My son will be 13 next month.

*cries*


I have no idea what to get him. He's got a TV, CD player, GameBoy Advance SP & Playstation 2. I'll probably get him a couple of games & maybe a hoodie, but I'm debating about getting him a cell phone.

Reason: He walks to school & home from school every day. I'd feel better about it if he had a cell phone for emergencies.

I'm not thinking anything fancy: A plain, prepay cell phone with him paying for extra minutes out of his allowance, if he wants more time. No texting, no camera.

Good idea??? Bad idea???

Input from teens & parents alike :)

I think the title should be how old is too old to not have a cellphone. lol.
In today's world I feel a mobile phone is very essential, upwards from 10 years old a child should be ready to have a one.

I think that a cellphone at age thirteen is a pretty good idea especially since he walks. I also think a cellphone with a camera could be a plus however, it could be a distraction as well. Plus in terms of he could see something suspicious and capture it, seen a few cases of this on the news.
One 14 year old boy snapped the plate number of a pedophile, no need to rely on memory in a tight situation.

Yeah, prepaid would be the way to go in this situation.

I think its a good idea once you tell him about the responsibilites and cellphone etiquette you should be good to go.

Buy him a good pair of Nikes and tell him to run from danger. If he doesn't have time to run he certainly doesn't have time to call 911. Kids don't need cell phones. Hell, the majority of adults don't need them either.

I got my first mobile phone at 18 and that was only because I was crossing the counrty by myself. I dont know, i think younger than 18 is too early :|

I got my first cell phone when I was about 33.

My son is 10, and he has one. In fact, so does my 14 year old son. It's great. I can call then any time, and they can call me any time. Hardly a day goes by when I don't speak to at least one of them by cell phone. We're all on the same network, so it doesn't cost a penny extra.

I say if the kid wants a phone, get him one. They're no longer a luxury.

I like the thought that he has to pay overages/extras from his allowence. A lesson about financial responsibility and the ability to find your kid whenever you need to. :nice:

This is actually kind of funny, coming from me; I'm such a Luddite that I don't even have an answering machine, but, boy I love being able to pick up that phone and track Christan down where ever she is.

Prepaid is the way to go with a teenager. Excellent idea. :nice:

I would get one of the ones (I think Disney has them) with GPS so you can tell where he is at all times.

13 isn't a bad age since he walks so much, but if it wasn't for that, I would wait until he was driving.

My little girl got hers at 13. She WAS informed she pays for extra minutes. :nice:

I think that thirteen is an acceptable age to have a cell phone...and its also a very good idea if he does alot of walking by himself. I've used my cell phone multiple times to call one of my parents to come and get me when a creep has been harrassing me. He doesn't even have to actually call--usually just the fact that you have a working phone and could call the cops scares them off. I usually call home for a ride anyway though, just to be safe.

Virgin Mobile offers a great pre-paid plan. I have a cell phone from them and love it.:) Plus you only have to get a new $20 pre-paid card every three months, rather than monthly or every two months like some other plans. The "shorty" phone (cheapest one they got) itself is only around $20.

But with them you DO get texting--a nickle to send and a nickle to recieve. But its very easy to keep track of how much money is in your account--there's a way to find out from your phone AND online--so if you think he's responsible enough with money this shouldn't be a problem.

Wow, that sounds pretty damn good.

I didn't get a cell phone until I was 26. (I'm now 27)

When I was thirteen, my mom and I set a time when I had to be home. If I wasn't home by then, boy there was hell to pay!! There was no calling her up to renegotiate. It was: plan to be home by 10, or you're dead! I think that taught me more about responsibility than paying for extra minutes would have.

Kids don't need cell phones. Buy him a bike.

My daughter got a cellphone when she was 15. My son doesn't have one, but has borrowed mine on occasion. It helped when one of his friends wiped out badly on the bike trail and needed help.

Feenix, it's not a matter of calling home to say "I'll be back at 11 instead of 10", it's a matter of "Mom, the bus went right by us & we're stranded at the bus stop (and it's 20 below)." or "Mom, instead of going to the movies, we're going bowling, and I'll be getting a ride home with Jane's Mom".
Getting stranded here can mean hypothermia or freezing to death.

No price can be put on knowing where you're kids are, and that they are safe. It's a blessing to be able to call them at any time and know where they are.
The kids don't know it, but a cellphone is more a gift to the parents than it is to the kids.

I have found getting a family plan with the cellphones is cheaper than buying them minutes. The key is to make your child pay their part of the phone bill.

Myst brought up an excellent point. Weather up here is also an issue. Biking is often impossible in the winter (although he does ride it to school in the spring & fall, along with his younger sister).

He walks his 9 year old sister to school, then walks alone for almost a mile. Same with going home.

NJR & I have Virgin Mobile accounts as well, so I think that's the route we'll go. I would just feel better with them walking to school, especially since there are a few sexual predators that don't live all that far away :hmm:

When I missed the bus, I rode my bike to school, even in the rain. And school was on the other side of town.

If the kid's not mature enough to take care of himself, then he shouldn't be out unsupervised.

I think some people need to realize that cats and dogs dont have the same luck as the old saying goes. If you survived X number of years without the need for a cellphone that doesnt mean that everyone can do without one.

In other news, Beatlebabe realizes a cell phone is a grand idea and treats her son to one as his first New Year's gift :)

I think some people need to realize that cats and dogs dont have the same luck as the old saying goes. If you survived X number of years without the need for a cellphone that doesnt mean that everyone can do without one.

In other news, Beatlebabe realizes a cell phone is a grand idea and treats her son to one as his first New Year's gift :)

I also survived my first 27 years without a motorcycle. Does that mean beatlebabe's kid needs one? :P

When I missed the bus, I rode my bike to school, even in the rain. And school was on the other side of town.

If the kid's not mature enough to take care of himself, then he shouldn't be out unsupervised.

There's no way in heck to ride a bike here between October & March. Bike's don't cut it when there's snow & ice all over the roads, and only some of the cars can make it out of the neighborhood.
How do you ride a bike on this:
http://www.linesofflight.net/pictures/photos/canada/snowstreet.jpg

It isn't that a child is irresponsible or incapable, it's that a parent never stops worrying about her child when he or she is gone from their side. And it doesn't matter if your kid is 2 or 22.
You cannot put a price on peace of mind.

If you survived X number of years without the need for a cellphone that doesnt mean that everyone can do without one.
Her kid can. From her opening paragraph I get the feeling she's trying to justify it as a gift instead of a neccessity.

Lookie 'ere:

I have no idea what to get him. He's got a TV, CD player, GameBoy Advance SP & Playstation 2. I'll probably get him a couple of games & maybe a hoodie, but I'm debating about getting him a cell phone.


Personally I don't give a tinker's damn if she gets him one or not, or what her reasoning behind her decision is. She asked for an opinion and I gave it. :D

How do you ride a bike on this:
LOL. Ball and hockey playing prohibited. You won't see signs like that in these parts. :p

LOL. Ball and hockey playing prohibited. You won't see signs like that in these parts. :p

Lol! I didn't notice the sign!
It's not from here, but it gives an idea of what the roads are like. And hell, that one's even plowed! That's a luxury around these parts.

Can I just add, get the kid a cellphone by all means, but make sure it's the basic one. He doesn't need a 3G phone with 3Mp camera, screen to receive emails and access to the Internet.
And make it prepaid by card, when he runs it out (as he surely will) it will be a good learning experience.

There's no way in heck to ride a bike here between October & March. Bike's don't cut it when there's snow & ice all over the roads, and only some of the cars can make it out of the neighborhood.
How do you ride a bike on this:
http://www.linesofflight.net/pictures/photos/canada/snowstreet.jpg

It isn't that a child is irresponsible or incapable, it's that a parent never stops worrying about her child when he or she is gone from their side. And it doesn't matter if your kid is 2 or 22.
You cannot put a price on peace of mind.

That's how our winters usually are as well. Especially the roads they walk on; many of them don't have sidewalks & they're little side streets that aren't plowed/sanded/salted right away.

Her kid can. From her opening paragraph I get the feeling she's trying to justify it as a gift instead of a neccessity.


Hmmmm. You may be on to something, at least subconsciously :hmm:

But it can be both :p



Personally I don't give a tinker's damn if she gets him one or not, or what her reasoning behind her decision is. She asked for an opinion and I gave it. :D




Which is exactly what I wanted :nice:


Still haven't decided yet, but I have a month to figure it out :)

A phone is a phone is a phone .... is a disturbance