Remember cell phones from a decade or so ago? They were so big and bulky that you couldn’t take them with you like now, and they were mostly owned by businessmen. They even left them in their cars a lot because of the weight. Today is a different world; practically everyone has one and they have replaced landlines in popularity.
Parents should really ask themselves when their children should get their own cell phone. I can’t answer this, just give my opinion.
I think a child should get their first cell phone when they are a young adult, around 15 years old. They’ll be out unsupervised by then and have a lot more friends.
A teenager of that age is more reliable and will appreciate that it is for emergencies.
Since cells should be for emergencies only, why would a 12 year old need one? If they go somewhere at night, they should drop them off and then pick them up again so they don’t have to call you for anything. They are not old enough to appreciate that this is serious technology and tend to treat them like toys.
Another good idea is to give your teen a prepaid phone that they can top up with their allowance. This will prevent horrible bills from landing on your doormat thanks to your child making hundreds of phone calls.
Knowing that they will have to pay themselves to recharge their phones will give them a greater sense of responsibility and they will not spend hours talking to someone they last saw 10 minutes ago!
