Hey ladies - doing a little research. A friend and I were having a discussion about kids and cell phones....help me prove a point and answer a few questions. I think we talked about this before, but I'm hoping to gather some hard facts.

Do your kids have cell phones?
If so, how old were they when they got a phone?

Do your kids have a texting plan?
Do any of your kids have a data plan (allows them to download apps, do email, surf the internet)?

How did you pick the cell phone your kid uses?
Is there peer pressure for your kid to have a particular kind of phone?

Have you used or ever considered using one of those tracking programs like on Verizon Chaperone to track where your kid is?

Most Importantly - what kind of phone is your kid using right now?

We have a little debate going on about mostly teens and cell phones in our group, and I seem to be the odd woman out in the discussion.

Help!

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I'm the kind of woman when my feet hit the floor in each morning, the devil says "Oh crap, she's up."

I finally bought a pre-paid cell (net 10) a few months ago. My 12 yr old ds is the one who uses it the most. I got it so I could keep track of him at the park and friends houses. I buy a $30 card every 2 months. Ds can use the phone to talk and text, but has to buy the minutes if he goes over.

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hope this helps (had to add that, the page won't take my post without extra characters!)

I'll be curious to hear the results of your debate!

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

My oldest daughter, a high school freshman, has a basic model cell phone. She did not get it until she started high school. I do not believe younger kids have to have one for "safety reasons". And it's most likely because all their friends have one. For us, No texting since that can get a bit our of hand.

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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!

I don't think that's always the case. I got our phone specifically so ds could take it with him when he went out. He has friends all over the subdivision by us and the kids bounce from one house to the next and back and forth to the park. Before we got the phone he had to borrow other peoples' or come home to let me know every time they changed locations. We tried walkie talkies but they never worked real well. I know some of his friends have phones (or carry their parents') for the same reason.

As I said before, he's allowed to use the phone to talk to his friends as long as he doesn't go over the minutes. I buy the minimum amount to keep the phone activated. ($30/2mo)

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Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

oldest <15> has one he takes to ball games or when he's out with his girlffriend and family at the mall or something other than that no, no need for one.

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Do your kids have cell phones? Yes
If so, how old were they when they got a phone?They were about 15 and 13

Do your kids have a texting plan?Yes thank the Lord, we have unlimited
Do any of your kids have a data plan (allows them to download apps, do email, surf the internet)?Nope and we have that stuff blocked

How did you pick the cell phone your kid uses?We see what is on sale with our new every 2 deal with verizon and let them pick within reason
Is there peer pressure for your kid to have a particular kind of phone?I dont think so, my boys are very anti-establishment, they tend to go their own way.

Have you used or ever considered using one of those tracking programs like on Verizon Chaperone to track where your kid is? I would use this and might even consider it for when Alex is in college, not to watch him to in case something happens.

Most Importantly - what kind of phone is your kid using right now?Ummm, I have no idea the name of their phones, that is how little it means to them or us. I do know that my oldest did get just one for xmas that has a full keyboard and flips open.

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Sell crazy some place else, we are all stocked up here.

I disagree with that also. It's not so much for safety as ease of communication. Since my girls have theirs I can reach them at any time. It's awesome.

As for texting, we have rules. No texting during dinner, etc. They are both very good about following the rules. They do text a lot, especially my older dd, but that's how the teenagers communicate these days. They don't pass paper notes like we used to!

Texting is also awesome to keep in touch with people who don't live near you. My sister and the girls cousins live in TX and we have very close friends in CA. My girls keep in touch with these friends thorugh texting and we think that's great.

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

[/color]Hope my input helps in a little way.

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thanks ladies!

this is helping a lot!!!

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I'm the kind of woman when my feet hit the floor in each morning, the devil says "Oh crap, she's up."

Do your kids have cell phones? --no, not yet
If so, how old were they when they got a phone? --he will be getting one this summer. He is currently 12 years old.

Do your kids have a texting plan? --no, he won't.
Do any of your kids have a data plan (allows them to download apps, do email, surf the internet)? --no, he won't.

How did you pick the cell phone your kid uses? --I have a Virgin Mobile phone, and my son will have the same style that I have - a pay as you go TNT!.

Is there peer pressure for your kid to have a particular kind of phone? --I'm sure there is. A lot of the kids at his school like the ones with the QWERTY type of letters, easy to text type.

Have you used or ever considered using one of those tracking programs like on Verizon Chaperone to track where your kid is? --As protective as I am, no. I am super protective, but there is already a small type of tracking on the phones anyway.

Most Importantly - what kind of phone is your kid using right now? --None. He will be getting a TNT! Virgin Mobile phone this summer.

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"Yesterday my life was duller, now everything's technicolor!"

I hope this helps.

I also agree that too many parents think their children are "safe" just because they have a cellphone with them. If the child were put into a questionable situation, I seriously doubt the child would have time to dial for help before the phone was snatched from them.

Extra lines on our family plan are only $10 a month. The only problem I have with our cellphone company (it may be this way with others also) is the 2 yr contract agreement before you can get another phone. This used to be 1 yr. I've been with our carrier for probably 20 yrs and have no intentions of changing as they have the best coverage in this area. Two years for a cellphone to last is a long time, even for DH.

I think it's ridiculous to see a 7 yr old child walking around clutching a cellphone. That's just way too young IMHO.

DS is 13. Most of his friends have a phone. He does not. I have a tracfone and DH has a phone paid by his job. I will not spend $$$ on a phone for DS so he can be like his friends. He takes mine when he goes out and will get a prepaid if we and he really feel he needs his own. He has not asked for one. Sorry, but I will not pay a bill every month so he can be like his friends. I think prepaid (mine is less than $8 per month) is the way to go for kids and adults alike. I have built up over 1000 minutes on mine in the last couple of years with bonus minutes, etc. I only use it when I have to.

DD will be turning 14 this summer and getting her first cell phone. We will be adding her to our family plan with unlimited texting and no other data plan.

Most of the kids my daughter knows already have cell phones. We are getting her one more for a safety issue and to keep in touch with us while she is out since she will be starting high school in the fall.

She is not pressured to pick out any particular phone. DH and I have the Razr right now and we may or may not change. She will get whatever cheap phone we get for her!

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Do your kids have cell phones? Yes, but they didn't get them until they started high school
If so, how old were they when they got a phone?See above

Do your kids have a texting plan?Yes, but that just came about recently, and they are now 18, 18, & 21
Do any of your kids have a data plan (allows them to download apps, do email, surf the internet)?Hell to the no!

How did you pick the cell phone your kid uses? They were allowed to pick any of the free or free with rebate phones
Is there peer pressure for your kid to have a particular kind of phone?Nope

Have you used or ever considered using one of those tracking programs like on Verizon Chaperone to track where your kid is?No, but if they were younger again I would

Most Importantly - what kind of phone is your kid using right now? One has a Samsung Propel, one has an LG flip..basic phone and the oldest has a Sony Slider because she's on lost phone #3

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So, what's the debate?????

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.

DD10 says she is one of just a few kids in her class without a cell phone.

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Cecilia

"We must love them both--those whose opinions we share and those whose opinions we reject. For both have labored in the search for truth, and both have helped us in the finding of it."
Saint Thomas Aquinas

I think fear over kidnapping would be a pretty extreme reason for anyone to get a phone, that's just kinda silly.

I think when people talk about "safety" they really mean the convenience of being able to keep track of their kids and be able to get in touch with them instantly in any number of situations.

We had an incident about a month ago. My kids went to skate park, my youngest (8 yrs) is only allowed to go if he goes with his older brother (12yrs) or if I take him. It's not that far away, but too far for him to go by himself.

Tyler (youngest) fell and sprained his ankle pretty bad. His brother was able to call me right away and I came and got him. Without the phone he either would have had to find someone with a phone or leave his brother there while he ran home to get me.

Now even if he had left him there, it wouldn't have been that big of a deal, but I definitely prefer that he not have to sit there in pain, alone waiting for us.

I managed fine as a kid without a phone and my kids did before we got it a few months ago. But I'm glad we got it, there's been plenty of times it's come in handy.

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Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box.

My oldest got his phone for my peace of mind not really for his safty. We had a shooting at our local high school when my son was an 8th grader(not yet in high school). The kids that had cell phones were able to call their parents and let them know they were safe and where they were. Across from the school in an Albertsons parking lot is where all parents were waiting for news of their children. Not all of the children went to the parking lot after they could leave the school. Some went to friends houses. That left some very worried parents that could not find their children. I didn't ever want to be put in that situation.

No cell phones here yet. My oldest is 12 and he keeps asking but I don't see any reason for it YET. My nephew(same age) just had 6000 texts in 1 month. He spent the weekend here and that was all he did. If I break down and get a phone it will be without texting. I don't see any reason why he would need to text. I just have a prepaid that I rarely ever use. It is in my purse just in case the school would need me while I am out or if I have car trouble.

Do your kids have cell phones? Yes

If so, how old were they when they got a phone? Middle one was 15 an adult now, 13 year old has had one for 2-1/2 years, since she turned 11. The younger one plays sports and needs to be picked up from practice (softball and basketball) and there are no phones at the field or gym and practices are not a set length just how long the coach want to work them, so sometimes they might be 1-1/2 hours or 3 hours you just don't know in advance that's why she got hers so young. The older one didn't need one until she started working, she didn't play sports or anything and there wasn't the same need, so she didn't get one until she turned 15 and she bought her own pre-paid, when she turned 16 (and started driving) we put her on our plan and paid. We pay for the younger one, she also had a pre-paid one for the first year to see if she was going to be responsible enough with it to be on our plan though.

Do your kids have a texting plan? Yes, unlimited, just the one kid at home now.
Do any of your kids have a data plan (allows them to download apps, do email, surf the internet)? No


Have you used or ever considered using one of those tracking programs like on Verizon Chaperone to track where your kid is? No

Most Importantly - what kind of phone is your kid using right now? Razr

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1. Do your kids have cell phones? - Yes, my oldest does.
2. If so, how old were they when they got a phone? - About 16

3. Do your kids have a texting plan? - Yes.
4. Do any of your kids have a data plan (allows them to download apps, do email, surf the internet)? - No

5. How did you pick the cell phone your kid uses? - This one has onboard qwerty board, good for texting.

6. Is there peer pressure for your kid to have a particular kind of phone? - I don't think so.

7. Have you used or ever considered using one of those tracking programs like on Verizon Chaperone to track where your kid is? - Never used, but may consider in future.

8. Most Importantly - what kind of phone is your kid using right now? - Palm Treo Smartphone

Hi Kelliiiii!

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l/ l/ l/
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Real eyes...realize...real lies.

Again, thanks to everyone! Tomorrow I will see these cell phone parents and I'm going to let them know my findings from REAL people!!!!

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I'm the kind of woman when my feet hit the floor in each morning, the devil says "Oh crap, she's up."

Nope, I have a 16 yr old daughter, and an 8 yr old son. Neither has a cell phone. It's just completely unncecessary.

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Forgiveness is love in its most noble form. -Anonymous

My daughter is 15 and has had one for a few years. She gets whatever phone she wants now, because she works and pays for it.

I pay the bill, we have unlimited family texting.

The phone is not really needed, but that does not mean she should not have it. We like having phones, so we do.

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

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My DS is 10 and he has one. He had a prepaid one that he got from his dad, but the one time I needed to reach him, the phone had been turned off. Since then, I switched providers and got on a family plan. DS has a phone on our plan and I am much happier. I can reach him if he's at a friend's and he has the ability to call and let me know if he is going to be later after school, etc. It's a convenience factor for me and definitely one that I enjoy. He does have texting on the plan, but the only person he sends texts to is me. "I love you mom"... I don't mind that at all. He does have a pretty cool phone - slides two different ways and has the keyboard. However, it was free after rebate, so no big deal to me.

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Kim