At What Age Should Kids Be Given Cell Phones?
The debate continues over kids cell phones and what age is an appropriate age for a child to have a cell phone. In ancient times (about 10 years ago) parents never had to wrestle with this question. But now all kids want these fancy cell phones and it is certainly not for safety reasons that they desire them. Kids come home everyday from school throughout America wanting a cell phone because one of their friends got one.
One argument is that kids should be kids and there is really no reason for them to have phones. Video games are enough for kids to have and they should be shielded from all these expensive gadgets that they have no real need for. The other side says that a child with a cell phone is safer than one without. We all want our kids to be safe and if they have a way to instantly contact their parents, it does seem to make them safer.
It may be true that a cell phone might add a safety factor but then at what age is one needed? Is first grade the right time, or second grade, or how about 5th grade? There is of course no right and wrong answer to this question and every parent must ultimately decide for himself or herself what age they think their kids should have their first cell phone. One thing is for sure though, no matter what age a parent thinks is appropriate the child will undoubtedly want one much sooner.
If you have a young child that wants a cell phone, you have several decisions to make. The first is whether the child is old enough and if so, what kind of cell phone to get. The best cell phones for kids might be ones that use a prepaid plan or ones that you can include in your family plan. There is really no right answer and it is one of personal preference. If you fear your kid is going to use up the minutes with reckless abandon, a pay as you go plan might be in order.
Parents who trust their child to use constraint might add their child on their own family plan as that is usually quite reasonable. This would probably work best for teens who know how to use a phone responsibly. Whatever choice you make, it does seem that the most important decision is really the age that you decide to let your child have the cell phone. Once you give them a phone there will be no taking it back! It’s a tough one but one that all parents have to struggle with.