Minors with cell phones

[PoeticManifesta]

having my cell in school legally told me my grandpa was dying... and i got there in time to say goodbye.

it allowed me to tell my mother where i was.. between trak,step,naacp,leaders of america,deca,key club,church,n my part time job... in high school..

its been proven that the radiation to underdeveloped minds that are emitted from cell phones are severly damaging.

I see no reason beyond that previously mentioned that anyone who does not have another means of transportation besides their parent mobile... that they need a cell. A pager is fine for the younger ones.. thats what i had to use in middle school.. there are enough cell phones.. in the world. a 2way pager is fine..

 

[triniti424]

*sigh* its a catch 22...

Cell phones like ANYTHING in almost any minors hands are a distraction. Notebooks can become a distraction, boys/girls, etc...


HOWEVER... there then becomes the balance between privilege vs. necessity. We DO live in a society that is more and more violent & dangerous and the children cant keep throwing stones when the attackers are now shooting/stabbing/kidnapping/etc...


I have/am raising a 13 yr old, an 18 yr old, & recently taken in my 15 yr old nephew. With the oldest, I was always LITERALLY right around the corner from where he went to school and @ that time with him, he didnt NEED a phone. He is now in his first year of college...BEFORE he started college during the summer I told him to get his behind out there and get a job to pay for a phone. period. No suggestions, no "well sweetie if you want..." "i think you should..." it was "Hey suga... you sleepy? Too bad GIT UP AND GIT OUT DIS HOUSE AND GO TURN IN THOSE APPLICATIONS I GAVE YOU!" He did that, when it came time to choose a plan, we sat down and I helped him tweak his budget and use the best plan for him but 18 or not... hes still under MY roof and NOT paying rent, so he pays me in GRADES if the grades slip, if his chores arent done= NO PHONE. and maybe a knot in his head from a shoe or 2-7 depending on how difficult the situation has to get.


With the 15 yr old... he is the rowdy type. So for right now he hasnt shown me that he can handle that type of responsibility so I keep him under my thumb. He has a schedule to keep and if he wants his phone his GRADES+CHORES+FOOTBALL COACH review= yes/no


The youngest one has a pre-paid phone and I keep track of his minutes. He has the phone that only can call select numbers. I check his phone before he goes to bed for anything unfamiliar & like the rest he knows that the slightest slip in their grades = :madd: lol


*sigh* It has made much more to do and such but I have to adjust to the "ways of time" so to speak and I do run a tight ship with the boys but again... for me it has been about balance & compromise. I try to teach them daily about the things that DO matter. For example when telephone calls come in for myself, I limit them as much as possible, so that it doesnt take away from my time with them so that THEY see what has preference, even if its work. I try as much as I can to spend time with them and talking to them, spending time with them doing things THEY want, movies, boxing, (gettin my butt whooped in) basketball, and so forth. But in the end... I can only hope that when I am NOT around, they are as responsible about it as I have taught them to be.

 

[maatmama]

My son is in Pre K and 3-4 students in his class have the Firefly children's cell phone.....To me thats a bit much...

 

[$$RICH$$]

Depend on the facts .....some kids need them for medical reasons
some just have them for the showboat thing but to a degree of age
under 14 shouldn't have cell phones IMO .

my vote is split between yes and no !

 

[Radical Faith]

I feel in the changing dynamic of the world it would depend on individual situation and the maturity of the child. Personally my child has no need for a cell phone because of mine and his situation. When he is in high school he won't need a cell for the same reasons. However if he gets a job and pays for his own cell phone that's a different story. Still he would need my permission as a minor so again the cell phone idea would probably get shot down. When I first started letting him go out and play I gave him a two way walky talky with a 2 mile radius. He was 9 years old and he didn't need to be venturing farther than 2 miles from home with adult supervision. That worked pretty well. If he wanted to go over his friends house when he got there I had to speak with an adult and know the address of where he was going. If not he couldn't go in. 2 way walky talkies are a cheap and effective alternate to an expensive cell phone and the phone cost...That just me and my situation. Different strokes for different folks....


Peace...