What is the youngest age you would give a cell phone to your kid?

Question

I gave one to my daughter for her 8th birthday, with huge restrictions in place, She has time limits and time restrictions, she can only call or accept calls from the phone list that I programmed in, she must also go through her mother or me in order to add someone to her list, she knows that if she breaks the rules, I'll take it back.

Answer 1

8 but with great restrictions (only prepaid, only calls certain numbers, etc.)

Answer 2

I think it depends on the type of cell phone and the carrier... I'm not going to hand a cell phone that is worth bucks to a little child, but the Amigo or Disney one with tracking has potential. I also wouldn't trust a first grader to keep an eye on minutes or too many text messages on a Verizon or Cingular plan when for 50 bucks they can do all the calls they want through MetroPCS. In this day and age home phones are a thing of the past and each person has their own cell phone in family units.

Answer 3

I don't believe a child needs a cell phone of their own until at least high school and even then with restrictions related to driving and school use. You can purchase one of the child phones that limits who they can call (example mom, dad, 911), I think they are called FireFly, for use if safety is a concern or the child visits friends often and may need to check in. We survived without them, and the bills, and the test messages, the cheating, the pictures and videos taken in the locker rooms, etc. Our kids can too.

Answer 4

12

Answer 5

12

Answer 6

I think it depends on the situation. I'm 20, and I got my first cell phone when I was 14...and to this day, I still don't pay the bill. My sister on the other hand is 12, and she's had a cell phone for about two years now...she got it because while I'm at college, my older brother and mother work, my sister would come home from school by herself. My mother wasn't comfortable with a girl her age being alone, so she got her a phone to keep in contact with her. Besides, cell phones weren't available like they are when my brother and I were 12. Also, we came home together and were home alone, so that put my mother at ease.

Answer 7

11

Answer 8

I'd give one to my kids once they start driving alone (age 16). Until then, they don't really need one. (There are still pay phones at the mall, movie theater, library--places where kids hang out.) Also, friends have phones at their homes and some kids have their own cell phones. If something happened and one of my kids needed to call me, they wouldn't need a cell phone. Once they're driving, however, I believe it's necessary in case of a car break down/accident/etc. I don't think I've ever seen a pay phone in the middle of the interstate. :)

Answer 9

Maybe around 12 years just in case he would need to call when he was done with after school activities, now days they cant always use the one at school only pay phone and that is broke at times. He also has phone restrictions!

Answer 10

8

Answer 11

Some kids are getting them in first grade now. They have those special cell phones that only have 4 buttons. I think that would be best for an elementary school-aged child.

They didn't have those when my daughter was younger. She got her first phone at the age of 9. But if you are going to give a young child a phone, make sure you have insurance on it. :)

Good luck! :)