One Third of 11-Year-Olds Have Cell Phones

[necro1783]

as a parent myself i'm not getting my daughter a cell phone until she has her provisional license

 

[Gin Fushicho]

Well WTF? I Didn't get a phone until I was 18... because I payed for it , and payed the monthly bill. -.- AND , my phone ended up being one of those ancient bricks (still the same one) That you can barely get sound out of. Why do other parents feel the need to spoil they're child?

 

[anamaniac]

6 year olds with cell phones... why?

I understand giving a child a cell for emergency situations, and I don't give a damn about this 'blah blah responsiblility' thing. Just fine some form of proper discipline if they rack up a $50 bill (like a friend who thought it'd be a good idea to buy over $100 in ringtones).

Now I don't believe in big brother, you need to get a few scratches on your own to learn, but I know when I was younger there were certainly times I needed to phone for help.

 

[Guest]

Kids don't need cellphones.I think kids are controlled by cellphones.I mean by that is they spend to much time in texting and calling each other, that they don't do a lot of other thing besides that. Every where I go, I see kids using cellphones. Even in the movie theater. They sre good for if you work in a Health care profession for example.

 

[hixbot]

[citation][nom]snowgoer1998[/nom]One word...RE-DIC-U-LOUS[/citation]
fail

 

[kittle]

in the end - its the parents call to make, they are the ones paying the bill, and are (supposed to be) the ones raising the child.

But IMO even 10-12 is too young for their OWN cellphone.

 

[bliq]

my son has had a cell phone since he was about 6 or 7. It's very handy since he can always call us from school, we save time when we're picking him up by calling ahead and telling him to get ready and now that he's 11, he is more independent and it's comforting to us parents that we're never more than a phone call apart. These days, it only costs us $9.99 a month for that level of piece of mind (well, I also have unlimited texting but that's for everyone on my plan, and I use it more than even my son, since I use it for work). When my daughter turns 6 or 7, I'll probably start her off with the Firefly I bought for $5. They can only pick what's free on contract and if they lose it, they don't get a replacement. But my son has never permanently lost his phone and now that he's got a nice LG xenon, he's even more careful with it. If you can teach them when it's appropriate to use the phone, I think it's fine that they have them.

 

[warmon6]

[citation][nom]Stryter[/nom]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.[/citation]

Well then you must not be a part of scouts. 😛

When scouts have there own cell phones, it makes it easy for the adults by not have to call so many parents about updates. The thing we say in scouts "is use what you have". Well things get easier and done faster when scouts call the parents, letting them know there going to be late/early ect.

It's like quad core cpus. 1 core (1 person using a cell phone) can do the job fine but it goes faster when you use all 4 cores (cell phones).

Back in 2008 when i went to philmont with my troop, some parents were wanting there child to give them daily updates of where there currently at. an adult wont have time to do that. They got enough thing to worry about like keeping track where all the scouts are at and non of them getting hurt. The biggest help with cell phones was letting the pickup drivers/parents know we would be a few hours late due to Mississippi and Missouri river being flooded. (amtrack doesn't let trains cross bridges over rivers that are flooded.)

Just saying there no reason for anyone under driving age to have a cell phone is dumb.

Maybe dumb if that child isn't doing outdoor activities but when a child is doing something hundreds or thousands miles away, cell phones can be useful.

As for distractions, i think us adults have more distraction than than the kids.

Kids below driving age dont have to worry about driving, they dont have to worry about losing a job, they dont have to worry about bills, they dont have to worry about taxes, they dont have to keep watch of kids (thats are job), shall i continue?

 

[bliq]

[citation][nom]kingraven[/nom]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.[/citation]

I have an 11 year old and this comment really is right on. my wife and I make a point to volunteer at the school, meet our children's friends and most of the time, their friend's parents. We teach our kids about responsibility re: the net, the cell phone, etc. and while I know they'll come across porn and violence and have to make choices about that kind of stuff, we try to teach them to avoid it if they can. It's kinda like pot- it seems like everyone tries it out, but very few actually become potheads. i'm sure my son either has come across or will come across porn and drugs and violence at some point, but I'm hoping the way I raise him will help him avoid it when he is presented a choice.

 

[XD_dued]

I know, it is crazy...i don't get it at all.

I think its funny though, how the chart only goes up to 40%, giving the high bars look higher...got to love propaganda XD

 

[thegreathuntingdolphin]

It will be interesting to see if these new reports on the link between brain cancer and cell phones are true. All of these kids starting to use cell phones around 10 will probably have brain cancer by 20 or 30...

Interesting world we live in.

 

[thedreadfather]

[citation][nom]warmon6[/nom]Well then you must not be a part of scouts. When scouts have there own cell phones, it makes it easy for the adults by not have to call so many parents about updates. The thing we say in scouts "is use what you have". Well things get easier and done faster when scouts call the parents, letting them know there going to be late/early ect. It's like quad core cpus. 1 core (1 person using a cell phone) can do the job fine but it goes faster when you use all 4 cores (cell phones). Back in 2008 when i went to philmont with my troop, some parents were wanting there child to give them daily updates of where there currently at. an adult wont have time to do that. They got enough thing to worry about like keeping track where all the scouts are at and non of them getting hurt. The biggest help with cell phones was letting the pickup drivers/parents know we would be a few hours late due to Mississippi and Missouri river being flooded. (amtrack doesn't let trains cross bridges over rivers that are flooded.) Just saying there no reason for anyone under driving age to have a cell phone is dumb. Maybe dumb if that child isn't doing outdoor activities but when a child is doing something hundreds or thousands miles away, cell phones can be useful. As for distractions, i think us adults have more distraction than than the kids. Kids below driving age dont have to worry about driving, they dont have to worry about losing a job, they dont have to worry about bills, they dont have to worry about taxes, they dont have to keep watch of kids (thats are job), shall i continue?[/citation]
You neglected to note that you have to be at least 14 years old to go to Philmont. I also know that the phone coverage out on the trail is practically non-existant (except on mountains) and isn't adequate enough for daily calls. When I went with my dad a while back, we called my family twice on the trail, once on Trail Peak and once on Mt. Phillips.
As for weekend camp outs, younger kids with cellphones is a nightmare. I can't even tell you how many times we've confiscated cellphones from "prank-calling" 10-12 year-olds. I spent a whole night once listening to "*dial* ohmygosh that's a real number! *hangup* *dial* ohmygosh that's a real number!" etc.
It does not matter if each individual has a phone if the adults that are driving have a phone. There's plenty of time for three boys (five-seat vehicle) to call during an hour drive home. The amount of time saved, the "cost" vs performance ratio, is not worth it. Would you buy a core i7-975 Extreme for a little performance gain?

I didn't get a cellphone until I was 15, and that was only because I started high school and was more out on my own, even then I rarely was able to use it. I survived without one and my parents never died of worry.

 

[idisarmu]

People should get cell phones just (a few weeks) before they get their driver's license. Let the novelty wear off and teach the kids not to stay up until 1am texting their friends or text while driving.

For 12-14 year olds, cell phones are next to useless.

 

[Raidur]

If my child gets a phone under the age of 14 it will be able to do 2 things. Call 911 and call ME.

 

[Pei-chen]

[citation][nom]michaelahess[/nom]pei-chen, half of 11 year olds are having sex? Are you serious? I don't know where you live, but it's not like that anywhere around where I live.[/citation]
New York City. Further south people can get marry at 15.

 

[weatherdude]

I didn't get a cellphone until I was out of high school. Out of high school! These people with their cellphone radiation and money are just crazy.

 

[Maxor127]

That's pretty sad. I'd never give a kid a cell phone. There's absolutely no reason why an 11 year old would need a cell phone.

 

[pjmelect]

I don’t know where they get their figures from but in my experience from where I live in the UK all of the kids have cell phones, it is only a few adults that don’t have them.

 

[rpmrush]

I can see the reasons for buying a kid a phone when they get a license, but that just makes driving so much more dangerous.

 

[dingumf]

11 year old sexting

It's obviously real and you know it.