Group Discussions

How young is too young for a cell phone?

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  Advanced jugglers, do any of your kids have their own cell phones? At what age did they get them and why?

  Flag as inappropriate Posted by Lylah M. Alphonse on 7th July 2008
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  I got my daughter a cell phone for her 13th birthday. The logic was that she was doing more things on her own - walking to a friend's house, going to the movies with friends - and we wanted to be able to reach her at all times.
  
  I will say that she was one of the last of her friends to have a cell phone. With my younger daughter, many of her friends got cell phones when they were in 5th grade. We're making her hold out until she's 13 too.

  Flag as inappropriate Posted by Coach April on 7th July 2008
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  My daughter got her cell phone the summer before she started 6th grade (at 11yo) so she could become familiar with it before school started. We knew she would be doing more things on her own - or with friends - like walking to places after school and we were concerned about staying connected.
  
  A lot of her other friends got cell phones in 5th grade so she was one of the last kids to get one.

  Flag as inappropriate Posted by lawschoolmom on 7th July 2008
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  We just got my daughter (who will turn 11 later this month) a cell phone. She's starting middle school in September in another town (private school) and she'll need to contact me if she needs to get picked up early, if plans change, etc. Several kids in her grade got cell phones in 5th grade-- but many kids her age don't yet have them. Fwiw, my daughter has been pestering us for a few years about "needing" one. We held out until this summer!

  Flag as inappropriate Posted by MargotMama on 8th July 2008
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  We got our kids cell phones when they started middle school (7th grade). It was more for our peace of mind than for anything else. We wanted to be able to reach them as they got more independent and did more things with friends. We also wanted to make sure they had a way of reaching us if they needed to. I quickly discovered after they got their cell phones however that it was easier to communicate by texting because we get an almost instantaneous response if we text versus when we call them. I asked why and they said it's easier to multi-task if you text rather than talk. They don't have to stop whatever fun thing they're doing to text. I don't get it but it works. So if you get your kids cell phones get a plan that has generous texting offer.

  Flag as inappropriate Posted by Maria Victoria on 8th July 2008
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  My third grader saved his allowance and purchased a pre-paid cell phone from Target with some minutes. For 6 months, he managed his minutes, always reserving at least 30 minutes on the phone for emergencies. He used his allowance and even did without when he ran out of available minutes - but he never went less than 30 minutes.
  
  When he became a fourth grader, Santa purchased him his own phone. He pays $5 per month towards his monthly bill and needs to provide upfront money prior to downloading any games and/or ringtones.
  
  He's entering mid-school next year and I believe that the tools he learned in managing his time and money will greatly help him when he needs to start managing his assignments, classrooms and multiple teachers.

  Flag as inappropriate Posted by kat on 8th July 2008
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  My daughter recieved her cell phone at age 12 due to good grades. Many of her friends already had cell phones when she recieved hers. My son recieved his cell phone at age 10. He was able to get it early because we relocated to another state and hadn't established a support network. We knew he would have to walk home alone from school and having a cell phone gave his father and I some comfort. I must say however, my son is too young for a cell phone. He does not have the maturity level needed to keep up with his phone.

  Flag as inappropriate Posted by Patriot League Mom on 8th July 2008
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  My son (12) got a cell phone this past Christmas. He's now an expert texter...
  
  However, my new employer recently upgraded my phone to a BlackBerry, so my old cell phone (which was on a personal account) was handed down to my daughter (9).
  
  She only has it in case of emergencies and has only a handful of phone numbers programmed - all family members.
  
  I still feel kinda' silly even saying that my 9 yo has a cell phone... I feel like I have to tell the whole story every time... like its justification... Maybe that feeling should tell me something, huh?

  Flag as inappropriate Posted by LDR554 on 9th July 2008