What age do you think is too young for cell phones

HobokensFury

We are actually getting a cheap one to keep in the baby's diaper bag. My friends mother will be watching him and doesn't have one. It's for her to contact us if she has to. It's not like he's going to be texting anyone anytime soon lol.

bride2b71614

I got my first cell phone at 11. It is a tad young, BUT I lived in NYC and had to take the subway by myself. I only used it to call my mom to assure her that I made it safely to school. Back then they didn't have the phones that had access to 3 numbers (parents, one emergency contact, and 911), but I never used it for texting. I've seen children as young as 6 with their own iPhone. I think its too young. I mean, what can a 7 year old text about? What do they honestly have to text to their friends at that age? Playing candy crush, fruit ninja, maybe, but texting...I have no idea how to respond to that. I think that a child should be given a 3 number phone without texting options. Above middle school, I think its okay for a kid to have a cell phone. 

Cookie Pusher

I feel old. I didn't get a cell phone until I was 21 (not long after 9/11). I was driving really far from where I lived on campus to my job near home. My parents didn't care, but I realized how cut off I was from the world when I was on the road for 45+ minutes by myself (sometimes very late at night or very early in the morning). I got the cheapest phone and plan that AT&T had, and paid for everything myself. My younger sisters got phones with limited abilities when they got to junior high and had extracurricular activities. 7 just seems absurdly young to me.

Drewsgirl31

I didn't get a phone until I was 14 and started working. I always told my daughter she would at least be the same age. That went out the window about a month ago. She was going to a sleepover and I wanted to make sure she had access to a phone in case anything happened or she wanted to come home and it was late. This decision was made after a friend of hers was here and was telling us she hadn't been allowed to call and go home at a sleepover the weekend before. Plus our schedules have changed a bit so I wanted to be able to reach her whenever needed. We upped her allowance and just got her a $10.00 I wireless card that she has to pay for minutes to be on each month

bethsmiles

I think its more situational than an exact age. Some kids probably don't need a cell phone until they start driving (so 15/16) but it might make sense for someone younger to have a cell phone if they do sports and travel with the team a lot or walk home alone. And even then I don't think it should be a fancy smart phone.

7 definitely seems too young to me.

ktjanesmom

OP didnt actually say the 7 year old has her own phone. 

WinstonsGirl

I don't have a cell phone.  I'm 34.  I still have a landline, though it's cordless, so I am firmly planted in the early 90's.  I also teach Jr High.  Most kids have smart phones, which I think is ridiculous.  Give them a basic phone so they can cal and text friends.  No 12 year old needs the new IPhone 5.  

Many kids also have an IPod Touch and are using that to check the internet/text friends.  They use the wireless feed at the school, but lots of stuff is blocked since it's the school board wireless.  

I don't mind teenagers having cells.  It's fitting in for them, cos all of their friends have them and they will miss out on a lot of teen interaction through not texting.  7 is too young IMHO.  Most kids are 10-12 at my school when they get a phone.  

I don't have kids and my students look at me like I have 8 heads when I tell them I don't have a cell.   They are genuinely concerned for my wellbeing and ask me how I live without one.  I tell them it adds to my air of mystery.  Where is Mrs. WinstonsGirl??  No one knows!!  

B0320

I got my 1st cell phone when I started highschool since I stayed after pretty regularly. When my sister started highschool the following year it became "our" phone - whoever was staying after got the phone that day. This was a call-only phone with maybe 100 minutes per month.

When I got my license my parents got me my own phone that again was pretty bare bones - 100 minutes and 100 texts per month. But we also had 2 landlines at home that we were expected to use if we wanted to call people.

KytchynWitche

7 is definitely too young for anything other than those "Firefly" things (the ones that only have 5 buttons, and can't call any number other than the ones you programme into it). Those make sense for me, especially here where our "public" phones are almost always out of order.

I got my first cellphone at 17, although I had used my mom's when I was younger (about 15) because I had a lot of rehearsals in the evenings, many of which were "starting at 7 and going on until we get it right", and the public phones at the school didn't always work.

Slightly OT: I also grew up around computers but didn't get my own until I turned 21 - up until then we only had the shared family computer and my dad's work laptop, and you'd better believe that everything I did on the computer was monitored.

This is one point on which I actually agree with my dad's wife. Her girls are 10 or 11 now, they still don't have cellphones despite the fact that pretty much everyone else in their class does, and they have one computer between the two of them, which they're allowed to use for homework and research, and a maximum of 30 minutes of "entertainment" a day. They're still pretty rude, taciturn, and selfish kids, but I shudder to think what they would be like if they were "constantly connected".

silver0319

I was allowed to use the family cell when I was in high school, but didn't get my own phone until I got my drivers license. 

I'm a middle school teacher, and I've seen far too many students break expensive phones. I just don't get why parents don't get their kids an inexpensive, basic cellphone.  I've heard many students "complain" about having to work off going over their minutes, texts, or data. 

I do think it's important for kids to be able to get in touch with their parents or call 911, especially If they walk home or are out and about without a parent, but a very basic phone will do. 

sarahufl

urbaneca said:

7 is definitely too young for anything other than those "Firefly" things (the ones that only have 5 buttons, and can't call any number other than the ones you programme into it). Those make sense for me, especially here where our "public" phones are almost always out of order.

I got my first cellphone at 17, although I had used my mom's when I was younger (about 15) because I had a lot of rehearsals in the evenings, many of which were "starting at 7 and going on until we get it right", and the public phones at the school didn't always work.

Slightly OT: I also grew up around computers but didn't get my own until I turned 21 - up until then we only had the shared family computer and my dad's work laptop, and you'd better believe that everything I did on the computer was monitored.

This is one point on which I actually agree with my dad's wife. Her girls are 10 or 11 now, they still don't have cellphones despite the fact that pretty much everyone else in their class does, and they have one computer between the two of them, which they're allowed to use for homework and research, and a maximum of 30 minutes of "entertainment" a day. They're still pretty rude, taciturn, and selfish kids, but I shudder to think what they would be like if they were "constantly connected".

This. My 7 year old cousin has a laptop. What is she doing on it? I didn't get a computer until I started college. Before that, our family computer was on a desk in the living room where you couldn't hide anything you were doing. My parents regularly checked downloads and we were only able to use it for a certain amount of time each day.

It annoyed me at the time, but it really is the smart approach.

shaylagirl

My son got his first cell phone when he was 10, I think.

We didn't have a land line at our house, and he was old enough and responsible enough to come home on the bus, so he used it to check in with me.

However, he did NOT get a smart phone.  I REFUSED to allow him to have one.  He had an old-style flip phone because he didn't need the distraction at school.  He knew better than to complain about it, and was glad to have a phone.

He didn't get his first smart phone until he was in High school, and had proven himself responsible enough to properly handle expensive, and small, electronics (his various Game Boys/hand held devices).  He was told if it was EVER taken by a teacher, HE would be personally responsible for the fine the school charges, and he would then be responsible for paying his monthly bill.

I will admit, the phone fell off his bed and hit his floor (wood laminate) and it broke the screen.  So, he's using my back up phone, which he HATES, but...he's been told, he's more than welcome to save up and buy himself a new phone.  Which he's currently doing.

I think kids need to prove themselves capable of handling the responsibility that COMES with technology.  Not just phones, but with computers, social media, etc.

Heck, my teenager was smart enough to get OFF Facebook because, as he told me "Mom, it's just TOO much of a time suck!"

Smart kid. 

Wish I was that 'strong'.  LOL!

Belthil

I got my first cell phone at 22 so I think 7 is a little extreme. I taught ESL and some of my 4-5 year olds had cell phones. They would ask what mine looked like and I'd have to explain that I didn't have one. Their eyes got so big in surprise, it was adorable.

I think that children today get way too much screen time. There's been research done that attributes the amount of screen time to needing glasses. I think they said the max that a child should be in front of a screen was 2 hours a day. I'm hoping to really reduce the amount that my hypothetical children get but it's going to be hard when some schools require Ipads.

I understand wanting your child to have a cell phone for safety but children typically aren't becoming independent until 12-13 so I think that would be a good time to get a really restricted phone, can only call certain phone numbers, no texting and no data. I think those would be hard to find though.

thelastdreamer

I got my first cell phone when I was 12 or 13. But this was back before smart phones took over. No way I'd give my 12-year-old a smart phone.

I think it's fine for a young kid (even as young as 7, really) to have one of those kiddie phones that you can program like four or five numbers into, just in case they ever got in an emergency. I remember once my parents miscommunicated about who was supposed to pick me up from a soccer practice (the coach thought I was going home with another kid so they didn't realize I was left alone) and I had to stay at the field for like three hours before my mom came and got me, sobbing and scared to death and really angry at my dad. In a situation like that I can see where I'd want my kid to have a phone. I'd probably just make sure they had it in their backpack at practices and at school, but turned off of course.

For a phone with texting, I'd say 12 or 13, with rules about not having it at certain times (like in bed). For a full-blown smart-phone, not until they start driving and need a GPS, etc. 

mimiphin

I got my first cell phone when I was in 2nd year university. I was 18, I'm now 23. I say my kids aren't getting a cell until they can pay for it themselves.