Cell Phones

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-01-2006
Cell Phones
20
Thu, 08-14-2008 - 11:26am

Hello,


I was just wondering how many of your 10 - 14 year olds have cell phones?


At what age did you get them one?


How responsible are they with the phones?


Do you pay a fortune for them?


What is the school Policy for Phones?


Are you thinking of getting a phone for your 10 - 14 yr old?


If not, Why not?


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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2005
In reply to: johnnysgirl06
Thu, 08-14-2008 - 2:05pm

Connor got his cell phone when he was 11.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-17-2007
In reply to: johnnysgirl06
Thu, 08-14-2008 - 2:26pm

At what age did you get them one?





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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-01-1999
In reply to: johnnysgirl06
Thu, 08-14-2008 - 3:18pm

"The homeschool community is really very different, I think, particularly about issues like this, they have many close friends and none of them carry cell phones."


Have to disagree with you here. We're not homeschoolers but

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: johnnysgirl06
Thu, 08-14-2008 - 4:47pm

Interesting, wonder why my little corner of the world is so similar in this issue? Maybe it has to do more with small town values or something, though all the public school kids around here do have phones of their own, just none of the homeschoolers (or only a handful anyway).

I recall an identical question on the homeschool board a while back, and almost none of the 12-14 year old crowd (and NO younger) had cell phones, so it seemed logical to me that it was typical.

I guess I should have clarified in that MY homeschool community it is this way, as well as the online community I see here.

We owe almost all our knowledge not to those who have agreed, but to those who have differed. ~ Charles Caleb Colton




Edited 8/14/2008 7:26 pm ET by nancymc
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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-27-1998
In reply to: johnnysgirl06
Thu, 08-14-2008 - 6:51pm

We decided to circumvent the whole peer pressure thing by declaring that in this house, 13 is the age at which anyone who wants a cell phone is eligible to have one. My daughter got one for her 13th birthday in June. My son, who is 11.5, really wants one, but he knows that "in this house..." yada yada.


How responsible are they with the phones?


Abigail is very responsible so far, but she has only been able to use her phone for a short while because she was away for most of July.


Do you pay a fortune for them?


I can't remember what I paid for the phone, but it was not expensive to add her to my plan and we share minutes. She knows that if we go over our minutes, she'll have to cut back, since my use has been very consistent over the years.


What is the school Policy for Phones?


In theory, kids are not allowed to use cell phones at school. The school has a no questions asked policy that allows kids to use the office phone for any reason. Of course, lots of kids

Avatar for earnhardt_jr_fan
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
In reply to: johnnysgirl06
Thu, 08-14-2008 - 7:13pm
Both of my girls have one -- however, they are strictly for home use. They will NOT take them to school. We do allow our older daughter to text, but we have set a TON of rules for the texting (Verizon customers only - as we are Verizon, nothing before 10am and nothing passed 8pm. All messages are available to me at all times (sent and received). She knows if I check the online acct and see messages she can't account for on her phone -- she is done with it). She is good about doing what we ask of her. She is 12.5 and while *I* think she's a wee bit young for a cell, we did cave and allow it at home. We pay $129/month for 4 lines, unlimited IN texting/calling/pictures. We have 700 anytime minutes and 500 free non-Verizon text messages (since 3 of my close friends aren't Verizon and 1 of dh's good friends isn't -- we need to raise the non-Verizon texts).
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Edited 8/14/2008 7:16 pm ET by earnhardt.jr.fan
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iVillage Member
Registered: 01-06-2006
In reply to: johnnysgirl06
Thu, 08-14-2008 - 7:58pm

I was just wondering how many of your 10 - 14 year olds have cell phones?
Evan (11) has a cell phone and has since he was in 4th grade. I was taking Megan to piano lessons right after school and he was walking to an art class 6 blocks away by himself so I wanted him to have one. At the time, he had one of those "kid" phones that only calls pre-programmed numbers. Last year my phone was up for a free upgrade so he got my old one and I got a new one. Now I'm glad he has one. The swimming schedule is so goofy (different times and pools almost every day) that sometimes there is a carpool mix up or he ends up at the wrong pool so it's important that he be able to get a hold of me.

At what age did you get them one?
See above.

How responsible are they with the phones?
He's very good with it. Once he was playing around and lost the battery cover for a day or two (his room ate it LOL)

Do you pay a fortune for them?
Not really. The phone was free for him and we pay $10/month to have him on the plan and and additional $5 for texting. I text him right before school gets out to let him know whether or not to go to the after school program.

What is the school Policy for Phones?
Must be off in locked in locker.

Are you thinking of getting a phone for your 10 - 14 yr old?
he's got one.

If not, Why not?

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-01-2005
In reply to: johnnysgirl06
Thu, 08-14-2008 - 8:12pm

I was just wondering how many of your 10 - 14 year olds have cell phones?


caitlin has one


At what age did you get them one?


She got it when she turned 11


How responsible are they with the phones?


We got her a pay as you go phone through verizon to use over the summer, she paid for the phone and her first month of minutes. She has been very responsible so far.


Do you pay a fortune for them?


I pay about $20.00 a month just for her pay as you go. We will be adding her to our regular Verizon plan once school starts


What is the school Policy for Phones?


They may NOT under any circumstances have them ON at school. they may carry them or keep them in their lockers, but they have to be turned off.


Are you thinking of getting a phone for your 10 - 14 yr old?


We will get our other children phones at the same age as Caitlin, when entering middle school


If not, Why not?


iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
In reply to: johnnysgirl06
Thu, 08-14-2008 - 8:46pm

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-26-2003
In reply to: johnnysgirl06
Fri, 08-15-2008 - 3:28am

Hi there!


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