What kind of phone does your 13-17 year old have?

[justkeepswimming]

Poll attached - you can vote multiple times if you have more than one teen who have different types of phones.

 

Note: I use the term "dumb" phone with love. Have one myself. ;)

 

We're phone shopping - and i am curious. Seems every kid we know over the age of 8 (except ours) has an iPhone & we're wondering if that's the norm elsewhere & how often parents update those phones for said kids. :)

[Starr]

Ours had trac phones at that age. They didn't text much with friends.

[KungFuPanda]

DH and I use iPhones, so teen dd has one too. She gets a new one whenever DH upgrades. I jumped from the original iPhone to my current 4s. They just last for years and years and they always work, so we're happy with them. Homeschooled DS who is always with me doesn't have a phone.

[Corraleno]

Both of my kids have dumb phones, with pay-as-you-go contracts that work out to less than $10/month. They don't use them very much — generally only to call me to pick them up from fencing or orchestra. 

[Colleen]

We're phone shopping - and i am curious. Seems every kid we know over the age of 8 (except ours) has an iPhone & we're wondering if that's the norm elsewhere & how often parents update those phones for said kids. :)

 

I don't do anything "for" my children wrt to phones.  When they're earning enough to pay the bills, they can buy the phone & plan they want.  In our family, pre-teens don't have phones.  No biggie to my guys; I don't have a cell phone myself, so they don't see it as life altering.  But for the teens ~ oldest two in particular ~ their phones are understandably very important to them.  They both have iPhones, which is nice for me because I have an iMac so we can message that way.  My 14 yo has something non-glamorous ~ can't recall what.  

 

Main thing to me is that they're financially responsible for their phones.  That's not my deal.

[Miss Peregrine]

Dumb phones. They are welcome to chip in for smart phones but they don't want to.

[BrittanyM]

I don't have any kids that age but I voted what my sister has, she has a dumb phone with unlimited texting. She rarely uses it though, since she has an iPod touch she uses for kik-ing and iMessage

[gardenmom5]

I bought phones for kids who went away to college (that was all about maintaining contact on opposite coasts).  if they chose to live here, they could buy their own phone.  I have one who works, but isn't yet interested enough to actually buy his own phone.

[foxbridgeacademy]

DD 10 has an i3 and DS 12 has his dad's really overpriced Windows phone (sorry "bone of contention" here).  DH's company makes him carry the i5s and it was silly for him to have 2 phones.  On the other hand I have no cell phone.  I hate texting (more then I can possibly express) and gave my phone to my nephew.  If I need a phone (out running errands) I use one of the kids' phones.  

 

 

[Tammi K]

My 16 year old got an iphone for her 16th birthday. It was her 'big present'. Her ipod had recently died and she was hoping we would get her a new one for her birthday. We opted to combine a phone/music player as  her gift.  Prior to that she had a dumb phone.

 

DS 13 does not have a phone yet. We make a point of getting one when they need one. Since generally the 13 year old isn't out and about too often without one of the siblings still living at home, he hasn't needed one.  When that changes, we'll get him one. At this point it isn't an issue.

[Laura Corin]

Both of my boys have the cheapest dumb phones.  They have many more texts and speech minutes than they need - cheap package.  I page £40 (about USD60) per month for three dumb phones (their and my mother's) and two smart phones for Husband and me.  All the contracts are minutes only (we already own the phones) except for mine - I'm buying mine on a cheap deal over two years.

 

I'm leaving Calvin's phone on the same contract when he goes off to university - if he wants to upgrade, then he needs to take that cost on.  At the moment, he appreciates the lack of distraction of having a dumb phone that does not have internet access.

 

L

[Heather in Neverland]

My kids don't have their own phones. We have one very cheap cell phone that is a spare that ds takes with him if he goes somewhere. But other than that it stays in the kitchen drawer.

[Pawz4me]

Each of our boys has an iPhone 5s.

 

Oldest is above the age limit for your poll, so I only voted for youngest.

 

FWIW, youngest is 15 and just got his 5s last month.  It's his first smart phone.  I think he's the last kid around here to get one!  Oldest was about the same age when we got him his first smart phone (that one was a 4s).

 

We update phones every two years or so, usually.  We just moved to the Verizon plan that allows upgrading after a year, but the only way we'd do that would be if we were having trouble with one of the phones.

[bettyandbob]

My older kids (16 and 19) have dumb phones. They've had them since middle school. We view them as a necessary safety device. By middle school they had many activities they attended without me . I never thought it was a good idea for them to be dependent on asking to use someone else's phone. Now, one of them needs the phone for her jobs. Both jobs have people calling her to sub. She wants the income so she needs to have the phone available.

 

I have a dumb phone too. We have priced out upgrading many times on many different plans. Our plan is cheap and having any smartphone would cost more in data, without considering whether or not I could buy or get a smartphone free.

 

We are the only people we know with dumb phones. I sometimes wish I had a smart phone for GPS purposes.

 

Youngest (12) has no phone. He has Down syndrome. I haven't gotten to the point of training him to use the phone. He might be the first smartphone I pay for. There are many communication apps for apple products.

[AMJ]

Poll attached - you can vote multiple times if you have more than one teen who have different types of phones.

 

Note: I use the term "dumb" phone with love. Have one myself. ;)

 

We're phone shopping - and i am curious. Seems every kid we know over the age of 8 (except ours) has an iPhone & we're wondering if that's the norm elsewhere & how often parents update those phones for said kids. :)

Our kids (ages 9 & 12) have iPhone 4Ss, but only because DH and I upgraded to Samsung Notes for the larger screen. DH decided to get phone numbers for the girls so we could start teaching them responsible use of texting.

 

It has come in handy. If I'm driving and want a text sent I don't have to have a kid dig through my purse, they can send from theirs. And when I left the kids at science class they had a way to reach me if something happened and I needed to return before the end of class.

[marbel]

Both my kids have dumbphones that text, as do I.  When mine dies, I will probably get a smartphone of some sort.

 

A few years ago my son complained about being the only person who didn't have a smartphone.  Really?  I started going through the list of kids he knew that I didn't think would have one.  As I went through the list, it became apparent that most kids had dumbphones after all.  Basically the people he knew who had smartphones were all young men who worked and thus could pay their own bills. The high school boys at home were not so blessed.  So I told him he could have a smartphone when he could pay for his data plan... just like the guys he knows.  

[Donna]

Dumbphones with unlimited texts here for my older two. I like being able to get in touch with them when they are off with friends. I got them phones when they started going to school and needed to contact me everyday after their after school activities so I could pick them up. I don't even spend money on a smartphone for myself…no way I am doing it for kids. My youngest is home with me all the time and has no need for a phone though she is doing a couple things this summer where I am thinking a phone might be useful.

[happypamama]

I voted dumbphone with less than 1000 texts, but in reality, it isn't actually DD's. DH and I ditched our landline in favor of cells only, and we wanted a third phone to have for an emergency or if we drop a kid off somewhere, etc. So we have a TracFone as the third phone, which, at $10 a month, is cheaper than the landline was. Texting and internet cost minutes, but I can use the internet if I need directions or something out of the house, since my cell phone is a dumbphone.

[Ottakee]

Youngest (12) has no phone. He has Down syndrome. I haven't gotten to the point of training him to use the phone. He might be the first smartphone I pay for. There are many communication apps for apple products.

 

My special needs son has a iphone and it is great for him.  My special needs daughter just has a dumb phone but between that and her ipad it does make communication much easier for her as she has severe fluency issues.

 

[DawnM]

We let my 14 year old have a Samsung Galaxy 3.  He has had it about a year.  We got it from a friend for $150 and ATT gave us a $100 credit for adding a line, so only $50 OOP.  The rule is that if I call he answers though and we had a bit of an issue last week with him NOT answering because it was off.  He only texts a few friends from church as his homeschool friends don't have phones! 

 

My 16 year old has a dumb phone and has no desire to have a smart phone even though we have offered.  With ATT the cost is the same, $15 per line.  I have to MAKE him carry his dumb phone with him so that I can get a hold of him if he is out without us.  It is a free plan with Ringplus.

 

10 year old wants an iPhone but he is not getting it.  He has no need for a phone and can play his games on my iPad or iPhone when we are out if he wants.  He has no one to call.   :laugh:

[Lizzie in Ma]

13 year old has my older Samsung Vibrant with no data plan, only uses it on wifi except for calls and texts which work as a regular phone.  She rarely uses it.

 

18 year old has an older HTC G2, also no data plan but we may upgrade hers because she will be driving soon and the gps would be helpful.  She pays for it herself.

[ThisIsTheDay]

That's such a difference between 13 and 17!  My kids both had dumb phones with unlimited texting.  When my oldest was 17, we bought her a smart phone for Christmas, and her phone was passed down to my second child, as it was better than the one he had.  Even his "new" one was a dinosaur by then, lol. He's 15 now, got a job this spring, and bought his own iPhone 4s.  It's a really cool phone, but when I had to replace mine recently, I decided to spend less money. 

 

Both kids have unlimited data and texting but minimal talk time, and I think we pay $30 per month for each line.

 

At this point, none of us has the same carrier.  We all have no contract phone, and there's a variety of reasons we have the plans we do.

[Chris in VA]

14yo--no phone. She can have any one she wants when she's willing to pay for it. She's old enough to babysit. She's earned enough to pay for a $600 mission trip this summer by setting up the bell tables at church once a week and participating in bake sales and other fund raisers. She wants to go there more than she wants a phone.

 

She is the ONLY kid she knows without one.

 

I have thought of gettng a cheap one for when she's out with the youth group or school and isn't exactly sure when she'll arrive back for me to pick her up (like last night, when her school orchestra went to Newport News for a competition and then to Busch Gardens).

 

 

[unsinkable]

Ours had trac phones at that age. They didn't text much with friends.

Mine, too. My youngest son still does. My oldest son got an I-phone for Christmas his senior year. My DD doesn't have a cell phone.

[Carrie12345]

I voted that my teenager has an iPhone 4.  He's had it for a while on his father's plan.

Our 11 and 12yos recently got a Droid Mini when we downgraded our data plan.  We don't have a house phone for their short stints alone, and they're participating in more drop off activities (across a large region) so it was a tool we wanted as parents and fits within the same budget we've had for a few years.  They're responsible for keeping it safe, but it was our choice, so our bill. (And cheaper than a house line.)

[AngelaNYC]

Various iPhones (4, 4s, 5) for the kids.  Samsung 3 for dh and me.  Unlimited everything + locator and insurance.  

[Luckymama]

Dd14 has a dumb phone w unlimited texting (part of our family plan). She has gotten every family hand-me-down phone since she was 11 and inherited my dad's old flip phone. I expect she'll get my iPhone 4S whenever I upgrade.

 

Her closest friend moved away (to Atlanta and then to Texas) when they were nine. They talk daily via text.

[The Girls' Mom]

My three have dumb phones with unlimited texting and shared talk minutes. I just broke into the smart phone bubble a few months ago for myself..lol. They may gradually get smart phones as I upgrade mine, or the start paying for them themselves. They don't really care.

[catz]

My 13 year old has a moto x through republic wireless. It is a smartphone, but requires a wireless connection to do anything but call and text. So we bought the phone up front,butthe plan is only $10 a month. He started doing more activities such that it was to our advantage for him to have a phone. Like teen theater rehearsals that would end at an indeterminate time. If he were not doing this kind of thing, he would not have a phone.

 

My dd that turns 10 next week is getting a more basic smartphone for her birthday next week. Which is also nuts, but she struggles with some anxiety, but dances 4 or more nights a week. We had an incident a coup,e months ago where she got sick at dance, the phone lines are flakey down there, and it took a while for her to get a hold of us. It took several weeks of hand holding for her to feel comfortable again, even though she loves dance so much. Many of her dancer freinds this age have one too. So as nuts as I think it is, i feel like she should have one now too. If my kids were not involved in more focused and dedicated activities, I would not get them one.

 

ETA I got my first smartphone after my son. We are all on the republic plan and it costs less monthly for us all on a wireless smartphone than it did when DH and I just had voice only plans. We had to buy phones, but we bought stupid phones before.

[Aelwydd]

Poll attached - you can vote multiple times if you have more than one teen who have different types of phones.

 

Note: I use the term "dumb" phone with love. Have one myself. ;)

 

We're phone shopping - and i am curious. Seems every kid we know over the age of 8 (except ours) has an iPhone & we're wondering if that's the norm elsewhere & how often parents update those phones for said kids. :)

Ds has an HTC smartphone. He is 11, and I got it because it's easier to keep track of him, and the company I work for is a tech company, so we get discounts on devices.

[AlmiraGulch]

DD17 has an iPhone 4.  DD11 will be getting my 5 when the iPhone 6 comes out this fall and I upgrade.  She doesn't have one now.

[Just Another Jen]

15yo- iphone 3

20yo- iphone 3

18yo-iphone 4

 

They only have iphone because they were 99 cents when we started the contract 2 years ago. 18yo bought his own iphone 4 off ebay. The other 2 will get upgrades this August to whatever is the cheapest available.

[Butter]

12 year old has an LG G2.  14 year old has an iPhone 5c.  (They bought them themselves.)

[I talk to the trees]

Dd has a very inexpensive tracfone. She only uses it to call me to pick her up from dance. (I think a PP mentioned something similar.) Her best bud lives across the street from us. Their idea of texting is to tape messages written on sheets of printer paper in the windows! :)

[Guest]

No iPhones for teens here. They are welcome to have them when they can pay for them themselves. Dd has a "dumb" phone, used primarily for texts or emergency. Ds14 has no phone at present, but I plan to get him one similar to dd in the next month.

[MysteryJen]

My kids have dumb phones, but use their ipod touch (xmas present from grandma) constantly, messaging/snapchat. There is wireless nearly everywhere they go.

[Word Nerd]

DD's phone has the ability to access mobile web, but we had them turn off that feature because she doesn't need it. She also has an iPod touch.

[ThisIsTheDay]

My 13 year old has a moto x through republic wireless. It is a smartphone, but requires a wireless connection to do anything but call and text. So we bought the phone up front,butthe plan is only $10 a month.

 

...

 

We are all on the republic plan and it costs less monthly for us all on a wireless smartphone than it did when DH and I just had voice only plans. We had to buy phones, but we bought stupid phones before.

 

How do you like Republic Wireless?  I seriously considered them before buying my new phone last month, but I use my phone ALL time for so many things, and I was concerned that there still may be flaws. I believe it's still in beta?

 

Do you have an older RW phone, or the newer $$$ phone or the newest medium priced phone?

 

Do you notice when the phone changes between wifi and cellular?  How often do you use your phone?  (We no longer have a house phone.)  From what I've read on the website, it seems that they've resolved the MMIS issues and you can now text photos.  Does anyone in your family have any experience with that?  (I'd chose RW for dd with her next phone, but uses MMIS about 25% of the time.) What about apps, are there any limitations that you've found with the RW phones?

 

What else can you tell me about the service and how it is any different from any other phone company?

 

I apologize for the detailed questions, but I really want to know the true ins and outs before committing. It's what kept me from taking the leap with RW in the past, and in general, I'd trust someone's opinions here more than at the RW forum.

 

 

:) Thank you for putting up with me.

[Splash]

My 19yr old has older model smart phone HTG? 16 yr iPhone 5s he paid half I paid what iPod cost. 15 yr old samsung galaxy 1, 12 yr old same as sister (she has health issues so we got hers younger so she could text us). Boys have 500 mg data girls none

[Joker]

14 yo has iPhone 5c

12 yo has Galaxy 4

 

We pay for them. They are both in ps and involved in a lot of activities (including a few out of town/state trips) so we feel better knowing they have a way to get in touch with us no matter where they are. They are very responsible with them and do use birthday/gift money for any music or apps.

 

 

[elegantlion]

Ds used to have a iphone 4 that he got free with upgrade credit. Since ds and I separated we changed phone companies and now he has a dumb phone and currently a no-texting pay as you go plan. We don't have a home phone, so it's more a necessity for us. 

[Loowit]

DD has a smartphone that is a hand me down from me.  She has no data and "only" 300 texts a month.  She can use it on wi-fi at home if she wants, but we don't want to pay extra for a data plan for her.  Middle kid would like a phone of his own but we haven't decided yet.  He may get DH's phone when he gets a new one in a few months, but he really doesn't need it.  DH is not a fan of iPhones so we have android, although DH"s work phone is a Windows phone.

[edelweiss]

My 13 year old DD has an iPhone 5.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

My boys share an old galaxy 2 (I think).

 

When it dies they will likely get a cheap prepaid phone.

 

There are so few pay phones around so I find it necessary.

[Jenny in Florida]

We just got new phones for all four of us ahead of my daughter moving out of state and my son heading to college. My husband and I had held onto our iPhone 3s for four or five years, and the kids had been limping along with cheap "Go phones."

 

We looked at all of the options and ended up getting Galaxy III minis for my son and me and Galaxy IVs for my husband and daughter. (They both care much more about camera quality than my son and I do.) Thus far, we all like the phones quite a bit, although it did take us a couple of weeks to adjust to the android operating system and to figure out which apps work well.

 

We insisted our kids start carrying cell phones (at that point very basic dumb ones with pay-as-you-go plans) when they started doing activities away from us, especially since there are so few pay phones available. My daughter was 10 when she joined a choir made up mostly of somewhat older girls. After a few instances in which rehearsal ended early or I was running late for some reason and my daughter ended up standing alone on the street in the middle of downtown after dark waiting for me, we got her a phone. As others have said, in our particular situation, we considered cell phones as safety equipment. At first, neither of ours actually liked having to carry the phones and used them exclusively to talk to us. 

 

Over the years, we upgraded phones as each one gave out or when we decided to change plans for some reason. At one point, we had each kid on a different no-contract plan and my husband and myself on a regular monthly plan. Before my daughter went to college, we consolidated all four of us onto one plan and got new phones. At the time, it cost us very little more than the hodgepodge approach we had been using.

 

Similarly, as of a couple of months ago, our cell phone plan was a bizarre assembly of various services and fees we had added over the last seven years. My husband, who almost never texts or surfs the web on his phone, had unlimited data, because it was the best option at the time he bought the first iPhone. Meanwhile, we paid separately for limited amounts of data for me and my daughter. My son had unlimited texts, but no data, etc. We did the math very carefully and shopped every service provider, calculating the monthly costs and the initial out-of-pocket costs for phones and activation fees distributed over the three or four years we anticipate owning these phones, and discovered that upgrading all of us to new smartphones with a nice chunk of shared data and unlimited talk and text ends up costing us only about $20 more per month than the ridiculous mish-mash plan with a batch of unreliable, dying phones.

[4kidlets4me]

My 16yo has an iPhone 4S. She got it when I upgraded to a iPhone 5.

[LostSurprise]

We own 2-3 tracphones, and we share them as a family. If someone's going out they can grab one. No one 'owns' a particular phone though. 

[Lovingparent]

We got our DS a phone really early (11ish) because he was enrolled in many live classes, some lasting 2+ hours and I wanted him to be able to contact me in case of emergence. He had a dumb phone for a while, but last Christmas we got him an iphone. It was the only thing in his wishlist and his dumb phone was slowly dying. 

[Crimson Wife]

My dad gave us his old Nokia phone when he upgraded to a smartphone for DD to use. It is an internet capable phone but not a smart phone. The phone is for her use when she needs it, but it isn't hers.

[Corbster98]

My almost 16yo ds has a dumb phone with unlimited texts/ calling on our Verizon plan. We keep strict time limits on how often/ late he can be on the phone. I see no need for a teenager to have a smart phone!