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What is a good age to get your child a mobile phone/cell phone?

What is a good age to get your child a mobile phone/cell phone? My 11 (12 in a few months) daughteris starting senior school (middle school to you Americans) in September and I'm thinking of getting her a cell phone. She hasn't asked for one and she said she doesn't mind if she has one or not but I'm thinking I could give her a basic phone for her as she will be taking the school coach everyday. Shall I give her one?

Public Comments

1. 14-15 even though it's not very healty you don't want them to feel embarased right?
2. when they are sometimes places without a landline or a supervising adult. my daughter got one when she started middle school. she hardly ever uses it, but she has it for emergencies, to call for a ride from activities that don't have a set end time, and for when she's out with friends. she also has a life-threatening medical condition and needs a guaranteed way to call 911. she ties up my landline enough these days that i'm also thinking of telling her that the friends should start calling her cell even when she's home so the rest of us still have use of the regular phone. i don't actually know any middle schoolers who do not have a phone. some use them more than others, however.
3. many of the kids my daughter knows have cell phones but I'm against them, until my daughter is at an age where she is going out without me then she will not have one...
4. Depeands
5. Cell phones can be a menace but may also be beificial. Granted okay you want tour children to keep in touch, but cell phones arent secure gadgets. Most cell phones these days even the simple ones have acess to the web this may damage your child mind as we all know what is on the internet, so maybe leave it until she is thirteen if she really doesnt care am sure she will be safe on the school coach and the schoool will have a telephone if any problems do arise.
6. Well I think it depends on the maturity and how responsible she is. If she isn't even asking for one and doesn't seem to be that interested then I certainly would not. My twins did not have a high interest in having a cell phone and did not get one until high school, even now they are 17 and hardly ever use them. My middle son however had a high interest in having one at 11 and since he was a responsible mature kid with excellent grades in school I felt he could handle it. Even then, he didn't use his phone that much, just to text a friend here and there. It wasn't until he was 13 that he really started using it a lot. Now he is 14. He probably could have waited to have one until 13 but he was always good and careful with it and it was only $10. to add his phone to the plan so no biggie. My youngest son is 11 now (will be 12 in Feb) and he does not have a phone. He has asked for one a couple times but only because a few of his friends have them. I know he would not need it and would rarely ever use it so I don't see the point...plus we are only allowed to have 5 phones on our plan and since my husband and I have one and our older 3 boys all have one, we are all full LOL so until my older two get their own plan maybe in a couple years then my youngest can get a phone when he is around 13 which is I think best to wait until anyway.
7. CHILDREN don't need cell phones. They should never be in a situation where they have to have phone all the time. They should be near or with trusted adults. Also what does she need a phone for when she's in school? If there is an emergency she can go to the office and ask to call.
8. If your child takes the coach I think it might be a good idea. I took the bus when I was 11 and my dad got me a cell phone just in case. If you trust your daughter and believe she is responsible enough than I think you should consider getting her one.
9. I think it should be whenever your child starts spending time without being directly supervised. There's no need for a kid to have one if they are always being watched by parents or teachers or coaches or babysitters. But when they start going places by themselves or with friends (or when they start staying home alone if you don't have a home phone anymore like we don't), it's good to have a way to reach them. Just get a very simple phone if they're young when this happens. My 12 yo does have a phone, but he also meets our above criteria.
10. My 16 year old son still doesn't have one, he doesn't leave the house or go anywhere so he doesn't need one. My 13 year old son just got one for his 13th birthday. I think he needs one bc hes always gone skateboarding or at the movies or mall and I want to be able to get in touch with him whenever I want and for him to be able to check in regularly. My 10 year old doesn't have one yet bc Hes not responsible enough. I know for a fact he'll lose it immediately, plus he only goes down the street to play with the neighbors and I have all their parents numbers. I think it depends on how responsible your kid is and how far away they actually go. Like any parenting decision you have to use logic and reason.
11. I would say a good age is around 11 - when they start secondary school. This is when they become more independent and need a little more freedom. It is also a good idea for them to have mobiles in case of an emergency.
12. 12
13. Some people's answers make me laugh. 14-15 to first get a cell phone? That's ridiculous! Also that "Children don't need cell phones" Ha! I got a cell phone when I turned 10 and most of my friends had already had them for a year or so. I do think that under 10 is kind of stupid to have a phone, because at that age, you don't have anything to be private about. After 10, most start dating and it's nice to be able to have that little bit of privacy to talk to your boyfriend. If you don't want her contacting her friends without you being able to hear what she is saying, you can get a basic phone and have it programmed to just call 911 and your number. But I think 10 was a good age for me to have a fully functional phone. If you ask me, I think your daughter is more than ready to have a normal cell phone.
14. There are two sides of this question like the two sides of the coin. If you do want to have a communication channel with your daughter then I would recommend you to give not so expensive handset but definitely not on a contract. A top up would be best recommended. On the other hand people say that once a teenager get a phone they can get spoiled, it all depends on you how you advise your daughter. Hope this helps... Thanks Top 5 Mobiles
15. It’s a good idea to give your daughter a cell phone especially that she is soon to enter the middle school. To ensure that your child will use the cell phone responsibly, make sure to give her proper orientations. You may set some rules to be more specific. Moreover, give her a cell phone with basic features. The Just5 cell phone is one example of this. This is a good starter cell phone as it doesn’t presents features like Internet connectivity that may only distract your child. It is also a prepaid phone so the cell phone usage of your child can be more controlled. About your question as to what is the right age to give a child a cell phone, the following links can better enlighten you.