You Tell Us: Cell Phones for 5 Year Olds
Are your kids asking for cell phones for Christmas? It seems like all children aged 8 to 18 are obsessed with getting cell phones so they can text and talk to all their friends. But recently, we’ve seen cell phones marketed to kids as young as five!
The Verizon Migo is a cute little green phone designed with just four speed dial buttons and one emergency button to make it easy for kids to get a hold of family members and emergency help. But would you want your child to have access to a cell phone before they even reach double digits? At what age is it appropriate for kids to have cell phones? You tell us!
Tags: cell phones, kids, You Tell Us
December 5th, 2008 at 9:50 am
in general, i am opposed to the idea of any one younger than high school (yes, high school) having a cell phone! however, i think a phone that is limited to emergency contacts isnt a bad idea. why not let your kid be connected to you in case something comes up. its giving them 500 minutes to chat with their friends that i have issue with.
December 5th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
I don’t think there’s a magic age for a phone (5 does seem a bit much, though). I think it’s more dependent on what their activities and needs are.
We added a line to our account and issued it to the oldest as needed when she was almost 11. She was a soccer referee and we weren’t always with her so it was nice for her to have that method of contacting us.
She was very responsible with it and when she turned 13, she got a phone of her own and it was handy for a variety of reasons.
A cell phone is simply a tool, use it or don’t, but, people get all worked up over it and it’s somehow turned into some sort of weird indicator of parenting prowess.
December 5th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
I agree with Georgie in principle. I suppose a phone that had emergency/family contact capability only is reasonable, but for the life of me I can’t conceive of a situation where a 5 year old would be out of parental or adult supervision that would require them to have a cell phone for emergencies.
There is NO way a kindergartner (and again I agree with Georgie, probably no child before High school) should have a cell with a truckload of minutes.
December 22nd, 2008 at 3:26 am
I am divorced with two kids, my oldest is 5. I tell my son that he can call me anytime, however this is not true because of my x. I am thinking about getting him a phone so that he can call me whenever he wants. granted its going to be a phone that only allows him to call specific numbers
July 8th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
my grandson is a diabetic and i think he needs a phone just to be able to contact parents or 911 in case of emergency