"No cell phone 'till you're 14!" - Bill Gates
What is the earliest age that a child should have a cell phone? Parents wonder what the right answer to this question is - at what age did YOU get your first cell phone?
Well, Bill Gates chimed in on the subject during a recent interview - he says that his children didn't get one until they were 14. Click HERE for an article on the subject.
Take a look at the "...list of questions parents should answer before giving their child their first phone" at the bottom of the article. As you look through the questions, answer these questions:
What IS the earliest age that you think a child should have a cell phone?
What are the risks?
What types of things would you want to talk to a child about, before they are given the responsibility of having a cell phone?
The earliest age that I think a child should get a cellphone or at least an Ipod touch to contact parents on would have to be at the age of 10-12. My little sister's friends all have IPhones now and some only use them for games instead of actually talking to people. If the child agrees they will use messaging and actually have contacts to connect with family in case of emergency then they should allow the child to have one.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the ages 10-12. I think it's crazy how all these kids have phones nowadays.
DeleteI agree that as a kid you can defiantly use the phone for games and such but i still think at the age of 14 would still be better because kids need to get out of the house and off their phones. 14 is a very good age because they learn to get out and have fun outside and such instead of on their phones all the time.
DeleteThe child should not use it to cyber bully or say rude comments to other people on social media and the risks are if the child comes into contact what they are not supposed to be seeing they should tell an adult or block that user if it continues to happen.
ReplyDeleteI believe if you have a thorough talk with you child then they will understand the concept of what they can and can't do.
DeleteThe earliest age a child should get a cellphone should be like 10-12. I was 9 when I got my first phone, it wasn't anything special. I personally think you should wait until you know your child is mature enough to handle their own social media and to handle having a phone. All of my siblings besides my stepbrother have a cellphone. My stepsisters is better than mine! Risks could be of getting cyberbulied or being cyberbullied. You also don't want them to mess anything up with the phone. I'd want to talk to my child about what could potentially happen when you have a phone and how some people aren't always who they say they are. How they should be careful of what they say or who they tak to.
ReplyDeleteI agree, they don't really know whats right and what's wrong in the cellphone world, they could accidentally hand out confidential information.
DeleteI got my first iPhone at 12 so I think that's a pretty good age, your just starting to get to Middle School which isn't a reason to have one but your starting to get more responsible and starting to reach the peak of before you become a teenager, I don't think anyone under the age of 12 should have a phone unless they actually have a reason for needing it.
ReplyDeleteI agree, no one under the age of 12 should even need a cellphone unless they become involved in after school activities or such.
DeleteI also agree that is too young for them to have a phone at that age.
DeleteAmen, Ban all the 6 year olds walking around with phones bigger then their heads.
DeleteI think that there isn't really a set age but the child should prove that they're responsible enough to have a phone. However, I think that a child at the age of 6-7 shouldn't have a phone. The reason being is that's the age where children are learning how to socialize the most and always being on the phone is going to effect the way they learn to socialize. In younger children bullies are also a big issue, that goes back to the responsibility point. If the child is bullying someone online with a phone they are obviously not responsible enough to have a phone. For the child getting bullied they should tell someone and if they don't tell someone then they shouldn't have a phone. If anything young children's main objective with a phone should be to contact parents throughout the day or in case of an emergency.
ReplyDeleteI agree when a child is responsible enough to have a cell phone it will show. I also agree with a young cild should not have a cell phone. Young kids should be playing outside and playing with there friends. They should not be sitting inside all the time sitting on their cell phones.
DeleteI agree that the child should prove that they're responsible and mature enough to have a phone of their own. A child at the ages of 6-7 should not have a phone that's working at least. If they have a phone only for playing little games or watch Netflix then it could be understandable.
DeleteI agree. Around kids' preteen years they start to show the kind of person they are. It's true that kids around the ages of 10 to possibly even 13 should prove themselves responsible enough for their own phone. I agree with Camryn, children should be outside more, not inside playing with a phone they shouldn't even have.
DeleteI think kids should be allowed to get a cell phone at around the age of 12, since they could become involved in after school activities which require them to call their parents to pick them up. At an older more mature age, they should be allowed to get a nicer phone, since they will be much more responsible. A few of the risks that come with younger kids having cell phones, is that they don't know whats bad and what's good on a cellphone, they don't know not to answer unknown callers. Even, someone could pretend to be the kids parents and find out exactly where they are. I would warn children about the dangers of social media apps, and that whatever you post out there, can potentially be seen by everyone in the world, and whatever you put out there, cannot be pulled back.
ReplyDeleteI agree, 12 is a decently good age to start with a cell phone especially if the child is responsible enough to have one.
DeleteI also agree thats also the age that they start to mature enough to show that there worthy to have one.
DeleteI agree. Around 12 they start to show if they'll be reckless with it or not. Also I think if there was a specific situation where the parents wanted to give their child a phone at a younger age they shouldn't get a super nice phone but a cheeper phone like a flip phone or something so all they're using it for is emergency communication and it isn't inhibiting their learning.
DeleteI think that not letting a kid get a phone until they are 14 is a good idea. Once you get into high school you need to get in contact with your parents more because you will be by yourself a lot more in high school and you will need to some how contact your parents. With the phone you can get in touch with many other friends too if you need them really quick. I also think that at the age 14 your a little more mature and know how to use the phone adequately.
ReplyDeletei agree the age 14 would be a good age
DeleteI think that any age really over 12 is a good idea, 14 is probably when a kid actually deserves the phone, they are just getting into High School and sports so they should definitely have the luxury of having a cell phone to not only keep in touch with parents but friends and other family to.
DeleteI agree that 14 is when a person should probably have a phone, just because of contacting purposes and such. Maybe the best age would be when they start doing after school stuff or when you notice they're calling off of other people's phones to reach you all the time.
DeleteI got my first iphone when i was about 10-11 and i had the old ones but nowdays i see most of the little kids that have all the new phones and they are under 10 years old i thik that they shouldnt be able to have them until about 10-11 because its the age where they start to mature enough so they are trusted to use them.
ReplyDeleteYes when they are mature enough you should allow your child to have a phone if they are immature it would just promote bad behavior and assume that they can do anything they want.
DeleteI agree. When they are mature enough they should be able to get a phone and they should start with an old phone, like a track phone or something so it's just for emergency contact or if they need a ride.
Deletetrue, its crazy how kids have such good phones for a young age like come on why spend so much money on that for a 9 year old.
DeleteChildren should prove themselves trustworthy enough to have a cellphone. You make great points, even if a child seems responsible enough under the age of, say 10 years old, that doesn't mean they're mature. Responsibility and maturity are things to consider when buying your child a cellphone.
DeleteRight I don't think kids should have nice phones at such a young age but it is all up to the parents
DeleteI think the age a child should get a phone is 13. If that child isn't mature then then I would just get them a cheap phone that I wouldn't care if it breaks. The only thing I would say to them is don't meet up with anybody our give out where they live.
ReplyDeletei agree the child should be responsible and if they aren't but still need a phone id get them a cheaper one
DeleteI feel the age to get a cell phone depends on the what kind of the life the kid has. If you are gone a lot of school sports and need to contact your parents all the time its easier to have a phone to just call them. I managed to not have a phone til i was 14. I think parents should wait til then also. If younger kids start getting phones at a younger age it will take up their time instead they could enjoy the outdoors and go hangout with friends, sometimes phones are a pleasure but also can be a bad habit. The parents should defiantly talk to them about not cyberbullying, or sending inappropriate pictures. If younger kids have cell phones its way easier to reach all the bad things out their woudlnt your kid want to be safe?
ReplyDeleteI agree i can relate to this first hand because I moved to a different school and i'm in a lot of different sports and very busy I am on my own a lot and I need to get a hold of my parents also and with having that cell phone it helps and I didn't really need a cell phone until i was like 14 or 15.
DeleteThis is a point I didn't make, I do believe that if the child is involved in many extracurricular activities then maybe thy should have a cell phone to be able to get ahold of their parents.
DeleteI think the age should be 13 because thats when I got my first phone.
DeleteI think making them wait until 14 is a little too long. Generally, kids reach middle school around the ages of 11 or 12, which is also when children begin to expand their interests and join new activities. They're also getting to the age where they know the risks of having their own cellphone, but they can also be careless and give away personal information. So children around 11 or 12 should at least have parental supervision with their cellphone, in my opinion. I would warn them about phishing attacks, hackers, the dark web and what to stay away from. I would tell them to talk to me about what website they're visiting beforehand. I wouldn't want to monitor every single thing they do on their phone, but I would want to check in and see what they're doing.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with this, kids that reach 11 or 12 years old are often join a lot of school and non school activities. I feel like it would be really hard as a parent to pick up and keep track of a child if they had no way of contacting there child when they are at this activities. Most of the time activities well say they will get done at a time and the time will change many times before they finally have a set in stone time. If a child didn't have a cell phone they would have a hard time trying to tell there parents that the time as changed.
DeleteI agree Meghan, I think children around 11 and 12-years-old start to expand their interest and they're going to want what everyone else wants.. A phone!
DeleteI agree, 14 is too long! I was 14 going into my Sophomore year and I did so much in middle school. I have no idea what I would have done if I couldn't contact my mom after dances or at a friend's house. I did end up getting a phone when I was 11 but it was not a fancy phone, I got a track phone that didn't open and the keypad was just on the front. When I got a nice phone I took very good care of it and for many children I believe it may be the same way.
DeleteI agree, 14 is to have a phone is too long. 11-12 is a good age. I was 6 when I had my phone which was only a track flip phone... but back then you couldn't do as much as you can now with the internet. I think some parents are a little too careless with giving their children phones.
DeleteI think that if you have a mature 11-12 year old kid it would be fine, but on the other hand someone that is 14 can be very immuture and they should not have a phone.
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ReplyDeleteI think when the parent feels like the child is ready and a cell phone would help them keep track of them if they have a lot of activities then a cell phone for that child would be a good idea. On the other hand if the parent just wants to get their child a cell phone just so they can have one I don't think it is the best idea. It really all depends if the they think their child is ready and can hand a cell phone.
ReplyDeleteSadly the first time I received a cell phone was when I was nine. It was a small, flip, track phone and only used to call/text family members. Even though I had a phone at such a young age, in my opinion parents should get their children cell phones at the age of around 12 years. It is good for a child to be on the internet and learning new things but it's also important for them to explore the outside world too. Most children at young ages are very manipulative and are unaware of the dangers of predators. If parents decide to give their child a phone they must discuss the dangers and risks of being an innocent child on the web. If this was my situation and I had a child with a cell phone, I'd be sure to tell about the inappropriate sites, giving out personal information, and of course the child predators. Even after all this teaching about the dangers of having a phone,I still wouldn't feel safe with my child out on the web.
ReplyDeleteI also got my phone when I was 9, and it was a $20 track phone that didn't even have access to the internet. If parents are really that worried about children having a phone at such a young age, then that's the way to go. I agree, younger children don't know the risks of being on the internet, so 12 years is a good age for a cellphone for kids.
DeleteI didn't get to experience having a track phone before a smart phone, but I think it's the way to go if parents don't want their children to be on their phones all the time. It's a way to limit cellphone use in younger children, I think.
DeleteI agree, if parents are to give their kids at a young age they should definitely talk about the dangers and the risks of the online world.
DeleteYes parents should inform there kids about the dangers of the internet
DeleteI believe waiting until someone is 14 is the best decision. I got mine when I was that age, and I felt it was a good transition. It kind of made me realize that not only am I in high school but I am now expected to be more responsible. Of course, I had siblings in school with me who had cellphones when I didn't, so I always had a way to contact my parents if needed. I'm worried what children will begin to think of cellphones if they get them at a younger age. Will they think that it's just a toy when really it's something more than that? Children who are getting phones need to realize phones should not become your only source of entertainment. Don't forget about going outside and interacting with your friends without the use of technology. I'd ask my children what exactly they thought a phone was, and see if they knew the exact risks of strangers.
ReplyDeleteI agree, a cell phone really isn't a toy and it shouldn't be treated like one. I think that kids having a cell phone at the age of 10 isn't acceptable, it really isn't needed by that age, they should really only have game systems, not a cell phone.
DeleteI think kids should have phones so they can contact there parents.
DeleteI think it is the best idea to wait till our 14 to get a phone because you should be mature before you can own a cell phone. Once you have a cell phone you are capable to post anything to the public, and say anything to anyone and send anything to anyone, once you get a phone you should be tracked or your parent should be supervised while you use it.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with it. I think it'd be good to monitor your child on their phone, make sure they know the person. Whether it's a school friend, or family friend. You can't keep children completely safe all the time, and it's best to let them learn from their (hopefully) minor made mistake over their phone. Yet educate them on the dangers of the internet. Until they're 13 I think their phone should be monitored, especially who they're talking too and their social media accounts. Unless there is a reason they aren't trustworthy with phones or trustable at all, I don't see why they couldn't have a phone. They are a good way to contact someone if there is an emergency or to contact people in general.
ReplyDeleteI feel that 6th grade is a good time to get a phone, one this that is important is to make sure the kid knows the rules, and the apportiate use of using a phone.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Kids have to use their phones in away that it is not distracting
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