do young children need cell phones?

[doodlebugg 10]

I bought my kids' their first cellphone (it was the firefly which has been out for quite a while now) when they were around 8 or 9 years old. They live primarily with me but they stay overnight on Wednesdays and every other weekend with their dad. There were times when they would be with him and I needed to get in touch with them but they'd be out and about so it was worth it for me. It also worked out well when they'd be at a friend's house since they wouldn't have to use the freinds' house phone to call me to come get them.

I guess I spoiled them but it wasn't like no one else's kid had one.....practically everyone had one by the time they were in 5th grade. Now I could never live without their having one. I rely on it to figure out where they are all the time!

[Marina-Del 10]

I don't have kids yet, so maybe I'll change my mind by the time I do, but I do not agree with the whole GPS chip in the kids thing. I know that's not what we're talking about, but people mentioned having a cell phone on their kid so that they can GPS them if something crazy was to happen. But like Charles said, that means the government knows where they are all the time too! Might be nice when they are kids, but once they are older children and adults that is sooo not okay.

[caybee 21]

I don't have kids yet, so maybe I'll change my mind by the time I do, but I do not agree with the whole GPS chip in the kids thing. I know that's not what we're talking about, but people mentioned having a cell phone on their kid so that they can GPS them if something crazy was to happen. But like Charles said, that means the government knows where they are all the time too! Might be nice when they are kids, but once they are older children and adults that is sooo not okay.

I mentioned putting a GPS on our kid, but not in him. I agree -- don't want Big Brother watching him when he's older.

[NickD 203]

Cell phones were the first thing on the list when my wife and daughter came here, cheap in Venezuela, super expensive here. Why is that? Mount a short 1/4 wavelength antenna on top of any tall structure, hook it to a black box and can cover a ten mile range, not exactly like burying hundred of miles of expensive copper cable underground. We have two land lines from our home directly to the exchange, but that phone bill was substantially cheaper.

Daughter got a bit carried away with downloading pictures and ringtones with her phone, almost had a heart attack when I saw our first bill, put a quick stop to that. Then she only had hers a week, got a couple of drops of water on it and it died, did a current draw tests on it to of the IC's were shorted out getting red hot, what a piece of ####### these things are. Since I do a lot of quoting, my estimate using Chinese labor rates is that these things in the box cost no more than six bucks to manufacture, the cheapest garbage quality IC's are use and that LCD screen is like printing a business card. But well over hundred bucks for this piece of garbage and only if you sign your life away for a two year contract that can cost you another 300 bucks to cancel.

If your bill isn't bad enough, government, so the cell companies claim tack on another 25% in taxes on these damn things. America, we are getting ripped off, big time!

Text messenging is a new killer with people walking out in front of cars more intent on trying to type in a message, what's wrong with leaving a voice message? My understanding is they want to communicate with a person, but don't want to talk to them, haven't figured that out yet. Outlawed in schools now, with cameras and locker room photos, ha, and cheating on tests, so you can't call your kid anyway.

In my corporate days, camping was in, really in, why? No phones, but that is history today, wife can't fully understand if I am involved in working, why I just let the phone ring. I wonder why people think they have to drop everything just because the phone rings, it's an invasion of your privacy and more than likely some stupid telemarketer trying to sell you siding for your brick home.

What really bugs me is going to a parts dealer with a pile of cash in my hand, ready to buy and pay, then the damn phone rings, left standing while the parts guy is trying to find a thermostat for a 1936 Hupmobile or something. Got to the point where I just walk out.

Lost track as to how many cell phones my daughter went through already, more expensive part is to have it surgially removed from her hand, talks on it so much, her phone has grown to be part of her hand.

[Marina-Del 10]

I don't have kids yet, so maybe I'll change my mind by the time I do, but I do not agree with the whole GPS chip in the kids thing. I know that's not what we're talking about, but people mentioned having a cell phone on their kid so that they can GPS them if something crazy was to happen. But like Charles said, that means the government knows where they are all the time too! Might be nice when they are kids, but once they are older children and adults that is sooo not okay.

I mentioned putting a GPS on our kid, but not in him. I agree -- don't want Big Brother watching him when he's older.

Yeah, I'm okay with putting a GPS ON them too! I think my dad put a GPS in our dog a couple years back.....which is just as weird I think.

[aidan80 9]

I don't know about giving a younger child or young teen a mobile just to keep track of them. What would be nice is a GPS device implanted on the spine with an option to taze them on demand. So if you call them up and they decide to be the typical teenager or worse.. lie to you where they are or going you can drop em on the spot then using the GPS go pickup their paralyzed body. Now when they get old enough to get a job why not let them have a mobile at that point they'll be paying for it! lol

[Niels Bohr 72]

I think having a cellphone with a gps tracking system is great for the kids. And, having the ability to lock their talk/text during certain duration of the day is nice.

[Marilyn. 340]

no..

and if they do have one, it should just be set up that they can only call their parents with it.. not sure if that is possible or not

[Marina-Del 10]

Yeah, my mom did the lock talk/text thing on my brother! She locked it so he could not receive or make calls to anyone until our nighttime/weekend minutes started, except to me, my mom, dad, and other brother (cause we all had the family plan and could talk unlimited for free). He was pissed but it saved my parents a lot of money.

My parents would definitely consider using Aidans shock idea/gps idea.

no..

and if they do have one, it should just be set up that they can only call their parents with it.. not sure if that is possible or not

It's possible

[aussieroo1 0]

It's okay to let kids have their own mobile phones as long as parents point out how to use the phone responsibly.

[Peikko 1,575]

Has the brain tumour scare thing gone away now? I thought that was the main reason not to allow young kids to have them...