To any parents/guardians here...

[Rain_Blade]

I'm gonna keep it simple. When did/do you give your son/daughter a cellphone? Do you do it by particular age, maturity, growth, good grades, and/or responsibility? Do you decide it based on seeing if you can keep money steady? Or do you base your decision on something else?

I guess anyone else can answer this in terms of like "If you had a son/daughter, when would you give them a cellphone?"

Why would I like to know? Mainly it's just been a thought for me and was wondering how other adults decide on this and what rules they have following the thing about giving your son/daughter a cellphone.

[Mhurron]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

I got one when I could afford my own. It was actually how I got anything.

[Evion]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

If I was a parent, I would get my child one as soon as I was confident they wouldn't loose it... It's a lifeline. And you just don't want your child to be "that kid". Ya I mean?

[Ameroth]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

Kids should get a cell phone when they can pay for it themselves.

[eticket109]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

If I give them one before 13 it will be one of those 'Firefly' things or whatever that are only programmed to dial a couple preprogrammed numbers and 911.

Once they hit 13 I'll give them a prepaid phone. If they want more then their quota then they can pay for it.

Once they hit 18 then they can get their own phone if they want, whether its on a family account or their own would depend on how they did with the prepaid phone.

[Skoal]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

I would give my child one at 15 or so. Then if they spelled "lose" (as in you lost something) "loose" (as in the opposite of tight), I would smack them over the head with the cell phone and not let them use the internet because it is making them dumber.

[Evion]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

Skoal: I would do the same thing. "ya" know, as long as they weren't retarded or something...

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

I think every teenage girl should have one of two options at 16:

(1) A driver's license or
(2) A cell phone.

They should not be legally allowed to have both. I've seen too many car accidents be the fault of teenage girls with cell phones to think otherwise.

You can give a cell phone to your son and he will hardly ever use it, thus not making it a danger while driving.

[Murphie]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

Teenage boys can be just as bad as the girls.

I'm with eTicket. Prior to their teenage years it will be something for emergencies. After that, something prepaid, that they will have work to pay for. After they are 18, they can get their own plan, or be part of a family plan if they are responsible.

[Rain_Blade]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

If I give them one before 13 it will be one of those 'Firefly' things or whatever that are only programmed to dial a couple preprogrammed numbers and 911.

Once they hit 13 I'll give them a prepaid phone. If they want more then their quota then they can pay for it.

Once they hit 18 then they can get their own phone if they want, whether its on a family account or their own would depend on how they did with the prepaid phone.

Seems very reasonable.

@ Skoal: I lol'd

[Skoal]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

Seriously though. I would probably worry about my kids that I would be the next Hulk Hogan and call them and bug them too much to make sure they are safe.

[Feba]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

Well, as a member of the 'hideously young for their own phone' generation, it was something like this:

around 10-12 or so, I got an ultra-cheap nokia "hey I can get five million different faceplates and swap WHENEVER I WANT!" model, I'm not sure of the model, but I've always been on the family plan, since it's just cheaper. I've been getting new phones afterwards about every year and a half, two years, but they've always been pretty cheap.

on the other hand, I have a friend who got a cell phone around the same time I did. She's had way too damn many to count, and honestly I'm not sure where they all come from. Her parents recently had to take away her RAZR for a month or two this year because she was running the bill up way too much with text messages and such.

So really, it's more a matter of responsibility than age. The biggest concern is of course losing it, but you also have to make sure they know they can only send so many texts, or talk for so long, if you're on a limited plan. You also need to know they won't go download any game your provider offers and run up an insane bill. Some kids are ready for this at a very young age, there's also a lot of teenagers that aren't.

If I were a parent (heaven forbid), I wouldn't let my kids go more than 6 or 7 years (possibly less-- a cell phone for teh kid could still be useful for a babysitter) without at least one of the aforementioned phones that can only call preprogrammed numbers and 911. On the other hand, if I had a teenager that couldn't control their bill, I'd punish them by forcing them to carry one of those around.

[Aksannyi]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

My kids aren't that old yet, but they probably won't get one until they have their own job and can pay for the phone and the bill themselves. Can't pay the bill, they'll have to deal with not having a phone.

[Caspian]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

I grew up in the generation of it being a yuppie thing and then they made some that were slightly smaller than cinderblocks. I didn't get one until my senior year of college. Like eticket said, I'd give them one of the kid ones that only dial certain numbers.
Obviously, if you do get them a prepaid at 13 or thereabouts, I'd stay on them about not abusing it, even if it is prepaid. I have a couple friends who teach and I've heard countless horror stories about kids using them during school and such.
I also don't agree with them being "necessary" atleast not for anyone under 18. They were practically unheard of when I was growing up (though Zack Morris did have a pretty sweet brick that he used in school) and I did fine. I guess part of my problem with them is it makes it easy for your kid to lie about where they're at. If they go to a friend's house, you have their number, you can call anytime to talk to your kid and know he's there. Calling on the cell phone they could well be anywhere. I don't doubt that they're a lot more necessary in college and post-grad (I don't have a home phone anymore), but high school and especially junior high and younger, a kid with virtually free rein of a cell phone can be a bad thing.

[Feba]

Re: To any parents/guardians here...

Caspian: heh. my mom still has one of those "holy shit, you called that PORTABLE?!" bag phones from waaaay back when somewhere around here.

I would disagree though about your necessity bit though. A lot of people didn't have immunizations, seatbelts, airbags, car seats, and so on when they were growing up, and obviously they're fine, but that doesn't mean you'd let your kid go without them now that they're out there and they're cheap (and hell, if you let your kid go without those, you're breaking the law now)

Your bit about the kid lying is a matter of the kid lying (and possibly you being lazy), not the phone causing problems itself. There's no reason you can't call your neighbor's phone still, or hell, call your kid, and then demand he give the phone to your neighbor. In fact, many cell phones have GPS locators in them now, so you could even check where he is, despite what he's saying.

Still, even ignoring that, that's a matter of how you raise your kids, not whether you give them a phone or not. I've never once heard of a kid acting up just because they have a phone. I've heard of kids that get into trouble getting into trouble, and that's a problem with them, their phones have nothing to do with it. I don't think I've ever lied to my parents about where I was, with or without a cell phone.