Kids and cell phones

[fordracing19]

At what age should I let my son have a phone? I say when he starts driving but my wife wants him to have one now. He is turning 13 next week. My inlaws do have an extra phone so cost isn't an issue.

[LANTIRN]

16 is also the age I think is good for a cell. However, my wife and my mom both think my son (who is 3) will need one when he is 6 or 7 for some stupid reason, so I am already having that argument.

[GrayStangGT]

I came up right at the beginning of the cell phone age(turned 16 in 01) and I got one when I started driving.

[Gear_Jammer]

My boys get a phone when they start junior high. They get the freebie basic phone from me and can any other phone they want with their own cash.

[A+]

i told my kids they could have one when they paid for it.....fortunately, my stepson's dad bought him one because i really do need to communicate with them when im not home every now and then. He is in 6th grade, my kids are in 3rd.

[VaderTT]

My kids will have phones by the time they start going out without me. Maybe one that only calls 3 numbers, maybe a full on smart phone, IDK.

[krazy kris]

My daughter got one when she was 9 my other daughter (4)has one of our old ones without service so she can play games.

[Sleeper]

I say when they start going out on their own aka 13-16.

Back in the day payphones or house phones where available Or even a beeper haha. It had to be scary for our parents. All they knew was we where out playing somewhere.

[01-GATOR]

My son got one when he was 13, at that age he would stay home after sports alone and we didn't have a home phone.

[Big A]

My 12 year old step-daughter got one for Christmas, much to my chagrin. It's turned out great though, we have something that really gets her attention as punishment, she doesn't have to use the office phone when staying after to school for whatever, and it keeps her quiet on road trips.

[LANTIRN]

I say when they start going out on their own aka 13-16.

Back in the day payphones or house phones where available Or even a beeper haha. It had to be scary for our parents. All they knew was we where out playing somewhere.

Yet most of us turned out fine and didn't go missing. Let's be honest here; our generation, generally speaking, are a bunch of overprotective pussies when it comes to parenting. And for some reason our parents have adopted this with their grandchildren (our kids). Perfect example is the cell phone. My wife wants my son to have one as soon as possible, and so does my mom. My parents never once thought a out buying me a cell even once I got my license (I graduated 2002), yet I was damned well expected to find a phone and check in if I was going to be late. Occasionally I could borrow my mom's phone on a weekend but that wasn't often.

[War Machine]

If I had a youngster I'd get it a flip phone as soon as they could operate it. For emergency

[racrguy]

What ever did the kids do before cell phones came about!?

[2011GT]

What ever did the kids do before cell phones came about!?

I would find a pay phone and dial 1-800-collect. If I needed my mom to get me I would just say where I was as the "name" of the caller.

[71chevellejohn]

Pro-tip - never meet your kids and then you don't have to worry about this.