My first cell phone was in 1998, my freshman year in college. In high school, I just always took my mom's and used it.

I got my first cell phone in 1998. I had just graduated college and was starting a job that required a lot of travel, and I wanted a phone that I could use in emergencies and a number that I could always be reached at. I got Bell Atlantic Mobile's bare-bones minimum plan...

I think maybe 15 or so is the right age for a teenager to get a cell phone - maybe a prepaid one so the kid can't go out and run up a huge phone bill - if you run out of minutes, tough.

I got my first cell phone at the age of 34. That was in 1999. I was dead set against them because I don't like how dependent people are on them in general. However, I got in a car accident on a January day when the temperature was below zero. I had my 5 year old daughter in the car with me and was freaking out that I had no way to contact anybody if the car was damaged. Thankfully, the car wasn't damaged, but it dawned on me that there are not pay phones on every corner like there used to be, so our next stop that day was the cell phone store. I still don't use it that much although I cancelled long distance on the home phone because I can call my dad for free on the cell and never use all the minutes. I don't even turn it on most of the time, unless I know that my ex-husband or kids will be trying to reach me.

That said, my 10 year old (5th grade) daughter is DYING to get a cell phone. Two of her friends have them. I am not getting her one. I told her straight out "You are never in a situation where there is not a phone available for you to use for free, you are never unsupervised without a phone available to use, there is no need for you to have a cell phone". I even confronted one of the mom's whose daughter has one and said (in a kind voice) "I blame you for Shannon wanting a cell phone because you started this trend!". She told me that her daughter, Stephanie, bought the phone with money she got for her birthday and has to buy the cards with minutes with her own money. She is quickly realizing that it was a waste of her money because she uses it so rarely and the novelty has worn off.

I will consider it when my daughter has reached an age that she and her friends are going places and being dropped off without an adult with them and even then, there will be very strict rules about its use. When she drives, she will definitely have one. Back in my day, we couldn't leave without 20 cents (Yes, ONLY 20 cents) to make a phone call from a pay phone, but there really aren't pay phones around like there used to be, so at some point, a cell becomes a necessity for safety reasons.

Dee

I was 19 when I got my first cell phone, a clunky old Nokia, in 2001. My mom insisted I get it (and she footed the bill), as driving conditions can get really nasty in Alaska.

One of the first things I did in the UK was get a new mobile, just because I'm always running around and it's the easiest way of getting ahold of me. Besides, I have a good plan with lots of free weekend minutes that when used with a calling card, make for really cheap international calls. :)

~ShyViolet

I think I got my first cell phone in 6th grade (1997). Both my parents worked and I had a habit of locking myself out of the house. Since my dad worked nearby, they figured I could use it to call him if I needed him to open up. I walked home a lot too and had a few incidents where my parents felt a cell phone would be a good safety tool.

It's amazing how far technology has come.... the batteries used to die so quickly, they were big and chunky, no caller id, voicemail, pretty displays, cameras. it's crazy.

Now, I can't imagine myself without my cell phone.... it's what I use to stay connected with my family when I'm at school (free long distance, free nights and weekends, and the "IN" network).

I got my first cell phone in 1997 at the age of 23. I got it because my job was 99% travel and I needed a means to be reached. I took out a 2 year contract and the rate was $17.95/month and 15 cents/minute (I think weekends were free). My phone was one of those large dark gray Motorola flip phones that was about the size and weight of a soda pop can.

The thing was, because the cellular industry was still in its infancy, and because I was working in small rinky-dink towns, roaming charges were the norm, and they were like 45 cents/minute.

To make a long story short, because of financial problems I incurred later on, I reneged on the contract and owed $760 in fees, penalties, and charges. Because I filed for Chapter 7, I never had to pay it.

The phone, believe it or not I kept until about a year ago, which I gave to my dad--he actually likes the big cell phones; he doesn't care for the smaller bells-and-whistles phones that are so popular nowadays.

How young is too young for a cell phone--I don't know; I don't have kids--I'll havta get back to you on that one.

I'm the oldest of 6, and as many of you have said, lots of kids in middle school and younger have cell phones, so of course my brothers and sisters all want them too. But, like AGDee said, they're really never in a situation where they would need one. We have a cell phone assigned to each car, so that if you're out driving and get in an accident, you'll be able to call for help. Other than that, no one has one. (Well, except me cuz I don't live there anymore, I need mine for work.:) ) I say, unless you feel your daughter needs one for safety reasons...it would be a waste of money.

COSIGN

I got my first cell phone in grad school. I was about 25 at the time, but cell phones weren't that accessible or cost-affordable prior to that time.

I got mine after my sister was involved in a hit-and-run in a bad neighborhood. She had a cell phone and called 911 as she was trapped in the middle of a bad intersection. The police were there in minutes. Since then, I've always kept a cell phone on me.

got my first phone maybe 3 years ago.

does anyone here have the new motorola razr v3? i want one. it looks bad azz!

I was a freshman in high school when I started doing afterschool activities and might need a cell phone. Emergency use only. I had prepaid and I think it a great idea to start. If she wants to gab all day she can get a job or do errands, and use her pittance for another phone card. Controlled bills are wonderful things.

LOL! That's exactly what happened to me! It was junior year of college when my parents transferred the account into my name. Then, I paid for it and did my own minutes upgrades and such. (I was a bit spoiled before that!)

I got mine in 1997, I think once you have a car you should also have a cell phone.

Got mine in '99, when I was 18 and a freshman in college.

I think if parents are going to give their kids one, it should be the pre-paid kind... to prevent ridiculous overuse.

I got my cell phone my senior year of high school when I got my car. They pay for the cell phone every month, and the car and insurance of course. Gotta love the parents!

I do, it's fabulous. Highly recommended.