The husband and I always talk about when we would let our kids get cell phones. We are always admittedly shocked when we see 5 or 6 year olds with phones. So, how old will your LO be when they get a cell phone?
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I'd like to think I would hold out til her teenage years but it really depends what the tech environment is when she's older. We're actually getting a Kindle fire and I expect to be using some of the interactive kid's book applications on it with her so it may well be that she'll get her own tablet when she's 5 and I'm sure they'll all have integrated phones by then. Who knows?
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I've always thought they were ridiculous for young children, but who knows how I'll feel once we're actually there. I think even if our kids had them, they would be those very restricted ones that can only be used to call mom, dad, and a few emergency contacts with no texting. I don't want our kids taught that it's ok to be on the phone all the time.
I think it sends a message that people elsewhere are more important than the people you are with. That's so rude and it means at any given time, you are never fully invested in your current surroundings. -
I'm thinking in their teens. I got my little brother one when he turned 12-13, my parents were against it at first but we gave him strict rules (no overage on minutes/texts, phone is taken away if his grades go down) and now my parents are happy that they can get a hold of him in case they'll be running late picking him up from school or after school activities. Plus makes it easier for him to get ahold of friends if he's out sick and needs homework info.
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One of my husband's hobbies is cell phones, so we have literally 100 in my living room. I myself have two that I use and I am a SAHM, so they're both for personal use.
I can't really say when our son will get a cell phone, it's hard to predict what the world of technology will offer as he gets older.
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Wow, I'm intrigued by the cell phone hobby! What does your husband do with them, like he collects them? Or do you do something else with multiple cell phones?
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i'd say once they hit high school is appropriate. that's when they sort of start becoming independent and i'd like to be able to contact them. definitely set rules and monitoring though. and i don't think i want text on it but i guess we'll see.
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I have no idea. I'm thinking maybe 10? We're planning on taking phones away at night though. No late night texting/talking on the phone!
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@Boogs: He runs a review website for a specific brand of phones. It started out as a fan message board and evolved into a site on reviews and videos, etc. There's not much you can do with them, lol, other than collect dust!
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I'm hoping in their teen years, but maybe earlier depending on how busy their extracurricular schedule is...earliest middle school years. I don't see why kids younger than that would be away from hubby or me besides school, grandparents, and/or babysitters -- all of which have methods for me to reach them.
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@LOOCH: Thats awesome that he can make money off of his hobby!
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As a teacher I've seen kindergartners come in with super fancy phones and it drives me nuts! They can't even hold scissors properly but they get their own phone? Insane! I think we'll have a "family" cellphone when the kids are old enough to stay home alone (we don't have a home phone) and go places without a parent. My mom used to always give us change for a pay phone in case of emergency but that isn't really an option anymore. We'll send the phone with the kids in that situation because if something happens I want them to be able to call. But, it will VERY strict restrictions on it: only call mom, dad, grandparents, etc., NO texting, etc.
Once they start driving they will most likely get in their own but will be expected to put it away at meal times, homework, etc. I think I like the idea of not keeping it in their rooms. It will be plugged in somewhere like the kitchen where I know they aren't using it when they should be sleeping and I will expect them to show they have good manners about when to use the phone. I looked over on Sunday and saw a 10-11 year old using one in church. Not acceptable in my family!
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I am shocked as well when I see young kids with cell phones but I feel like this is just where society is going nowadays. It seems wrong to us because it was so different when we were growing up but I don't think our kids will even think twice about giving their kids cell phones when the time comes.
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I have given this some more thought, here's where I come down on this issue:
We will have a home phone. This will be the line that the kids can use if they want to have friends calling. It's also good to have a landline in emergencies. When they are old enough to go somewhere unaccompanied, then they can have a phone, that has GPS so I can see where they are and they can call me to let me know they arrived. We will monitor the usage of other features and they will be expected to pay for a portion of the service. There are also times where the phone use is prohibited, and I like EEH's idea of plugging the phones in a central location. We will likely keep the night station in our bedroom.
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my kids will have phones (not unlimited plans or anything) once they start public transportation to go to school. I need public transport from grade 7 and i think if we had a phone my mom would of been less stressed.
At the same time, I didn't have my first cell phone til i was 18 and I'm not dead so this is a big debate.
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I got a cellphone when I got a car, but I wasn't really allowed to use it. It was for emergencies only. My parents got some kind of cheapo plan that only came with 50 minutes a month, so the phone pretty much just stayed off. I turned it on a couple times when I was running late or in an accident (once), but other than that, I didn't use it. I bought my own cellphone when I was in college (my junior year).
I definitely don't understand why young children would need a cell phone at all. Maybe high school, but honestly, unless they're driving themselves around, I don't know why they'd need their own cell phone.
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I think its hard to tell what the world will be like in a few years as far as cell phones go. I got a cell phone when I got to High School (granted cell phones weren't as fun or cool in the late 90s). I think it will depend on how my kid gets to/from school and what after school activities they have going on. Mine was a necessity in HS when I was involved with 100 things!
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I got a cell phone when I was 12, only because my parents were divorced and my dad refused to call the house number and have my stepdad answer. That was before texting and internet on cell phones, so I really only ever used it to call my dad.
I don't think I'd get a smart phone for children before age 16, but I do like the idea of emergency phones that have only a few buttons for calling me and hubs. Something like that would be great if we were to get separated for some reason.
I think it will be interesting to see what the norm is with children and cell phones 10 years from now!
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I would like to say 12-13. I was 14, almost 15 when I got my first...my brothers were both younger. My youngest brother was 12 (I was jealous). I did see my parents' point though - they played middle school sports, and it was nice to have a way to communicate when practice got over early or something. Before that age though (7th grade) I see no reason whatsoever.
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I would hope that our kids don't get cell phones until they can drive.
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I hate to say it, but this is the world we live in nowadays. Computers, cell phones, ipads, android pads, kindles, etc.
They do have little kids phones. I think AT&T sells a phone called a FireFly that only lets your kids call mom, dad, and 911.
My 5 year old daughter can use my mothers iPhone better than her. She even plays with my sisters iPad and can go straight to pbskids.org straight from it.
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I'd like to think we will hold out until our kids can drive, but we may cave in sooner. However it will definitely be a limited use cell phone that only allows them to call us or 911.
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@Adira: This will be the same for our kids. We don't really care what the "tech world" is like or how prevalent they (phones) are before then.
When DS is able to drive he will have it for emergency purposes only. We feel that the possibilities of being stranded with a flat tire, or an accident are good enough reasons to have a mode of communication regardless of location.
DS is 7 and plays on our iPhones occasionally but that's only when DH has to shoot for a video and we forgot to bring something else... Otherwise DS doesn't really know how to use it.
My best friend's daughter who is the same age has actually brought home homework that involved her needing to TEXT family members. (crazy if you ask me) =/
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My husband got his first cell phone when he went to college and I got my first one when I started high school. I think I would like to wait until my kids start high school, but who knows what the technology will be like then.
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I think we would want to wait until High School for them to have a cell phone. In middle school, if they need us, they can call us from the office or from a friend's phone. I want our children to focus on what they need to learn, not focus on a cell phone that has lots of options.
I'm hoping the non- smart phones are still around when our kids are older because I really don't want them having a lot to do with it until they're old enough to understand the responsibility of the charges that come with the features of a smart phone.
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I'm not a big fan of kids having cell phones too young, but it seems like the youngest kiddos have them now! Our LO will definitely not get one until we deem them old enough to handle it, and actually in need of one.
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I think they would have to be in high school to get a cell phone, I'm also a little disturbed by 1st graders who have their own cell phones
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