Kids and cell phones?

Question

you see, i have had a cell phone since i was 9.

purely because, when you are a young girl, it is dangerous to just walk to school, go out to play, go to the shop etc, due to the amount of peados and perverts out there.

i was always in guys attention (from about 11 onwards) because i looked older, and so i knew that if a man started talking to me and i was worried, i could ring my dad and he would be straight there.

also, i would be going to my friends houses, and if i fell out with them and was upset then i could just ring my mum to pick me up rather than the embarassment of having to ask the friends mother.

along with this, if you was getting bullied, you could ring your parents to come and get you, rather than travel home from school watching your back the whole time.

lastly, it also means that if you are mugged or witness a car accident etc, you can call 911/999 if others cant, meaning you could potentially save a life.

so why shouldnt kids have a pay-as-you-go cell phone that only costs £10?

that way, a parent can say its for emergencys only and give them a limit on how much credit they have on there.

x

Answer 1

my son is 11 and has had one since he was 9. not for safety reasons really, but just cos 'all his friends' had one. Now he's 11, i'm glad he's got one. cos i can let him go out and play and know that i can contact him whenever i need to.

We went to the shops today and he wanted to go into the shop next door. so i said he could as long as he had his phone on.

i think it's a part of modern day life, and a part of modern day friendships too. in the old days we'd go and call on friends at their houses. now they text each other. i don't want to stop him from forming those friendships.

anyway, the internet worries me more!  

Answer 2

If they make the grades -and there maturity level is up there. Sure go for it. Give them guide lines to follow -check up every now and then. If they don't follow the rules= can the phone.

Answer 3

I don't see nothing wrong with it. My boys are 8 and 6 years of age and that is what they will be getting for X-Mas this year. My husband and I work long hours sometimes. My 14 year old has one now, she uses it for more than emergancies.I won't pay for mins that she talks and texts friends with, so she pays for her mins with the babysiting money she earns.

Answer 4

When I was a child i had a sixpence tied in the corner of my handkerchief so that, in emergency, I could call my parents. I consider a cell phone to be the modern day equivalent. I would think, as you have suggested, that having a pre-paid would be the way to go as, even if the child had used up all the calls, the parents could still call her. I would also encourage parents not to be so protective of their children that they deprive them of the chance to learn independence. I was walking to and from school bus when I was 5, so I do not consider it appropriate to conduct your children to and from school Michelle, Let them walk, catch the school bus and learn to become a little independent ...  

Answer 5

sure-

Answer 6

My daughter has had hers since she was 7. She takes activities and my younger daughter does, too. Even though an adult is present with her- she can call me if she needs picked up earlier, staying 20 minutes late. If she is at a friends she can call me anytime - so as not to tie up other peoples phones. The list goes on. Hers is unlimited like her daddy's and mine- so we don't have worries about going over minutes. It's just a phone. nothing spectacular. I fail to see the big deal.  

Answer 7

My son has had a mobile since he was about 8 so, no, I don't see anything wrong with it.  I know a lot of people say that it's far too young and kids shouldn't need a phone until they're much older, but I feel a lot better knowing that my son's got his own phone and can call me at anytime if he needs me.  

I like him having one because sometimes when I'm working he needs to get the bus to his gran's house.  If he should lose his money, or something else happens, he can always contact me.  If he's away at his dad's house or with other family he can contact me at anytime if he needs me or if he wants to come home.  It means I can also contact him at anytime too.  It's a pay as you go, so he can't run up huge bills.  If his credit runs out he can still make a couple of calls.  I really don't see any harm in it at all and don't know why people object to it.  

As for children under 13 never being allowed out without an adult, are you serious?  Children need to learn to be independent, and I think that by not allowing them out alone until they're a teenager is being a bit overprotective.  They need to get outside to play with their friends and they need to learn how to get to places on their own and how to use public transport etc.  My son's 10 and gets a bus by himself  if I can't get someone to pick him up and I'm working.  Some of us can't be with our kids all of the time because we need to work.  Even if I wasn't working I still think it's good for him, I wouldn't want him to have a sheltered life.  

Answer 8

I do not see anything wrong with kids having cell phones as long as they know when to use them and when not to. My son is 14 and he has one but he knows it can only be used at certain times. I will not let him sit on it all day or text all day. And when it is bed time he knows it does not go to bed with him.  

Answer 9

If you were only 9, and as you said the world is not a safe place, why wasn't your mother taking you to and from school? I would never ever allow my kids to get to and from school at the age of 9......

I personally think that too many children have a mobile phone. Under 13's should be with a adult at ALL times, so they have no need for a mobile (or cell as many say) phone.

Over 13, as long as they use it responsibly, then yes, its a good thing to have

Answer 10

I would only allow a child have one of of necessity. For example, when I was 14 I took classes at my high school and at my local community college. My father got me a cell phone because I had to catch public transit to and from school as well as to my college classes. If my children were to need it, then I would get it. But before they have jobs, they are not going to get one just because they want one.  

Answer 11

Ok.  

Answer 12

I gave Michelle a thumbs down she is an ***hole.  You got it for not explaining that you ment being so over protective that they feel smothered.

I don't know where you live but children now days in a lot of citys are not getting pick up by the bus.  They have to walk to school and I see no reason what so ever why a parent would not feel compelled to give there child a cell phone.  So which is it Michelle to cheap or to stupid to give your child a cell phone