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At What Age Should a Child Get a Cell Phone

Discussion in 'Electronics' started by poster432, Feb 9, 2016.

  1. poster432

    poster432 New Member

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    When I was younger, I really wanted a mobile phone. The problem was that my parents couldn't afford one until I was much older. I ended up buying it myself. To buy myself a phone I had to spend most of my allowance, which I had saved up for three years. However, I constantly think back on it because I don't even use my phone that often.

    In your opinion, when is the right time to get a cell phone?
     
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  2. fuumarumota

    fuumarumota New Member

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    I think the right time could be when children / teenagers start to spend more time outside home; be it with friends, at school or at whatever place they use for their increasing number of activities. That's when you as a parent will need to stay in touch with your child anytime and anywhere.

    Younger children don't really need cellphones, since they're at home or school most of the time. You just need to call home / school to talk to them if needed.

    I got my first phone as soon as I started high school (year 2000, if I remember correctly).
     
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  3. KirbysMomma

    KirbysMomma New Member

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    My daughter is 14 and she just got her first cell phone this year. However, her school does not allow her to bring it with her, so she really does not use it a lot. I think determining when a child should have a cell phone depends on if he/she is mature enough to take care of it and if there will be frequent times when it may actually be needed to communicate with the parents.
     
  4. april30rese

    april30rese New Member

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    Maybe at 13 years old. When it comes to phone for the kids It is kind of hard to decide. It needs supervision on how to use it and use it judiciously. You need to orient kids about the dangers of social media. As a parent, I will have a hard time deciding when to give them a gadget. Gadgets are some times a source of distraction so definitely I will think twice about handing them a cellphone or maybe set some certain restriction about its usage.
     
  5. Shaswata

    Shaswata New Member

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    I completely agree with april30rese. It all depends on what are they mostly using it for. If they are actually using it for good causes like research or to help with their studies and maybe to keep in touch with their friends then they deserve the phone. But if they are wasting time through it and get distracted because of it then they should probably be taught how to use it in a better way or maybe give them the phone later.
     
  6. Memelordjuli

    Memelordjuli New Member

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    Depends on if you're talking about a cell phone (only really useable for calling/texting and maybe some other small things) or a smartphone (iPhone, Android, etc.) For a cell phone, I would honestly say as early as possible purely for safety reasons. A smartphone maybe around the high school level, when a student needs it for research, calculating, etc.
     
  7. Espi

    Espi New Member

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    Personally, I believe that if your child walks home, whether it be with friends, or alone, they need a cell phone. It's 2016, people are crazy these days, also even if there is no problem, your child may get caught up with playing with friends when they know they should be home by a certain time to keep you from worrying.

    They need a phone for many matters, and if you decide to get your child one, then just have them turn if off, and keep it in their backpack during school, and afterwards they must turn it on. Nothing wrong with feeling secure.
     
  8. rbj8611

    rbj8611 New Member

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    It really depends on your living situation. My 8 year old goes to her grandma's house after school since her mother and I are still at work when she gets out, but the bus let's get off about a block from her grandma's house. Although her grandma meets her at the bus stop, we still feel more comfortable that my daughter has a cell phone in case of an emergency. We have strict rules with the phone and as long as my daughter follows those rules then I don't feel too bad about her having the phone. She knows the phone is for emergencies only.
     
  9. stude69

    stude69 New Member

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    I think having a phone does not depend how old the child is I have seen older people without phones,what matters is whether the person being given the phone is responsible or not.A ten year old can own a phone as long as he is responsible and would not loose it.
     
  10. Heti Damani

    Heti Damani New Member

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    I think the need for phone is not age based but need based. If a parent is a full time homemaker then they wouldn't feel the need to give the phone to their kids till high school. However with a full time job and with kids going to nanny and participating in different activities my mother felt a need to give us (twins) a phone at age 10 to be able to call us to ensure our safety and whereabouts.
     
  11. Steph4real

    Steph4real New Member

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    This is something I already think about a lot. Will I give my kids cellphones when their young or make them wait? I've heard of some idiot parents giving iPhones to 6-year-olds which I think is completely wrong and unnecessary. I think maybe the tween years would be an appropriate time. I remember I didn't get my first cell phone until I was about 15, after years of begging my parents for one. I remember I would be late coming home from school for some reason, and had no way of contacting my parents because they wouldn't let me have a cellphone. They got so angry at me for "disappearing" when all they had to do was let me have a cellphone and it wouldn't have happened! I don't want to put my kids through that, but I also don't want to create any spoiled brats either. It's a tough decision to make.
     
  12. xzreplays

    xzreplays New Member

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    I think that children in this generation are too young to get a phone at a young age. My cousins who are 4 to 6 years old already have a phone and a tablet which I think is ridiculous since they are little kids, they should not be exposed to those kinds of stuff at a young age as it can influence them to look at bad stuff.
    For me, I got my first phone when I was around 9 years old. However, it was a flip phone which I only used to play games and it did not have access to internet compared to phones now so I was not exposed to the interenet.

    I think in my opinion children should not get their first phone until they are 13+ this is because then they are more wiser and they might use it after school to contact the parents however, I think children under 13 should not receive a mobile phone.
     
  13. peter

    peter New Member

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    I think as soon as you are done with your high school education. By then you are around 17 years old. This means you are a grown up, you can use the phone in the right way. You already know how to take care of things and its time you start owning something.

    Below this age, they can use their parents phone to do whatever they want to do, for example play phone games, call a friend or any other thing.
     
  14. abonnen

    abonnen New Member

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    I feel that a child needs a cell phone when they start driving and can pay the phone bill themselves. This was the stipulations when I got my first cell phone as a child. I was about 15 when I started driving, and working. I feel like there is no real use for them before this and that they can cause distractions for a child before then. If they are paying the bill they will be more will to take care of the phone and now with all the month to month plans you can get for cell phones it is easy for them to pay the bills. I feel like many children in this day and age get cell phones way to early and young.
     
  15. Joel7050

    Joel7050 New Member

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    A child should get a cellphone, but not a smartphone, when the child starts becoming independent. One example is being able to do simple tasks alone such as buying his own lunch or coming home himself. He would need a cellphone that is able to call and message so contact his parents. However, he should not have a smartphone until he learns self control and isn't addicted to games. A smartphone is a powerful tool to give to a young child, and he can end up using it excessively and getting hooked to mobile games, which is not the main purpose of giving a phone to a child.
     
  16. Narad Maharaj

    Narad Maharaj New Member

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    I personally think that a child that travels home or walks home should get a cell phone to call you in case of Emergencies like for example like if they get robbed, or get stranded. I strongly suggest that they should get a cell phone but not a smart phone because children tend to get distracted or go on things like social media and they get addicted and start to loose time for studying and that is very bad. You should just get a cell phone and not a smart phone for a child that travels home. If a child doesn't travel home then they don't need a phone.
     
  17. Eldho

    Eldho New Member

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    I got my first cellphone when I was about 19 years old and I think that it might be the best time for someone to have their first cell phone. There are a couple of reasons for that, first of all, you're out from your teenage means you're a grown-up person now. Now yo have a clear vision of what is right and what is wrong, compared to your confused teenage mind. Buying your child a cell phone or smartphone in most cases in his or her teenage won't be a good idea.
     
  18. Cheeaka

    Cheeaka New Member

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    Phones these days are a necessity, not a luxury. I think that even a very young child should have a cell phone; 7, 8 years old is more than old enough if you ask me.

    Children are much smarter than some adults give them credit for; of course not saying that all children have the same intellect, they don't, but most are certainly savvy enough to use a cell phone.

    After giving a very young child a phone, one has to make sure to teach them how to use it, and instill in them that it is a tool to be used, not something to whip out and show to your friends, especially if you, at a very young age have a cell phone and they don't.
     
  19. rz3300

    rz3300 New Member

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    You can really fall on any side of the argument here and find things to back it up, so I am betting that it will really be something that is argues about or debated for a long time. I grew up without having them everywhere, but even I still got one at 16, so I would have trouble saying that it should be any older than that. That said, though, seeing five year old boys and girls with them is a little alarming. I would like to meet somewhere in the middle, and say maybe 12 or 13.
     
  20. Tyi

    Tyi Member

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    I have read and agree with many of the posts thus far. I also feel that a mobile device should be given on the basis of need, maturity and security. As Epsi put it, "It's 2016, people are crazy." That being said, for elementary school children, a cell phone is advisable only if these children have to walk to and from school be it with friends or alone (because their parents work) or they have extra curricular activities and need to call their parents to come get them. Something simple with pre-programmed numbers and NO internet access is more than enough. I feel that parents should let their children know that their phones are for emergencies only.

    As far as middle school goes, young tweens/teens are becoming more social and are wanting to get involved in afterschool activities. I feel that their level of maturity and the amount of money that you as a parent are willing to invest are key factors at this time. At their age, I would exercise caution because at this stage, youths are beginning to learn things about themselves both socially and sexually. May tweens/teens are beginning to explore or are already taking part in activities that could later get them into a lot of trouble. Now is the time to link your phone up with theirs. This will help parents monitor their children's phone activities better and set guidelines.

    In high school, many teens have part-time jobs and work full-time over the summer. Therefore, they can choose the phone and the plan they want and can afford. Economically, this is a good thing. Whether they pay for the phones and services themselves or the parents are paying the bill, responsibility and maturity will still play a major role in how youths handle the devices that have been entrusted to them. Hopefully, during the early tween/teen years, if parents are willing to monitor their children so that they may have a better chance of spotting and correcting misuse, abuse, and potentially dangerous behavior before it becomes a major issue; then fewer youths will find themselves in trouble.
     
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