So at what age are you getting your kids a cell phone?

itsmevkb · February 2013

Debate!

My six-year-old has been asking for one. When I ask him who he'd call he looks at me like I'm speaking another language. To him, a phone is for playing games on, not talking to people!

mystic_J · February 2013

I'm thinking age twelve, at the earliest. They can use one of our tablets for a game.

Saraevh · February 2013

LoL ... my husband and I were talking about this last night after we were discussing the ridiculousness of a 7 year old having a Facebook account. We were thinking maybe middle school if they are involved in a lot of extra curriculars and need to call for rides home, etc but plan to monitor it heavily and will probably get one of those kinds that have only a small amount of minutes/can only call certain numbers, etc etc.

When I was in college I was a nanny for these insanely rich, spoiled twin girls one summer (lived on Lake Dr. in Shorewood, went to University School, both parents were big shot lawyers from out East, they had a servants quarters in their home that was bigger than my childhood home etc) who had cell phones as 8 years olds and I found it HILARIOUS. They had like three numbers in it, and one of them was mine.

Totally unnecessary. Get him an IPad or something

itsmevkb · February 2013

Saraevh:

Get him an IPad or something

Here's what I find fascinating - he already has a Nintendo 3DS, a Leapster, a Leap Pad, a Wii and I let him play with my old iPhone sometimes so really, he feels he needs yet another gaming device? Granted, with the exception of the Nintendo, these are shared things with his brother and sister but he plays them more than anyone else.

And I just want to be clear, I have no intention of getting him a phone anytime soon, he's just asking for one.

wiscgirl95 · February 2013

When she truly has a need for a phone or starts walking to/from friends houses or school alone. 12? 10?

ELF4321 · February 2013

I honestly haven't given this much thought. By the time DD is old enough to worry about it, who knows what new technology will be around. Maybe cell phones won't even exist anymore! LOL

jesselayne8 · February 2013

I hope I can hold out until 12 or 13 but DD will probably ask for one for her 2nd birthday. She is obsessed with my iPhone. She knows how to unlock it and has been known to delete apps.

I wouldn't actually buy a 2yr old an iPhone BTW.

Dragonfly1226 · February 2013

I think it depends on the kids and their maturity. I think my absolute earliest age would be 12, but it would definitely not be a fancy smart phone. I don't even have a data plan on my phone! It would be just a phone to use in emergencies etc. Once they can pay for their own phones the can choose something fancy if they want. I just hope the basic phone will still be an option 10 years from now!

new+tothis · February 2013

This will probably be an unpopular opinion but I'll get DS one when he starts school (he'll be about 5 1/2). I'll get him one of those little kids ones and he will only be allowed to call family (I'll have parental controls on it so he literally can't call anyone else). No texting, no games, no smart anything. It will be for emergencies only. It will stay in his backpack unless it is charging.

RoseHQ12 · February 2013

It would depend on what the intention of giving the phone was & also the maturity of the child. If it is for safety & calling home for a ride etc. then I guess when the need arises but my gut tells me that wouldn't be until the teen years & even then I would have it heavily monitored. Like a pp said, who knows what the technology will be like in another 5-10 years

oooCarrieB · February 2013

It depends. My friend just had to get a landline bc her 5 year old was getting so many play date calls on her cell.

I'd guess that 10 or 12 might be an okay age for a phone, but If my LO started getting lots of calls, I would consider getting her a kid phone, bc it would be cheaper than a landline. She plays w our iPad all the time.

queenbone · February 2013

I hadn't thought about that one yet, but definitely not until the teen years. Maybe 16? DH said 14 or 16. We won't be buying our kids cars so hopefully a phone will be an acceptable consolation prize.

If this baby is a girl, she'll go to my hs alma mater which means she'll have to take a city bus downtown. I'd be more inclined to give her a phone as a freshman under those circumstances.

AngelBrody · February 2013

There is an app out there that you can look at online. What this does is it puts the phone into a "kid mode" and only things you have allowed are able to be seen. Also a huge benefit is that only people who are in the apps contacts list are able to be called or receive calls from. This way you know that some stranger can't get through to your child.

I have an 8 year old step daughter. Her mom has a heart condition and no home phone. If she needed to call for help no one knew if she would be able to locate her mom's phone or if she'd be able to unlock it. We got her a cheap smart phone and downloaded this app (free!). It allows her to take pictures, make calls and text. None of these can be deleted unless the user name and password is entered and you remove them from the Parent Mode. I can also log in online and find her using the GPS and see what she is texting/calling.

It's something to look into if you are interested in getting a younger child a phone. The website is kytephone.com

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