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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 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.
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I think you should be able to get a phone at age 10.
I am 11 now by the way. |
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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.
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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 |
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.
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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?
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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.
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if you ask me kids under 13 shouldn't have phones.
I got mine at 13 the day I started high school |
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). |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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 |
Personally I see no harm in kids as young as 7 owning a very cheap, pre-paid feature phone. They don't need an expensive phone until they get older, and it IS logical to restrict their phone usage so that they cannot over-use the phone by restricting the numbers they can call. (This can be done on many cheap feature phones if you do some research first.)
Still, as far as unrestricted phone use goes, that doesn't need to kick in until they're about 12 or 13, and even then...the phone can be restricted as punishment or to make sure they don't cause a big surprise bill at the end of the month. x3 But regardless of that, Kids do need cell phones...especially if you want to be able to keep track of them. It saves trouble, and allows the kid to call the parents up and let them know if their plans changed while they're out of the house and away from parental supervision, or to request permission for whatever changes in their plans that the parents may require for that matter. Now over-use is an issue, but it's not as big of a problem as the media would have you to believe. :/ Still, it's always up to the parents, but I feel that they'd find the usefulness of equipping such a tool to their children vastly more useful than the pain that the problems that it could cause would be. |
My first cell phone was when I was 14. This was in 2004 and it was a cheap Virgin Mobile prepaid that I bought and paid for airtime with my own money. My little sister's phone broke and I bought her a Virgin Mobile prepaid as a replacement for Christmas. It's an Android smartphone and she seems to know how to use it very well. She's 13 btw.
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I think having a phone with restrictions, like allowing only certian numbers into the phone (such as 911, the home phone number and the parents numbers) would be great for younger kids, like 13 years of age, because it could be used as a protection measure. Y'know, just in case if something happened to them. But to have a fully loaded phone like an Android for a kid that young is just too much. I feel the same way about kids who are under the age of 15 on places like Facebook. |
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I received my first phone when I was like 10. I didn't use it much, I started using them a lot more at around 12. Now being 15 I'm addicted to it. Like other teenagers. I think Kids under 11 should only have it for emergencies but 13+ should be able to use it when they want. |
It really depends on the kids whose receiving the phone. In my opinion, little kids shouldn't need fancy cell phones. A simple would seem more suitable. All kids care about these days is how "expensive" their phone is >_>
In the end, I think kids between 7-12 should just have phones for emergencies or to contact their parents.. |
I got my first phone at age 11. It was a crappy Virgin Mobile one, but I had it for two years. I used it for emergenices, like most younger kids do... ...and about the Facebook thing, I think the joining age should be raised a little. There's no need for young kids to be on sites like that. I mean, parts of Facebook are really bad, like explicit bad, and they shouldn't be exposed to it. But again, that's MY opinion. |
This issue doesn't exactly, concern me. I do however find it quite amusing. I didn't get a cell phone until I was 16, and that's only because my sister helped me. But I kind of regret it since my Mom ALWAYS has to have better technology than I do. It's ridiculously annoying. It was even more annoying when I was in my senior year (I had an LG Chocolate... one of the older ones) and I had to ride an elementary bus home. (I lived so far out that only that bus went out there around that time... by the time I got out the Jr high one had been gone for 20 minutes. ) A 9-year-old with an iPhone and a matching iPod Touch looked at me trying to see where my mom wanted me to get off said bus and said, AND I QUOTE "You have to have the stupid little phone? What does it even DO?" After controlling my need to slap some respect into this little boy I calmly said "All that I need it to." And maybe sent him a death glare to turn around, since the High school students had to be confined to the back.
I don't mind them HAVING phones, or even expensive ones, (ya know, if the parents want to potentially waste money on a phone that will most likely be taken by the teacher for the year, broken, lost, or stolen within a couple weeks. That's their choice, who am I to judge them for it?) as long as they don't let it swell their ego and kill whatever respect nodes are in their brains, (or chronically distract them) I can tolerate it. Though once respect goes out the window, I ALMOST (just some morbid part of my brain I guess) believe the phone should also go out said window. Though, in hindsight, I should have gotten a phone when I was 12... I lived in the middle of nowhere, and by this time, cell phones were the only means of communication my family could afford. I was home alone during the summer, and had no way of contacting people. AT ALL. Sometimes my mom would be merciful enough to leave me her phone for the day, but otherwise I was completely and totally isolated. I mean, again, I lived in the middle of nowhere. What could REALLY happen if I didn't decide to romp outside and risk encountering a badger or a rattlesnake or some other dangerous animal? Not much, but the chance still existed. Either way, I'm honestly glad it took as long as it did for me to get one... By the time I did, of course, the destructive and scatterbrained child I once was had long since disappeared. |
I was 16 when I was allowed to get my first mobile, but I would say that it would entirely be up to how mature they are; not their actual age.
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Eh, phones are mainly communication tools and I don't see why they shouldn't be able to have one as a kid because we communicate at all ages. So what if they call their friends or play games on it, I don't see how that's a bad thing. And it's another way for parents to check up on them and that can only be a bonus for anybody granting the phone.
There's no reason for anybody who isn't paying for it to complain in my opinion. |
It doesn't bother me really (like the previous poster said, I'm not paying for it) but it does seem a bit excessive in many cases. I've worked with kids professionally since I was 18 and a lot of times I see kids who have phones long before they really need them. The only reason you should need a phone before middle/high school (unless you're in a unique situation where are helping provide for your family or something) is if you spend a lot of time in places where your parents cannot contact you in any other way. There is nothing wrong with having to wait an hour until you get home to call your friends if you ride the bus. If your parents need to tell you something about riding arrangements they can call the school.
I didn't get a cell phone until I started driving (16), which makes sense because that's when you become more mobile/get a job and are capable of going places where your parents may or may not know that you are. Up until then I was perfectly content to talk to my friends at school and call them when I got home if I wanted to make plans. I agree with what many here have already said: if you feel your kid needs a phone before driving age, why do you bother getting them an expensive, fresh-off-the-market phone? I can't tell you how many times I've heard kids talking about how they ruined or lost their fancy phones because, well, they're kids. If it can call then it should serve your (and their) purposes just fine until they need more. Anything else just encourages them to get it out during school and not pay attention in class. No offense to those of you here who had expensive phones at 6 and 7, but to me that is a bit much. |
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