Kids with mobile phones?

[Kamitsure-chan]

I didn't get a phone until a couple months after I turned 18. Even though I ended up having to take care of myself a lot of the time before that age, my mom wouldn't ever get me one because she thought I didn't need one, even when I had to call her for rides and stuff.

I think about 13, 14 is a good age for the first phone, though.

 

[otakulily]

There's nothing particularly great about getting a phone at an early age. I got mine while in high school. It gave my mom an excuse to call me like every 20 minutes every day after 6.00 if I wasn't at home. I wanted to throw my ****ing phone against the wall.

I can almost understand iPods and such, but I can't imagine kids really needing phones before high school.

 

[alisaie]

I can imagine younger kids having phones when their younger, so they can contact their parents when it's time to be picked up, or if something happens. However, in this case, they don't need a iPhone. They just need an average phone that can call. I personally find kids who are five and have a iPhone to be a bit ridiculous. Not too much of the 'fun' factor, but more of the 'responsibility' factor. When I was five, there was no way I would have been able to keep an iTouch without breaking the damn thing. If the parents want to teach them responsibility, they can do it just fine with a $20 dollar phone, rather than a $150+ phone.

 

[Amore]

Too true. I mean, when I was 12, my parents still didn't trust me enough to actually pay for the phone...they just traded in some old ones for £10 each.
Also, iPhones and the like are meant to be hideously complex for the less tech-savvy...so either there's been some weird genetic mutations somewhere in the current generation of people, or these kids don't even know how to use them, let alone lose them / smash them up.

 

[donavannj]

Also, iPhones and the like are meant to be hideously complex for the less tech-savvy...so either there's been some weird genetic mutations somewhere in the current generation of people, or these kids don't even know how to use them, let alone lose them / smash them up.

Kids are fast learners. And they aren't all that complex, honestly.

 

[Yukimi]

I got a cellphone when I was 13.
I don't know why so many people think young kids with mobile phones is a bad thing. They allow them to quickly contact their parents incase they need a ride home or something goes wrong. If anything, I think young kids having cellphones is a good thing.

 

[Skip Class]

I got mine when I was 12 when my dad put it under my pillow and rang it on my birthday lolz. Since my school was in the city and I lived out of the city and my parents thought I was still too young to travel home by myself my dad usually had to pick me up. And of course he needed some way to contact me.

 

[Captain Hobo.]

I think you should be able to get a phone at age 10.

I am 11 now by the way.

 

[Nick]

I got a cellphone when I was 13.
I don't know why so many people think young kids with mobile phones is a bad thing. They allow them to quickly contact their parents incase they need a ride home or something goes wrong. If anything, I think young kids having cellphones is a good thing.

I agree with this statement. I would want my child to certainly have a phone as a way to contact me. Giving a child a simple cellphone with only a phone feature for safety and just in case measures seems like a good way to keep you feel comfortable with your child out of the house. I mean, a cellphone is one thing. A smart phone is another. That's something I think that you'd have to be around 14 at the least to have.

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

I agree with the poster above, kids deserve to call their parents but don't give them something with distractions on it but just a simple phone.

 

[hmw]

i got my phone cause i needed it
it used to take me 1 hour to get to my school
so i need a phone

 

[PlatinumDude]

I think I was around 13-15 when I got my first cellphone. I think that 6 or 8 years old is too young for a person to have a cellphone.

 

[Maraala]

I got mine around 14. But I agree with most people here. Six year olds with iPhones is just ridiculous. I mean, if I needed to get my six year old child one then I would get one of those $20 prepaid phones instead of an iPhones/touchscreen phones that they will probably end up breaking/losing in a week. Sure, I understand they need to contact their parents in case of emergencies, but why buy them an expensive one when a cheap one will do the same thing?

 

[KitKat13]

I got my first phone when I was 9 years old, I wasn't really into it until I was 14 years old when I can't really get off with it. XD; ..I think it's fine to use not, don't just get addicted.

 

[Kikaito plush]

if you ask me kids under 13 shouldn't have phones.

I got mine at 13 the day I started high school

 

[Brendino]

I don't think it's a matter of any certain age that you should be able to have a cellphone, but rather you should be able to have one once you are mature and responsible enough. I understand that some parents want their children to have them at a younger age because of emergencies, but I agree with most of you here that there's no reason for early elementary kids to have smartphones when a regular one provides everything they need.

I've never actually owned a cellphone, but that's mostly because anytime that I would need a phone in an emergency, I'm usually able to just borrow someone else's (Plus, I'd rather not have to pay a cellphone bill when I'm barely going to use it).

 

[Dulcet]

I agree with a lot of the posters, it's okay for kids to have a cellphone but I think they should have those simple, cheap ones rather than the fancy expensive ones.
I got my first phone when I was 13. I just recently got a new phone because my old one stopped working. I considered getting an iphone but got a nokia music xpress instead. I'm glad I did, because my friend has an iphone and she said phone-wise it isn't great at all.

 

[Cherrim]

I got my first phone when I was 13. My family was moving to Toronto from Halifax and it was a pretty big city. So my mom got her and myself our own cell phones for emergency use, in case I got lost or something. In retrospect, we moved into the suburbs of Toronto and I really, really didn't need the phone, but I understand my mom's paranoia and having a phone meant later on when I really did need one (ie, calling my mom after school to ask if I can to go a friend's house, etc.), it was there for me to use.

Looking at it that way, I have no issues with giving kids phones. Even as young as 6 or 7 or 8, if they're in an emergency or if they can't remember phone numbers very well, it's so convenient to have a phone right there where they just need to select the name and their call is connected.

But. I disagree that kids need anything more advanced than a simple prepaid plan. :/ No texting plan, no data plan, no internet--it's hard enough to watch what kids do and make sure they're being responsible on the internet without having to babysit their phone too. I do not understand the logic in handing a 6-year-old an iPhone with a $50/month plan.

 

[TRIFORCE89]

I got my phone when I started highschool. Even now, nearing the end of my university career I don't really call anyone aside from family - and that's if there's an emergency or someone needs a ride, etc. I don't really do chit chat.

If you're younger than a tween and you're on your own a lot for some reason or being watched by someone else, then they can just have a Jitterbug type of thing.

 

[Guy]

I got my first phone in the middle of my freshman year of high school when my life started to pick up. After school clubs, meetings, hanging with friends, and so on, I actually needed a phone to keep contact with my parents and letting them know what was up - if I'd be be staying late, going to a friend, or to come pick me up for whatever reason.

To me, it depends on the situation of the children and the parents before one should determine if their kids actually need a phone. If the parent has a job where its hours are unstable and they can be kept back, or if the child is involved in a lot of after school programs, then I can see the need for that child to have their own cellphone in case of emergencies or something keeps either parties late (i.e the parent is stuck in work or traffic and the child's school was over half hour ago). Otherwise, I don't see the need for young kids to have a cellphone.

That being said, that's just my view of if a child has the need for their own cellphone at a young age. If a parent wants to give their child a phone just for the sake of it, then I don't think they need any overpriced cellphone or one with a load of features. Just a simple, cheap, prepaid cellphone that can receive and make calls is all the child needs in case of emergencies. Texting, internet, camera, apps - all those things aren't called for, especially when the child is so young.

On the positive outlook of it, having a cellphone can teach young kids how to be responsible while growing up. Prepaid phones with limited minutes are great so kids know to budget their time on their phones so they're not calling their friends and talking for hours. At the same time keeping it simple will also establish that a kid doesn't become addicted with any features that are uncalled for. So, in return, you can say having a phone at a young age with the right plan and need can come in useful in more than just emergency uses, bu moral lessons as well.

As for my own kids in the future, sorry for them, but they won't be getting a phone until I see they actually need one or the time calls for one. XD