Would you allow your pre-teen to have a cell phone?

Question

Does your child have a cell-phone? Our daughter is 11 and begging for one. Perhaps a pre-paid plan where she could only make a certain amount of calls works? Anybody tried this? I would like it when she goes to friends homes so she could call me if she needs to.... don't know.

Answer 1

This is a very tough subject. When my daughter was that age, we went through the same thing. We did finally get her a prepaid phone and didn't regret it. Here's why...she had a lot of after school and church activities, and I didn't feel comfortable not being able to get hold of her. (Her Orchestra would hold evening practices at the High School and there was no access to a phone.) The prepaid phones, such as Tracfone isn't the most cost efficient if you are figuring it out by price per minute...but it's worth it to have a limit. And if she does abuse it, she'll figure it out really soon. Just make her go without a phone for the rest of the month if she runs out of minutes. She'll be more cautious next time. Just stress from the beginning that she can NOT use the phone to call her friends.

I know a lot of people are adamantly against cell phones, and they're right that we didn't have them when we were kids, and we were fine. But times have changed. I don't know about you, but the general rule where I lived was "be home by dark." But now, we have to keep a much closer eye on our kids.

Now that my daughter is 15, I have added her a line to my phone. Cingular makes it easy to keep track of your minutes. You can go to their website anytime, and find out exactly how many minutes have been used.

As for having the child pay for the phone...I think that depends on what she's using it for. If she uses it to talk to her friends then she SHOULD pay for it. If she's using it to make it easier for you to keep track of her, then you should pay for it. I always bought the 60 minute card for one month, and if she wanted more, she could buy a new card. Now, I pay for our shared minutes, but she pays for the text messaging plan since I don't think that's a "necessary" use for a phone.

Whatever you decide, don't worry about other people. Some people will judge you and say you have a spoiled child if you give her a phone. Others will judge you and say you are irresponsible for not having a way to get hold of your kid if you don't get her a phone.... You can't please everyone! Just do what's right for your family!

Answer 2

She probably wants it mostly for the novelty of having one, kind of as a toy, rather than to use it to call people all the time. I know that's why I wanted one when I was younger. A cell phone is such a fashion accessory these days and almost EVERYONE has one... I seriously only know one adult/teen who doesn't have one. If it were me I'd just get her a cheap one, maybe in a cool colour or something with some games on it, and just get a prepaid account and arrange it so that only certain numbers can be dialled from the phone - like your cell, your home, emergency contacts etc. Then she can't go nuts on it, and when she needs it she'll still have some credit on the account.

Answer 3

Running up the bill is a big problem. You have a couple of options. The first you mentioned was a prepaid phone. Perhaps an even better plan would be a phone with no charge for minutes. In the Dallas Fort Worth Area Metro PCS (http://www.metropcs.com/) provides unlimited minutes at a low price.

There are also a few more expensive plans like Disney's kid phones. They have limited numbers the child can call, control over the minutes used, and locater service.

lots of options. metropcs is available in several major metroplitan areas.

Answer 4

I have a question, when is she going to be anywhere where she will NEED a cell phone? If she is at her friends house, they have home phones. If she is at school, she doesn't need to be calling anyone. If she is at home or with you, there is no need to call anyone.

Speaking from having been into the classroom a few times with 10 year olds and 11 year olds with cell phones, they do not appreciate or respect it. They also use it to become "popular" and put down other girls.

I think that when she is 16 and can pay for it herself and is driving it would be a little more reasonable.

Just think, you grew up without a cell phone. Did that hinder your development at any time?

Answer 5

Not at 11

Answer 6

My daughter is 11 and has a cell phone but it is only for emergency situations when she is with friends. Otherwise she uses our home phone. She also takes it with her to my exes house should she need anything. My daughter does not give the number out and has been very responsible. if you want her to have more controlled freedom then i suggest a pre paid but in an emergency if she is out of minutes from idol chat it defeats the purpose.

Answer 7

that works...my cousin is only 11 and she has one...she is on family plan with her parents and she a very responsible girl with it and only uses it when needed...at that age they r not for chatting on...using a prepay is a good idea too...my cousin use to have this teen phone ...sorry i cant remember what type or the name, but the cell phone company should...it was like a phone but numbers were programed into it by the parents and they just scrolled for the number, u could not dial a number without it being programed...this was done by a code so only the parents would know it, it worked really well for her..ill get back to u the name...hope this helps

Answer 8

I didn't get my first cell phone until I was 16. "The driving Age" my mom called it. And when I did get the cell phone, it was pre-paid and whenever I ran out of minutes, I had to use my own money to buy phone cards. I would have to say wait until she is old enough to get a job. Then get her one but make her buy her own minutes. It helps her realize that she had responsibilities. I didn't get a plan until I was 17 and I still pay for my half of the phone bill every month. It's a pain but you learn to have responsibility.

Answer 9

I got a cell-phone when i was 10, but that was only because i used to go and stay with my aunt (who doesnt have a phone) up north.
Does your daughter have anyone to call on the mobile phone? Cause theres no use in getting one and paying for it if she doesnt use it.

Answer 10

Definately. A cell-phone can be very useful especially in emergency situations.
My parents gave me one when I was around that age and it was a good decision, they knew where I was, they knew when to pick me up from places, If I lost them while we were out, I could easily find them. Also giving your daughter a phone gives her a sense of safety knowing she can call you anytime.