A 7-year old with a cell phone???
 

My husband wants to get our 7 (soon to be 8) year old daughter her own cell phone. He says it would be good for to have when she's at day camp this summer and when she is over playing at her friends' houses.

I think the idea is absolutely ridiculous! Shoot, I like to waste money as much as the next guy, but I was 34 when I got my cell phone and I don't see why she just can't ask to use the phone at her friends' houses like I did.

I told him he has more money than sense but he's really become attached to this idea of his.

What do you all think of this lunacy?

i work in the wireless industry, and have for 2.5 years.. you'd actually be suprised how common it is for parents to get preteen children their own phones. my only suggestion would be if you DO get her a phone, ge ta prepaid so she can't use ridiculous amounts of minutes, therefore costing you even more ridiculous amounts of dollars..

isn't it funny how modernized this world is becoming? someday home phones will be all gone :)

Hell, many are already. A lot of my friends don't even have a house line. They use their cellphones and with all of this free nationwide long distance, why not?

The thing is, you don't want her to get hooked on using it! Especially if they're forbidden to take them to school--we know quite a few kids who have been suspended for taking theirs (their school does it to cut down on drug deals, ringing phone disruptions, and kids having the nerve to phone each other in class). We also know several whose phones have been stolen, as children aren't good at keeping them in sight.

if your child was 14 or 15, i would do it.....but 8......ummm, nope. there is no reason an 8 yr old should be in a situation (like going to the mall or movies alone) that they might need to reach you. if her friends live in another state so that a call to you would cost money......then ok. since i highly doubt this is the case, your daughter could use their phone!!!! soon enough, your daughter will be glued to a telephone, so cherish this time!!!!

Re: A 7-year old with a cell phone???
 

Ummm...NO

Re: having it at summer camp--Isn't the point of resident/day camp is to get the kid into someting other that what they can do at home?Ie new experiences, new friends, etc.. They have phones avalible at the camps if the child needs (not wants) to call home. I spent my childhood summers (ages 7-18) at camp (sleepover) and would never dream of calling home for anything. As a matter of fact, I always cried --until I was about 16-- on the last day. Working in the camp industry, it's a big no-no to even send phones and other electronic devices with the camper. We've always sent a packing list to the parents of what to bring and what not to bring. We include on that form a statement that ANY items from that no-no list will be confiscated and returned to the child on the last day of the camp. Sorry for the tangent but I'm adament about kids having a GREAT camp experience.:)

I say wait until your daughter is older, like 14 or 15 when it is legal for her to work. That way, she will appreciate the value of a dollar and can purchase her own phone or at least contrrbute to the bill.

Re: A 7-year old with a cell phone???
 

That would pretty well sum it up for me.

Re: A 7-year old with a cell phone???
 

Well, things changed. Like, maybe Internet. Your parents might say, "Oh, I started using the internet when I was 50" and what would you say? Things changed.
So, I would agree to allow 7 year old to have his/her own cell phone. It becomes handy one of these days, and becomes one of the prime need for people.

OH, one more thing. Have you guys seen the Swordfish, the movie? There is a young girl with cell phone, and it became really handy for her (and for her dad).
You can keep in track where your kids are, and they can reach you wherever. Don't assume that your kids are always going to be around you, because nowadays, they are not! Especially if you live in a big city (like, Los Angeles or New York)

Unless she's going to be going places by herself in her new car :p or you're going to leave her in the wilderness for a few weeks, A 7 YEAR OLD DOESN'T NEED A CELL PHONE!! Crazy!!

I can see your husband's logic, but it is misplaced. A 7/8 year old does not need a cell phone. I don't think you would be allowing you daughter to go to friends' houses or a camp that you could not trust to call you if there was a problem. My suggestion is to wait until she's 14/15 and going out places (ie - getting dropped off at the mall or the movies, etc). Otherwise, she'll just be forming an attachment to a cell phone too early in life.

She DOES NOT need a cell phone. Tell your husband to get her a weekly allotment of ROLLS of QUARTERS, STAMPS (for camp), have a Coke and a smile and STOP WASTING MONEY.

On the other hand, I would like a new cell phone and he can be my sponsor. :D

My mom got my 13-year-old brother a cell phone for his last birthday, and I think it's ridiculous. It's nice for when he's out somewhere, but he forgets to bring it with him about 3/4 of the time. I think it would be cheaper just to make sure the kid always has change on him so he can use a pay phone or to buy a prepaid phone card for him to carry around.

that is crazy.

your husband is treating her like she is a teenager/young adult. let children be children. it may seem cool to her to have one, but it is a crazy idea. she is in what, 1st or 2nd grade?

buy her a new doll and let her use a house line. being 7, she shouldn't be out of sight of an adult at a friend's house so if she absolutely needs a phone, they can find one for her.

thats crazy, thats awfully young to have a cell phone. I only recently got mine. The youngest I had ever heard of having their own cell phone is a 16 year old.

I don't even have a cell phone.

I agree with you KillarneyRose, that is just a waste of money. Like all the other people said here, if she is somewhere she doesn't have access to a phone, she doesn't need to be there! I could see if she was in high school, and even then, I would get just one of those 'emergency' cell phones that only dial home and 911. LOL
;)

Well, I can see reasons for and against it. My neice (who is 12) has her own phone and is actually responsible with it. I guess it's how the child is and their level of maturity to handle having an expensive piece of equipment with them.

SHE DOES NOT NEED A CELL PHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hell, I probably don't even need a cell phone.

Get her a Calling Card or something, but I'd give a great big NO to the cell phone.




Just my 2 cents though.

If a child is responsible and understands what the phone is for, I don't think its that bad of an idea. My cousin got her phone when she was 9. She knows that she can use it for nights/weekends all she wants, but that during the day, not to use it unless its an emergency. It also comes in handy when my aunt is running low on minutes on her phone, then they just switch out phones. They've never had a problem with it. Its come in handy many times when she's been at dance team practice and its ended early and the school office was closed.

It definitely depends on the maturity level of the child. My cousin is EXTREMELY mature for her age (she'll be 11 next month). So, she understands the repercussions of going over minutes, etc.

I know that with Cingular, you can get about 200 minutes for $20 on a prepaid plan that recharges every 3 months w/rollover minutes - not too bad of a deal if she only uses the phone within set limits.

Gosh, I can't even imagine any of my guys having a cell phone until they can pay for it themselves! Period!

My middle son is camping this weekend, and it's specifically stated NO ELECTRONIC DEVICES, INCLUDING PHONES are allowed. It's possible the same rules are in effect for your child's day camps. In addition if my child ever needed to call home while at day camp/camp, he usually was allowed (or the camp personnel called me directly.)

One thing we did purchase is a set of walkie-talkies for the boys. They're really quite nice and have a decent 2 mile range. They use them when they head out to a friend's house in the neighborhood so they can let us know when they get there safely and when they're heading home. It's also nice to be able to reach them if we need them home or whatever :)

The prices are coming down these days, so it may be a more logical option than a cell phone for a child.

HTH,
Christin

I have had a cell phone once in my life: when I was living outside of the country just after 9/11, and wanted a way to contact family at any time. It was cheaper than using the landlines! I did see a lot of Italian kids with cell phones, but they weren't seven! There were many 11-12 year olds with them, but from what I've learned, European kids travel independent of their parents (ie, they use public transport more often, go to school on the opposite side of the city from their homes, etc.). So, I can see a child living in a large city, or one who went to school in a different area from their parents' home or work, having a cell phone. This isn't the case for you, is it?

I do think 7 is a little young, but I can see reasons for preteen kids to have phones. I mean, a little kid can't really take care of themself, and while they should always have adult supervision, what if, God forbid, something did happen? Wouldn't you want her to be able to get a hold of you?

I say don't get the phone for your 7-year-old, because she should always be with you or a trusted caretaker and you should always know where she is anyway. She can go to whoever she ios with if there is a problem. But, around age 10, I think a cell phone with some usage-guidelines would be a good idea.

I remember that I didnt even have a cell phone in high school, but like everyone else has said, things change.

My brother who is 15 has been wanting a cell phone for i dont know how long. My parents didnt want to get him one because they didnt think he really needed one. All of his friends have one, and have had one for about a year or two, which i think is a little ridiculous for a 12-13 yr. old CHILD to have one, but whatever, im not their parents.

So, this weekend I went in to get an upgrade, and it was then and there that my parents decided to give my brother my old phone and have a new line so he can use the phone. Of course, he wanted a top of the line phone with all the cool features, but he was grateful nonetheless for even having a phone. I always thought it was time for my brother to get a phone because he stays after school for soccer practices and they dont have a set time in which they end. Also, when he goes out with his friends, its a good way to get in touch with him or vice versa.

Phones are allowed at his school, and he has told me that sometimes the phones ring in class, and the teachers just tell them to turn it off, but its not a big problem so i think that is why it is still allowed.

Now, your 8 yr. old daughter does NOT need a phone. We need to remember she is still a child, that is in 2nd, 3rd grade???? I think it will just be money down the drain because how much of the minutes will she actually use anyway? She is always with atleast one of her parents, or friends parents. It will be money down the drain because i dont think an 8 year old is ready for that responsibility, and who wants kids growing up too fast anyway? Let her enjoy her childhood! From the post, i didnt get the impression that your daughter wanted the phone, just your husband. I wouldnt even think twice about the idea, she is too young!

I don't think that a seven-year-old needs a cell phone, but neither do I think that she needs to wait till 15 -- I think middle school is the earliest any girl needs a cell phone. When I was in middle school/early high school, I was always running around to the mall and the movies and then needing to be picked up, and a cell phone would have helped a LOT. Before then, though, there was no use for it -- my friends and I never went anywhere where there wasn't a phone fairly close.

I wish I had some of you guys for parents . . . my parents wouldn't even buy me a cell phone when I was 18, and this when I was going to college out of state and could have definitely made good use of the long-distance nights & weekends.

Re: Re: A 7-year old with a cell phone???
 

I agree. Save your money, tell your husband he needs to sleep more.
-M

That sounds pretty absurd to me.