Too young to have a cellphone?

I agree with Lorie! Having a cell phone for emergency reasons is one thing but why do they need one at school or when they are at a friends? I work in a school and they are nothing but MAJOR problems there! I have worked both in high school and elementary and one place is just as bad as the other! In high school you have teens texting during class until they get caught and then they get them taken away and they whine through the whole class because the teacher tells them they can pick it up from the office at the end of the day! There goes the concept of "learning" in class and "equal opportunity education" for ALL students.

In elementary school they are told the cell phones must stay in their back packs and are not allowed during the school hours. We have a few students who disobey this rule and even after discussing it with the parents they continue to bring it to school and ask to go to the washroom or just get up out of class and go and phone somebody??? I don't know who because their friends should be in school too and there is a phone for their use to phone the parents!

I can understand having one when they are out in the evening once they are older and going out with friends in cars in case of emergencies but when a parent says they give their child one so they know where they are at all times, I have news for you, if they don't want you to know where they are, trust me, you won't know where they are unless you have a GPS tracker on the phone that they don't know how to turn off!

My kids are young adults now and cell phones have caused a major communication gap amongst our young adults. They don't talk to each other...only text! I have one that actually sleeps with the phone on next to her head just in case a friend texts during the night! She will be fast a sleep and I will hear the darn thing buzzing at 3 or 4 in the morning!!! This texting is an addiction and turning off your cell phone is a dangerous thing to them!

I didn't get a cell phone until I was in grade 12 and I was able to communicate with my family and friends fine before having it!

From what I have seen with young kids and cell phones is that they say they want them and need them for reasons like being able to contact their parents at any time, but in reality most kids just use them to text friends.

I graduated high school in 2004 and at that time there weren't many cell phones in school. A few kids had them here and there and if you needed to make a call urgently, there was usually one you could borrow. I never had any issues with not being able to contact my parents. There are also pay phones all over the city if you need to get in touch that badly, and now there are so many kids that have phones that every kid has access to a phone if there is an emergency.

What I have seen lately is that kids just text constantly. Everywhere you go, like in restaurants, malls, or anywhere else in public, all you see with kids is a group of kids walking around with their faces looking down at a phone. People are beginning to ignore the people around them as soon as they get a text. So I think young kids don't need a cell phone, they should just interact with their friends the way people should. They can get a phone when they are old enough to get one on their own.

It depends on the situation. If there's something going on that necessitates a cell phone - that's one thing. If they want one because someone else has one, that's not a good reason.

I have 2 boys three years apart. Whereas I got the oldest one a cell phone (prepaid) at the age of 11, I didn't get one for the younger one when he reached the same age. Why not? Because the older one got beat up on the way home from school one day. He continually gets harassed by the neighbourhood kids. The younger one doesn't have the same problem although he's a lot more confrontational than his brother. I argue with the younger one all the time. ("Why not? *He* has one!") He'll be at the age where all his friends *do* have one soon enough. Until then he'll just have to wait.

I think you're absolutely right to stand your ground. Good for you.

i got to the same school as your son and most kids do have cell phones but it isnet nessasery especailly for a ten year old boy.:)

Depends what you want. It's you and your husbands choice, do you think they deserve it? Will they lose it? you're the mom!

I have had a cell phone since I was in grade 8.

I was also involved in so many after school activities, and would often get rides from parents other then my own.

It was just the easiest way for my single mother to make sure I was safe when she couldn't be around.

That being said, those were in the old days when the complexities of a phone were just calling and answering. No texts....no internet etc. I feel these days, if you are going to get a phone for a younger child, there needs to be restrictions on what it can do, and possibly who it can call and receive calls from.

I am a mother of a 13 year old girl in grade 7 and I know of two girls in her grade with cell phones.One of those girls gets in trouble for playing with it in class, and has it taken away from it all the time. To me this is disrupting the class, and in my opinion, giving the teacher an even more hard time keeping order in the classroom. I am a firm believer that cell phones should be banded from elementary schools, period. In highschool, that is a different situation. The kids are staying out later, most kids have access to vehicles, and therefore need to have a cell phone.

All three of our kids got cell phones when they were in grade 7. We did it then because thats when they start to stay out a bit later, walk further to hang with friends, walk home from school instead of taking the bus, etc. That way we always knew where they were and that they were safe. They didn't have phones so much because THEY needed them but because WE needed the peace of mind in having that instant connection and knowing they were safe!!

When my sister was 15 she really wanted a cell phone cause all her friends had one. I had an old one that I wasn't using any more and asked Mom if it would be ok to give it to her. My sister did get her cell phone but she uses the pre-paid phone cards so she doesn't end up racking up a huge phone bill. I think if you're going to give a younger child a cell phone when you think they are ready the pre-paid card is the way to go. When they're older and have a job and can pay their own cell phone bill if they want to switch then it's their call at that point. Just a thought.

i personally don't see the point in having a cellphone at the ages of 10 to about 12 or 13. I myself an 13 and I don't have a cellphone, nor do I need one. I don't get a cellphone until I have a driver's liscence, or possibly my learners. When I can drive, a cell is a necessity because my parents want to be able to get ahold of me when I'm not around. Right now, though, there's no point because eveywhere I go I already have access to one, and if I don't, I borrow one of my parents. It's as simple as that, and even though I'd like one, I kind of agree to the reasons as to why I can't have one at the time being.

Although a cell phone can be useful, does a ten year old need one? I myself didn't get one until I was 12. But I rarely use it. I normaly use it just as a phonebook. The times I use it, is when I need to talk to a friend or if I'm not sure which way to go if I walk to somewhere.

... no effen way does a 10 yr old need one. An acquaintance of mine has gotten her 12 yr old one because "she never knows where he is".. Uhmm hello? Parenting 101. Watch your kids!

As a mom of a 10 year old, I have to agree with Lorie. There is no way my son is getting a cell phone. 1. I don't believe at 10 that he needs one. 2. I don't believe a 10 year old is responsible enough. 3. I don't see the necessity of a 10 year old having a cell phone. Stand your ground girl.

Good for you Lorie in not succumbing to "peer pressure" on behalf of your child. As a parent I belive firmly in our rights to determine if and when certain "non essential" items are warranted. There is a definate difference between giving our children appropriate advantage and spoiling them to the point they do not have appreciation for what they have.