Pre-teens & cell phones - Page 2 - ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass Forum, Lap Band Forum, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Forum

jennuwine23 · 11-03-2009, 08:25 PM

my son has been asking since he was 8(all his older cousins had them at 12 so he wnated one too) well he is 11 and still no phone. we did buy the prepaid kind(so when he went to friends houses) but it wasnt worth it because the minutes didnt get used so you would lose them. not all prepaid does this just happened to be the one we got so if you go prepaid make sure to check that out. he doesnt go anywhere without an adult so really he doesnt need one. He has the home phone when his friends want to call, and if we are out they call my cell to talk to him.
This past weekend we gave him a trial run. I gave him his dads phone while he spent a night at a friends house. i told him i would be calling him in the morning to see what time to get him. well called and straight to VM(mind you phone had full charge when i gave it to him)kept calling same thing for over a hour and half. I finally called their house and he says ohh i turned it off when we went to bed. that told me he isnt ready, the whole point of the phone is to get in contact with him..not for him to turn it off.

lvl0rg4n · 11-03-2009, 09:25 PM

I got my first cell phone when I was 14 - just a couple of years older than your kid. I was in my first year of highschool and with the exception of texting like a crazy woman, I rarely used the phone.

I think with the kid friendly packages they have now, there shouldn't be a problem getting an 11 year old a phone. I'd say they would need to use the phone with you at bedtime (I texted well into the middle of the night), and block all applications on them.

mssg13marinewife · 11-03-2009, 09:38 PM

ok, I know Im gonna probally get some heat, but here goes....I got my son (whos now 11) a cell phone at age 8. I did though wait until his sister was in kindergarden to get him one. But heres my reason for him having one at such an early age...3rd grader and has to pick up a kindergarden kid (sis age-5) who is a speical needs child, then from school they walk to the park (which is connected to the school grounds), and wait for me to get there usually 5-10 mins after school gets out. If something happens with-in that 5-10 mins to my daughter and he needed to call 911, he had all means to do so. People are probally wondering why did I put so much on a 3rd grader? Well to be honest with you this was the only "play time" that she really gets with other kids not in such a large group. Shes not a social butterfly,so to many people freak her out. Hes now has had his phone for almost 4 years, and only broke 1 screen by tripping and falling, cost me nothing to replace the phone, so he waited his full 2 years to get an upgraded phone and only was allowed to get what ever the upgrade amount was for. He has never gone over our mins(mind you there is 4 of us on 1 plan), unlimited texting cause thats what middle school kids do, and most of his friends have the same cell phone carrier as us so its free. If not he can just use the house phone. I say its really based on the childs level of resposnseability.(sp)

MsSarahJ · 11-03-2009, 10:28 PM

I can't remember what it's called but there was a thing a couple of years ago and it's kind of like acell phone except you can't call out, it attaches like a keyring and if the child needs help they press a button and it dials the first person programmed in it - As for 11 I wouldn't even bother with that personally - I'm 21 and I didn't get my first one until 15

loki8481 · 11-03-2009, 10:33 PM

thinking about it, there were a ton of times that I needed to get in touch with my parents when I was a kid (especially in high school, since I commuted to a private school in NYC). there were always payphones available back then, but I'd imagine that's not the case anymore.

so I can't say I'd have any issues giving my kid a prepaid cellphone even at a young age. perhaps you could even use the promise of giving them extra minutes as an incentive to use towards getting good grades, cleaning their room, etc.

LaDawnS · 11-03-2009, 10:43 PM

We do not have a home phone, so our daughter has had a phone since she was 9. She has always been very responsible, she's 16 now and has never lost or broken a phone or gone over minutes or texting. She didn't get texting until she was 14 though. It just always made me feel more safe knowing that she had a phone with her if something should happen, especially after Columbine High School-we live in Littleton, Colorado.

Linette · 11-04-2009, 12:44 AM

My son got his cell phone for his 11th birthday. Marc Klass (Polly Klass's father) actually recommends kids having one around the age of nine. He said if they had the technology when his daughter was taken from her home in the middle of the night that they have now his daughter could still be alive. I am a huge advocate for children's safety and support his stand on this issue. Of course, we do not have a home phone anymore only cell phones, my son is not allowed to text and we monitor his outgoing and incoming calls. I should add my son is extremely responsible so I do think it depends on the maturity level of the child also.

mermiesmom · 11-04-2009, 08:17 AM

First off...Wow!! And Thanks! I don't think I've ever gotten this much response to a thread I've started

Well, to let you know, I appreciate all of your advice. My DH and I have decided to get her a phone for her birthday. We have a Sprint Family plan and we are adding her to our plan. It's going to be $20 more per month, but I think we'll come out better in the long run going this way than with the pre-paid phones. We do have unlimited texting, which I know is something that all the teens love. And we also have unlimited any mobile to mobile minutes, so as long as she is calling someone else on a cell phone, we won't be charged. We will be sharing 1500 anytime minutes, and that's basically to call landlines. We don't have a home phone anymore, so, I think her having a cell phone is going to work out. She is a very responsible 11 yo, and I think she will be fine. We got a new phone for her (free) by adding her to our plan online. I thought about getting the insurance, but that ends up being $168 (over 2 years) and I have old phones at home. If she loses or breaks the phone, she can just use one of the old ones until the contract is up and we can get a new one. Also, they sell them a lot cheaper on ebay and craigslist if we need to go that route.

Anyway, I know she is going to be super excited...like I said in my OP, she has been asking for this for a couple of years. Thanks again for all of your advice.

Also, for anyone who has Sprint service....Do you know about the parental controls? I would be interested in that aspect as well.

Thanks!

TxHunni · 11-04-2009, 08:48 AM

I think it's a good decision. The important part is to teach her the rules and responsibilities that go along with having the phone. Know that she WILL lose or break it (just because even the most responsible kid has something happen) and decide now what the consequences are going to be if that should happen.

In today's day in age, I feel if a kid is old enough to use a phone, they're old enough to carry a phone. You just never know what can happen and why not take advantage of all the safeguards that are available to us now.

magnufique · 11-04-2009, 02:32 PM

I think you dictate per the child. can they handle th ephone or not? it is handy for them to have and you can monitor who they call on line. plus it is a great punishment when they misbehave. "hand me the phone buster" gets their attention. Mine got the m when they turned 12. so far they haven't been broken or lost, going on 4 years for one kid and a year for the youngest. one was left in at chilis once but that was because it fell out of the pocket and we got it back.

I think good idea. If you think the kid can handle it.