Pliablemoose
Lifer
- Oct 11, 1999
- 25,195
- 0
- 56
ah come on a kid can just say "no reception" for an excuse any time... or how about "out of battery"? or how about "did not hear it ring"?
so no i don't see a 13-year-old's need for a cell except that it's "cool" and "grown up".
Anubis
No Lifer
I can actually answer this from a teenagers point of view, considering that I got a cell phone plan in Oct 2003, when I was 13 ½
The reason my parents got this for me was :
1) I had a lot of extra-cirriculars (Studen Govt., Sports, Clubs, etc) and since there isn't a bus system at my school, I needed to call them to get a ride
2) I go out with friends a lot, and my mom loves how she can keep track of where I am, whom I'm with, etc.
Basically, it boils down to two things : Responsibility and If they're going to use it
I have friends who got cell phones in 7th grade (7th!! WHEN THEY WERE 12 YEARS OLD!) who keep losing/breaking their phones. I see them with a new model almost every 4 months, which obviously costs money. It's different if something happens to the battery withing the warranty phase (like it happened to mine). My parents paid $0 to have it replaced, so it was okay with them.
Also, I have friends who got video/camera phones who do nothing BUT THAT! I sometimes look at their phone, and sometimes, look at their call log. I know someone who had a phone since April, and has only talked on it for a total of 4 hours! That's only 240 minutes, which is how many anytime I use in a MONTH!
I guess I should say: Go ahead and get the pre-paid for them. Get a phone that DOESN'T HAVE all the bells and whistles (i.e. no camera, no video)
I think a color screen would be okay, just because they are becoming more and more ubiquitous (I remember I paid $20 out of my own pocket to get a color screen, even though camera was only $30 more)
EDIT: Oh, I forgot! Get a service that had good coverage (Verizon Prepaid, Cingular Prepaid), so that they can't say "Oh, no reception" or "Phone didn't ring"
Also, make sure the phone is at least ½ charged when they leave
The reason my parents got this for me was :
1) I had a lot of extra-cirriculars (Studen Govt., Sports, Clubs, etc) and since there isn't a bus system at my school, I needed to call them to get a ride
2) I go out with friends a lot, and my mom loves how she can keep track of where I am, whom I'm with, etc.
Basically, it boils down to two things : Responsibility and If they're going to use it
I have friends who got cell phones in 7th grade (7th!! WHEN THEY WERE 12 YEARS OLD!) who keep losing/breaking their phones. I see them with a new model almost every 4 months, which obviously costs money. It's different if something happens to the battery withing the warranty phase (like it happened to mine). My parents paid $0 to have it replaced, so it was okay with them.
Also, I have friends who got video/camera phones who do nothing BUT THAT! I sometimes look at their phone, and sometimes, look at their call log. I know someone who had a phone since April, and has only talked on it for a total of 4 hours! That's only 240 minutes, which is how many anytime I use in a MONTH!
I guess I should say: Go ahead and get the pre-paid for them. Get a phone that DOESN'T HAVE all the bells and whistles (i.e. no camera, no video)
I think a color screen would be okay, just because they are becoming more and more ubiquitous (I remember I paid $20 out of my own pocket to get a color screen, even though camera was only $30 more)
EDIT: Oh, I forgot! Get a service that had good coverage (Verizon Prepaid, Cingular Prepaid), so that they can't say "Oh, no reception" or "Phone didn't ring"
Also, make sure the phone is at least ½ charged when they leave
hmmm, I would wait until 14 and 1/2. Or 15 and 5/6, whichever one you feel more comfortable with.
yeah, but how old are you now?
TIMES HAVE CHANGED!
My sister and I are almost 7 years apart. She got a cell phone when she was 16 (with the car)
I got one when I was 13 ½ . . . she's okay with it, cause times change . . .
I personally don't trust cellphones to be safe things to keep that close to your brain for extended periods. I don't think it's a necessary thing for a kid that young either. I would say IF you get her one, go with a pre-paid one and make her use her own allowance to pay for recharges. That would put limits on her useage. Get her an earpiece thing for it too so she can use it while it's not attached to her head.
Schadenfroh
Elite Member
- Mar 8, 2003
- 38,416
- 4
- 0
I have an 8 year old, too, and I don't think a kid that age is mature enough to consistently use good judgement with a device that uses headphones. Hearing is easily damaged when the sound is that close to the eardrums.
i'm 16 now.. when I was 13 my dad gave me his old pay-as-u-go phones.. it sucked balls but gave me the realization of time vs money.. its a good learning experience.. I now have an actual cellphone on a plan that my parents pay for.. (family plan) now that AT&T is cingular we wont have as many problems that we had with AT&T. I say yes, but go with the pay as u go phones.. once I went on a band trip out of state and my dad didnt put the plan on national.. so we had a $500 phone bill at the end of that month... I was only gone for 4 days..
Pliablemoose
Lifer
- Oct 11, 1999
- 25,195
- 0
- 56
I tried it for a couple of days & didn't want it & it was free...
We've had a family plan for ~5 months now & they've never gone over their minutes.
Except for the whole 3000 text message thing the 15 year old did this summer
The Stigenator
Lifer
- Oct 9, 1999
- 15,216
- 3
- 81
give them a prepaid phone, so they cant run up the bill. and let them pay for anything over what they run up.
I know so many kids who got them in 7th and 8th grade and at first I wanted it just to fit in, but now I'm a sophomore in high school and I truly do need one. My dad never picks me up from school on time and I'm not sure if he forgets me or what, so I always have to use a friend's phone to call him. And don't even get me started during the sports seasons and practices/games.
Point is, right now it isn't necessary (this coming from a 16 year old who at 13/14 also thought he needed one). Maybe in high school if the kid is active, but not right now.
Point is, right now it isn't necessary (this coming from a 16 year old who at 13/14 also thought he needed one). Maybe in high school if the kid is active, but not right now.
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