Mobile phone for 13 year old?

Question

My son is 13 years old and he wants a mobile, he sais that all his friends have got one but i dont want him to have one yet, i have told him he will get one when he is 18 years old. Is this age fine or too old??

Answer 1

Too old.

Think of it in terms of safety: If he is out with his friends and something bad happens, or if he gets separated from you in public, he would be able to reach you if he had a cell phone. There are pretty much no public phones anymore.

At the very least, he should get one when he is 16 or when he starts driving, so that if his car breaks down or if he gets in an accident he can call for safety.

I think at his age, the best way to go would be a prepaid phone. If he has a normal phone plan he will almost certainly go over his minutes. A prepaid phone will force him to manage his phone time, especially if you are firm about how much money you will put on it every month.

Edit: So he's not allowed to go anywhere with his friends. How does he get home from school? If he walks home, what if some creep is following him? If he takes the bus or carpools, what if there is an accident? And he is getting older, and eventually, if you won't allow him to go anywhere, he will go behind your back. Why not at least let him be safe?

To kids that age, having friends is very important. If he has access to a phone line at home, and to email, then that should be good enough for keeping in touch with his friends. But beyond safety, having a cell phone with strict limits on his minutes is a good way for him to start learning some responsibility. It sounds like he has no freedom right now, and believe me, kids with no freedom are the ones that are the most messed up in high school.

Answer 2

If hes still forcing you give him a phone, its better you buy the cheapest one for him.

Answer 3

Oh poor him,don't give him it now.That's basically spoiling and a waste of cash.

Answer 4

Sure, give it to him. Most kids have mobile phones when they're 12! When I was in Yr 6, basically everyone had a phone. Especially if you're sending him to a high school that's far away, it's very useful to let him carry around a phone. Just get him a good cheap phone that can call and SMS, that's all. Don't bother to get him 3G network or other fancy things. I think 18 is a bit too old. GL! :)

Answer 5

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Answer 6

At 13 you should have a mobile phone.. really for safety reasons. At 13 is when you start going out late a night, getting into trouble, ect. and its good to have a cell phone on you so your parents can get a hold of you or you can get a hold of ur parents.God forbid something were to happen to your son if he is walking home late at and he needs to get a hold of you.. God Forbid it.

Just something to think about..

Take care!

Answer 7

no, you cannot give a 13 year old kid a mobile phone....

ask their friends how did they got mobile,

if he needs to communicate with his friends that badly...give him a messenger(yahoo!, msn...)

remember..he is still not matured enough