturity level for sure. Our eldest (8) has already called the police a couple times and the police have had to come and talk with him about why it's important not to call them unless it's a real emergency. I can just see him having a cell phone and seeing someone drop their ice cream on the ground and he'd call the police! I don't like internet access 24/7 and wonder if you can get special "kid" plans for this sort of thing?! Mrs. Pen on "When will you allow your child to have a cell phone?" https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/when-will-you-allow-your-child-to-have-a-cell-phone#post-600768 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:24:48 +0000 Mrs. Pen 600768@https://boards.hellobee.com/ I agree the thought of getting in touch with my child at any time is nice... But we did without it just fine when I was a kid!! I am unsure on this one. I'd be fine with a basic flip style phone (not a smart phone) around 10-12, and a smartphone at say 16(or when they can pay for it). But I do sympathize with the fact that more than likely my kid would be the only kid without a smartphone... Idk why that upsets me! But I don't think I'm comfortable with a Pre teen having smart phone and access to Internet 24/7