What age should i buy my children a mobile phone?

Question

In todays world its not safe anywhere i think a mobile would help ease the worries but at what age do i get them one?

Answer 1

Get them a cricket .... the one that you can only call 2 people generally a mom and dad. That phone is acceptable at any age.

A regular phone I wouldn't suggest until there are responsible enough to take care of it, maybe 13-16.

Answer 2

I got my first one at 14. That's about the time I started going places without my parents and they wanted me to have it on me just in case something happened. But it was also a tracfone. Meaning I got like 30 minutes a month and it was for calling home, emergencies, etc. Also, if I lost it or something, it wouldn't have been as big of a loss. Once I proved to my parents I could be responsible with a phone, I got a cell phone and plan around 16 when I got my license.

Answer 3

When they are 16 or whenever they get their drivers license. No its not safe for a kid to be any where with out their parents, but how much is your kid really away from you other than school? If for some reason they are away from you that much, I may think about getting them a track phone and putting like 30 minutes on it for emergencies. Just so that they dont use it to call their friends and text message100 times a day... probably when they are 12 or so?

Answer 4

Whenever your kids start going places on their own, if it would make you feel better for them to have a phone, get them one. If you want them to have a phone but don't trust them to think about your phone service plan and avoid running up a huge bill, I think they make phones for kids that can be pre-programmed to only dial certain numbers, so you could set it so they could only call family.

I think that would have been good for my parents when I was a teen because there were many times when I was out by myself when I knew I was going to be late and could have saved my parents an hour or 2 of worrying by calling them. (eg I'm standing at a bus stop with no phone and the bus is late).

Answer 5

I got my 13 year old one because if she's not with me..staying with a friend or at a school event..she can always call for me to come get her if need be...my mother n law is getting one for my 9 year old for same reasons
they will feel safer and I won't worry as much ..
she takes her phone to school with her everyday..so if anything happens she can call..some might say I am overprotective..but this day and age I don't think so
I think at age 8 is the best ...that's when I let them start spending the night with friends..and I wish they had one then.

Answer 6

back in the old days we didnt have mobile phones. yes i do have one just for emergencys. why should a child need one? id like to have one good answer. to me there is none. if someone wants to call from school gho to the office and ask the nurse to call or the office its self. in this day and age its getting out of hand. i would not let my kids have one. if its so important for them to have them, take them to there friends or haver them call from the home phone or land line. they talk in school anyway so whats the point. and if there is an emergency im sure someone has a cell phone near by.
but my anser is now. wait till they are out of school and on there own. they dont need to be talking on it anyway. its an extra bill and another thing is if they have a veh they can hit someone or kill someone. park near a place where school lets out and see all the onse that have them. id love to have the money spent on the time and the phone alone. like i said b4 when i was growning up we didnt have them. we got along fine. u didnt heart of anyone being distracted from a car accident. . if someone calls me while driving they can leave a message and when i get home ill call them. and if my veh breaks down ill cal AAA or someone. thats my idea od a cell phone. and another thing i have seen and experienced. when a "family" goes to a rest. 1 or 2 family members are talking on there cell phone the whole time.. what happen to family time. its also gone out the window from stupid cell phones. i guess i aired huh.

Answer 7

When your child has reached the age when he knows how to operate a mobile phone, you can then decide whether to get him a mobile phone. If your child has to leave the house ( eg , going to school ) without any adults from your family, it is good to get him /her a phone. It will come in handy at times when he needs your help and at the same time you may also be able to call to check on him and we he get lost, he can be located easily and the people who find them know exactly who to call.

Answer 8

I think you have to go by how responsible your child is, instead of age. The phone is supposed to be used correctly (what you as the parent wants it used for), but if the child is too young and remember, they are always subject to peer pressure, you can put undo pressure on him/her. I feel parents put adult 'thinking and reasoning' on children far to early. Children need limits - they want limits, even when they don't know that's what they want. That's why they're called children instead of adults. Let your child use your cell phone one of two days a week for a couple months. See how he/she handles the responsibility. See how you handle it. That's a good start. Blessings to you and yours.

Answer 9

Honestly, I don't think a child needs one until they get a driver's license and are able to be more independant and mature. Another option you have is to lend them your cell phone when they go out in case they need something.

For me personally, I think that if you have younger children that hang out near the neighborhood, walkie talkies would be a good idea so you can talk back and forth.

Answer 10

13-14