ParentsWould you let your 13 year old going into 8th grade get a cell phone?

Question

A tracfone the same kind you have if she told you all these reasons why she needs one-

~Peace of Mind- I can contact them they can contact me no matter what, the world is a scary place now a days!

~I have always got good grades

~ I am more than responsible enough for it

~If I go on Washington DC trip this year

~I will completely pay for it on my own. (This will cause me to be more aware of the time I spend talking on it) and I have enough to buy on my own

Answer 1

I got my cell phone in 5th grade for good reasons. I was almost 11, 75% of the time I wasn't home, my mom was going back to work after 11 long years, my mom FORGOT to pick me up in 3rd grade while it was raining! Haha. I used that against her. Anyways. i don't see why not. Its an easy way to keep track of you.  

Answer 2

well a prepaid phone yes...and if you can keep that for a few years without messing up and losing it then i would add them to a plan.

how do you plan on paying for it? do you do chores for the money?

Answer 3

if she is willing to pay for it entirely on her own (including when she goes over her minnutes and stuff) then yes, I would allow it. this will get her more responsible for the real world. I think it will be a good experience for her. the minute she cant pay for it, cancelation is in order, because she doesnt really NEED one.

I got my cell phone at age 12, because I rode my horses alot and was alone a majority of the time riding. this was a safety issue that my dad thought a cell phone would be very handy.  

Answer 4

only for emegencies. ONLY!

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 5

I got my first cell phone in 3rd grade

Answer 6

yes, my mom let me get one in 6th grade when i was 11 soooo yeah and i had no good reasons for getting one other than my sister was so it wouldn't be fair and yah if she paying for it for herself than GO FOR IT

Answer 7

My mom said I could get a phone when I cleaned my room, so I cleaned my room and got a phone. I was in 6th grade.

Answer 8

Oh girly, you are so adorable! You make me laugh all the time! Like I said, I think that the only thing that maybe missing from your parents letting you have a cell phone is you letting go and letting them decide in their own time when they want you to have a cell phone. Respecting their wishes, maybe they feel that if you are not accepting their wishes that they want you to have a phone when they are confortable with you having, than maybe you won't be responsible to respect their wishes and be responsible with the bill and all that. I would give you a cell phone because as far as I know you, you are a responsible child, but there maybe more to it, your parents may have their reason and I think it is the one I mentionedd, so try it out, let go for a while and tell them that even though you want one, you respect them and their wishes and that they don't want you to have a cell phone and when they feel confortable with giving you one you will be glad to have one and to have their trust in you and your responsibility. Things happen in their own time and the more we stress about it the mroe far away they seem to be because we are excited, stressed, worried about it, paying attentino to when it is going to happen... So just know that in the right time you will own a cell phone. Hope this helped and sorry if it is not the answer you are looking for but everything happens in their own time and you will own a cell phone, just wait a little more!?

Love

Pearl

Answer 9

Definitely, i got my first phone the summer of fifth grade. It will be a lot easier to contact parents if you need to stay after school or if your at a friends.  

Answer 10

Good reasons, sounds like a responsible daughter. :) I'd let her.

Answer 11

I got my first cell phone when i was 11 but it was a really crappy one.

than i got a new one last summer right before school started.

i was going into 8th grade.

and i just got another new one for my graduation present for 8th grade graduation.

i think those reasons are wonderful your parents should understand

Answer 12

If I was a parent, yeah, sure. Plus, parents can track your calls, so it doesn't matter who you're talking to really.

Answer 13

well actually, im not a parent, im 16, but my parents gave me a cell phone in 7th grade because i was constantly home alone with my lil brother and sister.

Answer 14

I am a parent of two boys. I am ok with a cell phone for safety.

If I  get my son's cell phones I would concider there age and I would have to see my son's phone records every month . They would have  to maintain there grades and do not abuse there minuets or the phone. I have a neighbor who is 12 years old and his mother is a single parent and she calls him all the time on his cell to check up on him from work for saftey after school.

Have a good one xx Sugar bug

Answer 15

yes she's being responsible about it it's not like if she's asking you to get a contract and everything, it's just a tracfone, and also you could add to it that if she uses it when she's not supposed to it will be taken away or some other punishment like that, that way you feel more on top of the situation.

Answer 16

I got mine when I was 11. It is great because when your daughter wants to stay late at school for a project or game, she can call you and you don't have to leave the house! Talk about saving gas. Also, you should probably let her have texting so she can talk to her friends without tying up the phone line.

Peace of Mind- YES! You can stay in constant contact with her. The world IS scary nowadays.

Good Grades- That shows that she is responsible.

Responsible- If she knows she is, then you probably do too.

Trip- That will help with the peace of mind also because DC is big.

Pay on her own- That is fantastic. That way, you save money, AND she gets a perception about money. It's win win.

To me, it seems like your daughter is very ready for a cell phone. Sit down and discuss which phone with her and work out the details.

Best of luck!

Answer 17

My niece is 6 and she has a cell phone so i don't see anything wrong with it i am all for cell phones for emergencies.  

Answer 18

I'd definatly let her have one. I got my first cell phone in 6th grade.

Answer 19

Im almost 15,and my parents wont let me have one.

Try to talk them into it is all I can say,

but DONT push it.

Thats what I did.

And now its not even being considered.

Answer 20

Well i have a 21 yr old sister and she wasnt allowed to get her cell until 18, and it would have been the same 4 me, except for the fact that shes gonna get married next yr and we will have no use for her phone so it kinda has 2 go to me. im a sophomore.

Answer 21

I am not a parent but i think when you get into jr. high you should be able to have a cell phone for these reasons:

* After-school activties

* When hanging out with friends so your parents can check up on you

* If you go on a trip like DC

Answer 22

Only if you use it wisely and no abuse it!

Even though you pay for it your own, don't use it mainly to SMS your friends talking about the weekends.

Answer 23

I think it's a good thing. I have kids that have them at that age and have had them for a couple of years. All of her reasons for wanting one sounds reasonable.......except the last one, lol.

Answer 24

i got my first cell phone in fifth grade, but thats only because my parents suck at parenting [ :

But i would let my kid have it if they paid for it && such

Answer 25

I would let my child get a cell phone. I don't see why not. There would be strict rules about it but I would like to be able to contact my kids when I need to and for them to be able to contact me when they need to. And in just the off chance that anything does happen cell phones can be tracked. I have two girls and when they get older they will be getting cell phones.  

Answer 26

i got my first phone when i was 11. and if you're paying for it yourself, they don't have a say. it's your money and you can buy whatever you want. so there.

Answer 27

No -- I made both of mine wait and gave them a cell phone as a middle school graduation present.  They didn't drive anywhere at that age, so I always know where they were.  My peace of mind was just fine, since they were always properly supervised :-)  The world isn't that much scarier, but people are holding on to cell phones like they were pacifiers. If you go on a Washington trip, then you'll be far too busy having fun to call people back home.  

When they hit high school and their after-school activities starting taking up much bigger chunks of their time, THEN they got a cell phone.  

Answer 28

for all those reasons i would give the 13 year old a phone...

but if i had a kid i would wait just 1 more year until the teenager is in high school to give them a cell phone...

by then for the trip let them borrow or use a prepaid phone (cheap phone).

Answer 29

omg let her  have one teenagers all have cell phones dont let her be the geak that is like the only one who dosent have one lol.

Answer 30

**Notice that everyone who answered this question is either a kid or not a parent**

My step daughter has a cell phone.  She is 13.  Her mother bought it for her.  I feel that it is a colossal waste of money and ridiculous for a child to have a cell phone.  If you don't drive and you don't have a job, you don't need a cell phone.

Answer 31

Go for it- let her have a cellphone (not an expensive one, save that for cellphone no. 2). But don't think she'll stick to her; "i'll pay for it by myself" excuse.