Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Kids and cell phones...advice needed


I have a pre-paid Virgin Mobile cell phone.  I pay $15 every 3 months to "Top up" and any unused money I've topped up with rolls over to the next month.  I only use my phone when I'm on the road (not when driving of course) so it's in my car in case of emergency.

Lately my husband and I have been talking about our 11 year old son and his future "needs" of a cell phone.  I put "needs" in quotes because we all survived with no cell phones when we were that age. :)

So my question to you is.......At what age should a child have a cell phone?

a. By the age of 12
b. 13-15
c. At least 16

  • Do you have any rules at your house with children and cell phones?  
  • Do you pay a certain amount and if they go over minutes they pay for the rest?  
  • Do they have to maintain a certain GPA? 
  • What are the rules when driving and how do you enforce that?
Thanks in advance for your input! :)
~Michelle
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3 comments:

  1. My parents got me a cell phone when I turned 16. I think mostly because I was driving. Smart considering I used it several times....being rear ended, broken down.... Up to that point, I was just required to call when I reached my destination or was leaving it. Of course this was before the days of texting and such. Plus my phone was my moms hand-me-down brick. :) Due to it being for my safety and their sanity, it's use was not contingent upon my GPA. Other privileges are taken away for such things. Of course things are very different this day in age. So I can't really help you out on the rules of minutes and talking while driving. Good luck!! And wish me luck when I'm dealing with this in ten years with my boys. ^_^

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  2. I got a cell phone at 16 because I was working and sometimes until midnight and they wanted to make sure that I had a way to contact them.

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  3. Thanks for the comments! I'm thinking by 16 for sure my boys will need cell phones. I think it's important to have them available in your car.

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