How many parents would be okay with their 12 year old son having his own cell phone?

Question

We live in a very small town, and I work two blocks away from the school so I'm easy to get ahold of. All the kids he hangs out with live in town. My son can always use my cell phone if he needs it. I feel a 12 year old kid should have supervision using a phone, internet, MSN, etc. He likes to call girls (already), so without giving my opinion, what do other parents think?

Answer 1

I'm not a mother...in fact I'm only 15, but I don't have a cell phone yet. If you work nearby, then he could probably walk. If he's already calling girls, then that isn't safe, so I'd wait until he is older. If he needs supervision to use a regular phone, then how can he have his own cell phone logically- according to your rules?

Answer 2

HI

I have a 12 year old daughter who desperately wants a cell phone.

So far its been a no. I think they are great for safety reasons...
But we do not want her to have free calling ingoing or outgoing.. so

When she does get one it will be one of those disney mobile or verizon kid phones where we have the control of when and how much it is used and so on.

You have to remember you don get to see who is calling in and they can delete call lists so you would not know.

Verizons phone is programmabkle so only certain numbers can be called in or out and Disney's allows restrictions as well plus lets you actually see where the phone is in GPS.

We agree children on this age should have some monotiring for internet and phone. Our daughter does not have a phone in her room either.

We also live in a small area, and I think if we lived in a larger area I would already have her with a cell for safety.

We use Motorola 12 mile range radios when she is out in town on her own, and if we go to a larger area in the malls etc...

We have droppd her off at the movies a couple of times with friends and left her a cell phone to call us if there was a problem.

Having said all this... we have a good kid who is very trustworthy, and has beenr aised with tough rules

Each kid is different and you are the best judge!

He will survive if he does not get a cell!

Good Luck


Wismom

Answer 3

Being in a small town, I don't know how important it is that he have a cell phone. However, I am all in favor of children having cell phones. They have to learn responsibility with it. They have to keep track of it and can't lose it or break it. They have to learn to be responsible with their cell phone usage and not go over their plan's minutes. Some cell phone carriers have "children's" phones where you can program in 4 phone numbers and those are the only ones that can be called. Other cell phone companies allow parents to utilize the GPS tracking on their children's cell phones. 2 of my 3 children carry cell phones with them. They know to call 911 in an emergency. They also know that without their cell phone, they can't go to the park, or bike riding, to a friend's house, or stay after school without me. Phone etiquette still applies. They can't talk during dinner or family time. They cannot ignore the people around them to be on the phone. They cannot use the phone at school, in the movies, etc. I consider the phone as much for the parents as the kids. My 15 year old would never be able to leave the house and go anywhere with friends unless I knew I could call her anytime and she had to answer.

Answer 4

I think that if your son is aloud out on his own he should have a phone(or let him take yours),so you can keep tabs on him,if not let him wait another 12 months.If he's already calling girls don't give him a hard time try and be supportive by giving him advice,you need to keep him on your side,not to end up rebelling.
Have a talk about his length of time on the internet and the phone,MSN is usually chat to friends(which your son only allows on and can be blocked)It is hard at this age,my son was 13 when he got his first phone and i still go on about the computer and he's 15 on Saturday.

Answer 5

My 12 year old daughter wants one too. We have mulled it over a few times and haven't really decided. She really doesn't need one. She wants unlimited time to yack to her friend on the phone, plus her friend has one already and she wants what her friend has. We thought about getting her an inexpensive tracfone and let her buy her minutes with her allowance. She only gets $5.00 a week, so basically if she used up all her minutes in a month (I can see her doing that in a week) she'd just be supporting the phone. Right now she uses her allowance for books. I think books are better for her. (-: My husband thinks that buying her own minutes (you can get 60 for $20 I believe) would teach her how to handle her money. I'm just not convinced yet. I really don't think she needs one. She rides the bus to school and back. I'm home when she leaves and when she gets home. She's certainly not going out with other kids in a car at this age, so what's the point really?

Answer 6

I'm twelve, but I've had a cell phone since I was eleven. Everyone has one, mostly. Let him have one. Honestly, I always feel so much better knowing that if I'm waiting for someone to pick me up, I can call them and know where they are, or if I ever need help I can call my mom or older sibling. I feel a lot safer. And you think he needs supervision for phone, internet, and MSN? God, what are you doing to the kid? He's growing up, give him privacy. NO ONE I know needs any of that, or has it. Just give him a phone, get off his back, and let him breath.

Besides, I never even CARED about having a phone until my mom came up to me and asked if I wanted one. o.o

Answer 7

What reason does a 12 yr old child have to NEED a cell phone while at school they have the school phone while at home the home phone and while at a friends house there phone my son asks about that firefly phone he is 10 i told the boy if he wants to use a phone just ask and he can use the home phone anytime as for him wanting to talk to girls im sorry but my son can talk to girls or friends but i am close enough to hear what is said at this age they learn quickly and if you dont set limits then it allows them to do whatever they want .I say its a big no no to cell phones at such a young age thats whats wrong these days they have to much freedom .

Answer 8

i got my first cellphone at age 10, because i would be away from my parents for two weeks at a time. but i personally think having a cellphone makes me feel more comfortable and is a wonderful tool they are not just for calling people anymore. i use my phone as a watch, alarm clock, take pictures, write notes, reminders.i think it is a very good tool for a student.
and if hes is calling girls. believe it or not. i know people who have lost their virginity at 12. so you do not want you kid hiding things from you. and if he feels like hes being monitored all of the time hes going to find ways to talk to girls without you knowing about it. your better off giving him some freedom, and gaining trust then making him mad at you and hide things from you.
and in middle school there is so much pressure to have cool things it seems so silly. i almost forgot how much my friends envied me because i had a phone. and im not saying a phone will make you cool. but at the time it seemed like the most important thing in the world to some people.

and p.s i remember alot of 12 year olds fighting with their parents over phones.

Answer 9

Think about it, if he has a cell, you'll always have basically a leash on him. Make sure that it is always charged so he wont lie and say it died. Check the numbers when you get his bill, and call him every 30 min. when he's away or however you want to do it. But he's only 12 ha ha, it's funny seeing a 12 year old with that kind of technology, but hey this is 2006.........Doctor Jae

Answer 10

I'd say wait until he's 13. That's when they get all independant and want to be out with their friends. Give him rules though like only using it between certain times or for emergencies. Kids don't need to be on their cell phones talking and messaging their friends 24/7.