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Community Corner

What is the Right Age for Child to Get a Cell Phone?

What age is too young for your child to have a cell phone? Our Moms Council gives its opinion ... and wants to hear your opinion, too.

This week the Mom Council answers a question all moms face sooner or later: When do you let your child have a cell phone? Is there an age that’s too young?

Michelle: It depends. If I was not always home when Jordan gets home from school he would have one now. I would say he can have one when he’s 15 or 16 and driving or away from home a lot. He can use mine if needed until then. I won't get one for him "because all the kids have them!"

Wendy: I think below the age of 11 is too young. Middle school is about the right time to get one - when the kids are involved in extracurricular activities.

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Alec does not have a cell. If he did more after school activities, I would get him one. If we did not have a home phone that would make more of a reason to have one. Blake got one when he was around 12, but his dad got it for him. I would not have gotten him a cell.

Laura: My kids are 7 and 3, so we're not to the cell phone stage yet.  At what age they receive a phone will depend a lot on the kid and their level of responsibility.  In my mind, a cell phone for kids--particularly the younger ones--should have one purpose: communication. So, if and when we do get phones for our kids, they will most likely be basic phones with no extra features.

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Denise: My oldest is 12 and I still haven't gotten him a phone and he hasn't asked for one either. Right now all his after school activities follow a schedule, so I know exactly when to come pick him up. I don't see the need to get him a phone until he's a real teenager. I also hate seeing kids who do nothing but text all the time and I want to avoid that with my own kid for as long as possible.

Tracy: My two high school age children have cell phones. And while my middle schooler asks for one all the time, she will not get one until she is in high school also.  The rules of our house are such that the younger kids will never be in a situation where they would need a cell phone. For example, they are not allowed to go anywhere without a parent chaperone. If they want to go to the movies or the mall, either a friend's parent or my husband or myself would be with them. Since they aren't allowed to do these things unsupervised, they are always with an adult who has a phone. My husband and I do not make a habit of giving our kids expensive things just because they "really really want one.”

On the other hand, we provide our high school students with phones. We did this as much for our convenience as theirs. Anna, our 16-year-old, is involved with student council, tutors, plays soccer and is involved with our church youth group. CJ, our 14-year-old, plays soccer, golf and is also involved with the youth group. They are always on the move. Since having six kids means that activities often overlap, our children are often one place while Chris and I are at another. It is so nice to have the cell phones to keep in contact with them. It is just a bonus for them that they can also use those phones to communicate with friends.

I think it’s worth mentioning that Anna and CJ have rules or "conditions" to keeping the cell phones. They are absolutely (no exceptions) not allowed to text between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. on school nights. They are not allowed to have their phone out at the dinner table whether we are at home or at a restaurant. They are not allowed to take their cell phones to church with them. They are not allowed to erase any texts or photos sent to them or by them without first clearing it with me or my husband because we as parents reserve the right to (and often do) read the text conversations our children are having with others. Last but certainly not least, Anna had to make an agreement with us that she would never, never, never text while driving, and we in turn made the same promise to her for ourselves. We also included Anna's best friend Erin in the no texting and driving pact - after all we want them all to be as safe as possible.

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