One Third of 11-Year-Olds Have Cell Phones

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snowgoer1998

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One word...RE-DIC-U-LOUS

When I was a kid, I would get home from school (aged 8-11 or roughly same as this article), change clothes, TELL my parents where I was going, ask what time dinner was...and I'd be outside, over at the neighbors, who knows where...I didn't have a cell phone...I survived...

I mean, really, what could a 10-11 year old POSSIBLY need a cell phone for????


We just had a kid 8 months ago...and I've already told my wife, I am absolutely, completely against our child(ren) having a cell phone before they are driving.

My house, my rules...My way, no highway option...
 

michaelahess

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If my kids can afford it, they can pay for it themselves, though I will restrict what they do on them and where they bring them.

I will NOT buy my kids a cell phone, they are a rip off to begin with and I will be teaching them that.
 

branson

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When I start having kids of my own, they will most likely have cell phones at a young age. But I will definitely be using the chaperone feature that Verizon offers to limit my child's usage.
 

thomaseron

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Personally, I think it should be forbidden for kids under the age of 16 to use cell-phones. We still don't know for sure if they are hazardus or not.
 

warmon6

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While i agree most of the other comments, i do have to say though that sometimes having a cell phone at 10 and 11 is very nice to have.

Mainly if your in like Scouting (boy scouts, girl scouts, ect) where your on a camp out but you're going to be getting back late. Well im sure you wouldn't want to drive to a pick up point and wait for an hour or more because you didn't know that there going to be late.

Although before the age of 10 is ridiculous.
 
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As a single parent with 4 kids living in the big city, I have to keep track of them to ensure we get to activities and make sure they are safe. They share 2 low end phones which doesnt do much other than place calls and send text messages. They are tought to be responsible with the phones or there are consequecies.

It is a different world these days but of course I grew up in a smaller community where my brothers and I would leave the house in the mornings and make it back home for dinner without my parents worrying.
 

invlem

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My little cousin can text with the best of them, seems odd to me, like a different world than when I was 11, I'm only 26 and I already feel ancient.

Crazy how the tech-world changes so fast.
 

kingraven

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I got my first cell phone at 12 I think, im 28 right now and at the time cellphones just started to get affordable.. Don't really see the problem with kids owning a cellphone, being able to contact the parents (and vice versa)and friends (essentially what I did..) are both harmless and useful.
Playing games isn't a problem either, cellphone or gameboy so what.

As for all the commotion about sexting and stuff.. well.. frankly that's up to the education parents give.. Ultimately the don't have to own a great cellphone, at that age a basic cellphone is perfectly enough (no camera for ex.).

As for control, frankly I hate the notion of overseeing the child's messages or internet behaviour. With proper education and good relationship THEY will tell you everything! (that's what I did)

Finally, you pay the bill so.. Buy a pre-paid card and either recharge it yourself with a fixed value/month or give the extra money as allowance and let him choose how to manage the money. If you don't budge when the money ends too early they will eventually learn how to manage it.

Finally a word of advice to all parents, and I speak of experience from seeing many of my friends relations with their parents, the more you try to control they'r lives without actually convincing them that the rules are valid, the less they will respect you and ultimately disobey you. And trust me, you wont know half of what really happens.

Sorry for the long "comment" but I do strongly feel that overprotecting is detrimental to children and tends to ruin parent/child relations and trust.
 

outacontrolpimp

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@snowgoer1998
Hey I'd like to see you freak out when the school calls and says theres an accident and you have no idea where your kid is, and instead of all those other parents who pay around $10 a month for their kids cellphone and can call them up, you have to go into a panic attack and drive all over looking for them.
 

sstym

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[citation][nom]snowgoer1998[/nom]One word...RE-DIC-U-LOUSWhen I was a kid, I would get home from school (aged 8-11 or roughly same as this article), change clothes, TELL my parents where I was going, ask what time dinner was...and I'd be outside, over at the neighbors, who knows where...I didn't have a cell phone...I survived...I mean, really, what could a 10-11 year old POSSIBLY need a cell phone for????We just had a kid 8 months ago...and I've already told my wife, I am absolutely, completely against our child(ren) having a cell phone before they are driving.My house, my rules...My way, no highway option...[/citation]

I agree wholeheartedly. Maybe your one word could have been an actual English word, though. *grin*
 

CoryInJapan

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Good ol culture dominance.

I bet Im the only 21 year old in california that can afford to have a cell phone that doesn't have one and doesn't care and has never had a cell phone.
 

d-block

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[citation][nom]CoryInJapan[/nom]Good ol culture dominance.I bet Im the only 21 year old in california that can afford to have a cell phone that doesn't have one and doesn't care and has never had a cell phone.[/citation]

you probably are.
 

kezix_69

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I work at Sprint and my daughter has been bugging me since she was 9 for a cell phone. Finally two years later I decided to get her one since it is so cheap for me (since I work here), there's no contract for me to agree to, and I got a great deal on the phone.

It has actually turned out to be quite handy to be honest since she's been doing babysitting and whatnot as well... I thought I would be turning it off after a few months.
 

grillz9909

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I had to get my license and then a job for my parents to buy me a cell phone (which I got as my christmas present) and I've paid for the bill ever since. I think the kid should at least be able to pay the monthly bill before they get a cell phone. As for the little kids who just use it as an emergency/call mom phone, I don't think that's too terrible. If the parent is willing to pay extra to know where their kids are, then that's up to them.
 

Stryter

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[citation][nom]warmon6[/nom]While i agree most of the other comments, i do have to say though that sometimes having a cell phone at 10 and 11 is very nice to have. Mainly if your in like Scouting (boy scouts, girl scouts, ect) where your on a camp out but you're going to be getting back late. Well im sure you wouldn't want to drive to a pick up point and wait for an hour or more because you didn't know that there going to be late. Although before the age of 10 is ridiculous.[/citation]


This is where the scout master, aka an adult, would call the parents to let them know about a change. There is absolutely no reason any child under the driving age should have a cell phone. Kids have enough distractions as it is.
 
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