What age for a phone? And why?

[Gentlemommy]

My dd9 is begging for one. It seems all of her friends have one or an iPod. She wants to text her friends. We are a tech limiting house. She can use my phone to text one of her friends, but not often. I don't leave her anywhere, where she couldn't reach me (at the gym, she can ask to call, or at my BFFs house who I trust completely). She doesn't stay alone at any time. I just do not see the point. Part of my hesitation is that she is very much like me. She 'checks out' on her kindle (no wifi, just an old school kindle) or behind a book. She had the tendency to over do on screens, which is why I limit them. I do NOT want her downloading a bunch of games and playing for hours, and I do not want the inevitable fight about how long, how often, ect.

Besides that, they are expensive, and if don't think she's responsible enough yet. However, maybe I'm being too closed minded? We definitely limit screens more than other people we know, (one hour per day they are allowed iPad/netflix time) but even that feels like a lot to me. I notice that when we keep screen time to a minimum, she plays, gets along better with everyone, ect. My expectation was that when she could save enough to buy one and maintain a plan (no idea what it is monthly) she can buy one. She would have to be much older for that to work though, as her allowance is $20 monthly. I was thinking at age 14 or so, but everyone I say that to thinks it ludicrous. Am I really that off here? Is it normal for 9 year olds to have them now a days???

[mom2samlibby]

It is normal for some to have at 9, but I wouldn't allow it. I was reading a book last night about protecting kids online and he said the youngest he would want a child to have a phone would be 15. My kids are 12 and 15 and don't have phones. They do have an ipod/ipad. We found out this week that our oldest has been doing a lot with the ipod that I don't approve of. I'm wishing now that I would have set up more guidelines and more monitoring from the beginning. I'd hold off if I were you.

[4ofus]

We activated a very old non-data plan phone for $10/mo when our sons flew without us at 10 & 11. We wanted them to call & check in at the layover. They are very unimpressed & it now lives in a drawer as the "extra" phone. I think it is perfect.

 

Basically, a phone comes into play when there's a good reason & "my friends have one" is not a good reason IMO ;).

[bettyandbob]

My kids got phones when they went places without me or I was leaving them at drop off activities. That was 10-12 in our house. No one in this house has a smart phone. Our phones do text and voice. We emphasize the phone as a safety device at first. As the kids have gotten older they use them for work contacts and school. They do also text friends, but the utility part of the device is emphasized.

 

I think my dd16 is a little unusual for her group. This summer has been the first I've seen her text people a few times a day (and I mean few, not constantly) I've seen kids much younger permanently attached to phones and never looking up. That has never been the case in my house.

[Peaceful Isle]

My 12 year old daughter got a phone this summer. I felt it was time. What made me chose this age? A few things :)

 

She is starting to go away to camps, play in sports, and now we are signed up under a private school to participate in all sorts of activities which will cause her to be away from me.

My reasoning wasn't for her fun. It was for my sanity and her safety. It is a smart phone, but she is not allowed online unless we give her permission for specific things and times. ( we have acountable2you on it so we can track anything that might be suspicious ) I love my daughter, but I in no ways think she is perfect. Neither am I for that matter. :p

She is allowed to text her friends, and call family.

[Ravin]

At nine. She was the only one who used the house phone, so we transferred the number. The phone is useful for lots of other things as well, but it let us be able to quickly contact her and gave her the freedom to go from friends A's house to friend b's without me having to wander around looking for which drive her bike was parked on.

[catz]

My dd got one at 10 this summer.  But she dances 4 nights a week and has some weekend rehearsals that end early sometimes.  She got sick at dance once this spring and had a hard time getting a hold of us, and that threw us over the edge on getting her a phone.  My son got one at 13.  If she weren't dancing, she wouldn't have one.  I think there are probably 8 year olds that have a good reason to have one (2 working parents, committed activities) and 16 year olds that don't need one.  I don't think there is a particular age. 

 

We have a $10 a month plan at Republic Wireless.  We have unlimited voice and text and the internet capabilities of the phone are only available when you have a wireless connection.  Which we do at home and many places we frequent anyway.  They don't need 3/4G!  In fact, all 4 of us have this plan now.  We are paying less for these 4 phones monthly than we were paying for 2 stupid phones and no texting plan.

 

A side affect of the phone is my dd does text her little dance friends now.  She has 3-4 of them and they will text each other now and then.  I don't allow her to text all day long, but it's actually made her closer to her community of dance friends and has actually been a pretty positive thing.  After the incident with her unable to contact us at dance this spring, I wasn't really sure she'd still want to dance.  It really kicked off some major anxiety in her.  And now she wants to dance more than ever.  She feels much more confident and in control when she has the phone on her.

 

But if I had a kid not doing committed drop off activities, no, they would not have a phone. 

[Farrar]

I got one for my 9 yos this summer. They needed it because they were sometimes alone without me or dh. We don't have a land line so that was part of it.

 

The phone we got was text and calls only - no data. $10 a month, no cost for the phone, though we had to get a plan to go with it so that means we have to keep it for two years, but I'm okay with that.

[Georgiana Daniels]

My dd9 is begging for one. It seems all of her friends have one or an iPod. She wants to text her friends. We are a tech limiting house. She can use my phone to text one of her friends, but not often. I don't leave her anywhere, where she couldn't reach me (at the gym, she can ask to call, or at my BFFs house who I trust completely). She doesn't stay alone at any time. I just do not see the point. Part of my hesitation is that she is very much like me. She 'checks out' on her kindle (no wifi, just an old school kindle) or behind a book. She had the tendency to over do on screens, which is why I limit them. I do NOT want her downloading a bunch of games and playing for hours, and I do not want the inevitable fight about how long, how often, ect.

Besides that, they are expensive, and if don't think she's responsible enough yet. However, maybe I'm being too closed minded? We definitely limit screens more than other people we know, (one hour per day they are allowed iPad/netflix time) but even that feels like a lot to me. I notice that when we keep screen time to a minimum, she plays, gets along better with everyone, ect. My expectation was that when she could save enough to buy one and maintain a plan (no idea what it is monthly) she can buy one. She would have to be much older for that to work though, as her allowance is $20 monthly. I was thinking at age 14 or so, but everyone I say that to thinks it ludicrous. Am I really that off here? Is it normal for 9 year olds to have them now a days???

 

Sounds like you already know what's right for your daughter :)

 

I was always against my kids having phones...until last year when the soccer coach I left her with during a game actually LEFT her behind when the game got called for rain. It was then that I reconsidered my position, knowing that dd needed to be able to get a hold of us if something "went wrong."

 

That said, we still haven't purchased a phone for her....

[Catwoman]

My ds was 4.

 

We travel a lot and we also spend a lot of time in large cities, and I was always concerned that we might somehow get accidentally separated, so I made sure he had a phone and knew how to use it. (Thankfully, that never happened, but my dh and I wanted to cover our bases, just in case!)

[Cera]

When said child has need of one. For us, that is when a child will be going out without me for more than a short time. They get very basic prepaid phones. They can call and they can text.

 

Dd15 got one at 12, when she went to school.

 

Ds probably won't get one till he's at least 12, probably 13.

 

We have the same policy.  We have basic AT&T gophones that do not have data service right now.  They are "family" cell phones to be taken by whichever kid is being dropped off without a parent somewhere (sports, scouts, sleepover).  Our kids are 7-10 years old.

[Jenn121]

Hannah was 11 and going away without us with her chorus to Disneyland. It was a semi-dumb phone.

[chocolatechip]

When they get their independent driver's license (not just permit). Before that they really aren't away from Mom, Dad, or a phone they could use for very long. 

 

Whether or not a landline is present in the home would make a difference, though, I think.

[Arcadia]

For 9 year olds to have basic phones for calling parents, pretty much the norm here after the public call phones disappear. Prepaid phones are rather affordable. For phones that can text or smartphones, more common for middle school and high school kids. Texting can rake up the phone bill depending on the plan.

 

ETA:

Libraries don't allow use of their phones anymore as a kid just found out when her mum was late coming back from an errand.

 

ETA:

I'm also in earthquake area and I agree text is more likely to get through in an emergency than calling. Our text rate is high on our prepaid but worth using when need be.

[Dory]

They can have an ipod or ipad around 10 or 11 (my son chose a computer instead), but no phone until they are driving. We have a landline and unless they are driving somewhere, I just don't see the need for a cell phone for them. When we had a teenager in the house he had a prepaid cell until he was making enough money to get his own. I wanted to make sure he had a cell phone while he was out and about in case something happened.

[LucyStoner]

We got my son a tracfone when he was 10 to allow him an easy way to contact us when he is at some drop off event- he's in an environmentalist club for instance and sometimes we drop him off for a class or workshop. He's not very socially savvy and if he was feeling stressed and needed to contact us he might not think to ask an adult to use a phone. He's an 11 year old boy tho and he has no interest in texting anyone except us and occasionally his best friend. It's also been handy when he and his friend are riding bikes together or we are at a small theme park and allow them to go off in their own. It's helpful to him as a clock to remind him when to meet up with us and it means that if for some reason they aren't back at the appointed time, we can reach them. Though to be fair it's only been needed when I was late to meet them-they've been on the nose on time each time. I think in 8 months of having it he's used *maybe* 300 minutes (a text counts as one minute I think). He also has an iPod but that isn't used for iMessage really. He has no one to iMessage except us. He uses it mainly for apps and taking notes and accessing his calendar. So in short, because he's not super social and uses the phone and iPod as intended, we don't have the same considerations or worries with these technologies as other parents might need to, at least not yet. His best friend has a tracphone too but no iPod.

 

Tracphone is a good cheap option. Including the phone, I think we have spent about $70 and he has several months worth of minutes left on it.

[LibraryLover]

15? That's not comfortable in my situation. My youngest is a dancer and has been out of the house without me for 15 hours /week since age 12. I need my child to have a way of contacting me without having to rely on others or spotty charging habits. Also, we live in an earthquake zone. In an emergency texting is less likely to impacted, as phone lines are swamped with 911 calls. When it was time for a smartphone I purchased an iPhone, as they 'talk' to each other. In a recent scary emergency, my dh could not get through to her on his Android, but our iPhones connected almost immediately. I'm fine with a phone at any age, although not internet.

[kiwik]

Ds7 has one but I really got it so we could have a spare. It has no money on it - I can call him and he could call 111 in an emergency. My intention is to have a shared prepaid for whichever child needs it to be used when they are teens.

[SemiSweet]

I got ds a basic phone when he was 5 because he went to visit his dad for the summer and his dad had a history of not letting him call me. After that summer I never used it again, but kept the line and he got a smart phone for his 10th birthday when he was able to start staying home alone for short periods and having more freedom around the neighborhood. Dd is scatterbrained so depending on her maturity we may or may not do the same.

[LibraryLover]

I totally agree. Cell phones are an incredible safety/emergency tool. I can't even imagine anymore not taking advantage of such helpful technology. My kids were not with me in Napa last weekend when the earthquake occurred. The very short minutes before we connected were terrifying . Everyone around me was texting and calling loved ones to check on safety and reassure safety.

 

I would not willingly leave any child of mine without access to a reliable cell phone. I'm not saying a little child needs a $$$$ one, or whole hog internet, but the ability to communicate with a parent when in need is critical, IMO. "We have the technology."

 

 

a

My ds was 4.

 

We travel a lot and we also spend a lot of time in large cities, and I was always concerned that we might somehow get accidentally separated, so I made sure he had a phone and knew how to use it. (Thankfully, that never happened, but my dh and I wanted to cover our bases, just in case!)

[Mrs Mungo]

None of my kids had a phone before age 13. It isn't so much the age for us as when they start babysitting, walking/riding their bike places and/or attending a lot of drop off activities.

[gardenmom5]

I pay for phones when they either head to college, or are so busy with sports and afterschool activities that we really need it for contact.  oh -and if they wanted a smart phone, they had to pay the difference.  smart phones are not "essential". 

 

my 9yo wants a phone - for the games. (and to call his brother who moved away.) no. he can call anyone he needs to on the house phone. I explained my rules for purchasing a phone.  he fights all outside activities so it's not like he's busy.

 

My niece had a phone when she was six.  that is absolutely absurd.

 

 

IF a child was going to have a phone -literally the ONLY one they would get would be a minimal dumb phone that could only call specific people and emergencies.  they don't need bells and whistles.

(a teen taking a bus to college classes might get a smart phone.  we have a bus app here that tells where the bus is and how long you have to wait, as well as being able to look up routes.)

[chocolatechip]

Off topic alert ahead. 

 

I just got a new (supposedly smart) phone. Someone I know always says: "Smart phones are only as smart as the person who's using them." Ouucchh. . . Ain't that the truth, though!  :D

 

Okay. Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

[Pawz4me]

We haven't had a land line in well over a 10 years.  So each of our boys got dumb phones when they were old enough to stay home alone (around 9 or 10).  I think they got their iPods around the same age.  They each got a smart phone around 15.  FWIW (and if it matters) they've each had their own computer since they were preschoolers.

[Joules]

For ds it was 10 or 11. Like most of the other posters, I got it when he started going places without me. He had a couple of activities and free ranged at park days a bit. I also liked him to have it if we got separated traveling or in the city. It's a dumb phone (or, as they say in the biz, feature phone), but so is mine. He's nearly 17 and that has worked out just fine. Dh wants to get him a smart phone when he starts driving independently so he'll have access to maps, traffic, schedules, etc.

(I may do the same if we're getting a plan anyway. Right now I just have one of those 200+ page map books in the backseat...never needs charging, but a bit cumbersome.)

[SebastianCat]

My kids are 12 and 10 and neither has their own phone yet. We got rid of the landline about 3 years ago and have a basic prepaid phone to replace it. DS can take that phone with him when I take him to drop off activities, but he has no desire to have his own phone yet. We've told him that he is old enough to have a phone if he wants one, as long as he pays for it, and no internet access is allowed yet.

 

My DD can't wait to get her own phone, and we've said she could in middle school. But the same rules apply...she pays for it, and no internet access. I have a feeling we'll have a "no phone during school" rule by then as well.

[Carrie12345]

My kids get phones when I need (or "need") them to have phones.

For my son (who has Aspergers), that was around 9, after his school bus was in an accident and I wasn't notified until I got a call to pick him up in the hospital 2 hours later.

For my daughters, who share a phone right now, that was a few months ago, just before 11/12. I do leave them home, where we don't have a land line, and I do leave them at multiple activities ,and we also go separate ways in some places.

 

They do goof around with it more often than I'd like, but there are perks.  I no longer have kids knocking on my door, making the dog crazy, all day long. :tongue_smilie: They all text each other to see who's available to play.

[whitestavern]

We purchased a dumb phone for dd as a grad present from 8th grade. She will need it for high school; in fact there were a few times prior to that where a cell phone would've come in handy.

 

We also purchased an iPod touch for her 13th bday. I really regret that purchase. It just became a huge timesuck for her. And she was fairly limited in what she could do/what apps she was able to get. As a PP mentioned, when we take it away she is more pleasant, plays with her brother, finds better ways to amuse herself/use her time. If I had it to do over again I may have bought her a dumb phone earlier. I don't mind the texting. It was the hours on pinterest and you tube that we had to stop.

 

I'd say wait a few years at least.

[Donna]

My kids get phones when I need them to have one. For my boys, it was when they started in the public schools and were staying after school for sports and needed to call me to come pick them up at varying times (this was 8th grade). There were no longer pay phones in the school. I also found it convenient when they were in the neighborhood playing with friends and I wanted to contact them to come home.

 

My daughter is always home with me or her father or home where there is a landline. Not sure when I will allow her to have a phone. I almost caved and got her one this summer when she was attending two camps where I needed to leave her during the day but it worked out that the music director kept in contact with me on his phone.

[Cinder]

ETA:

Libraries don't allow use of their phones anymore as a kid just found out when her mum was late coming back from an errand.

 

That's too bad. Our library still has a phone in the hall that anyone can use for local calls.

 

Off topic alert ahead. 

 

I just got a new (supposedly smart) phone. Someone I know always says: "Smart phones are only as smart as the person who's using them." I just got a new (supposedly smart) phone. Ouucchh. . . Ain't that the truth, though!  :D

 

Okay. Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

 

I'm with you! After I *finally* got a smart phone (I think I was the last person I knew to get one) I had to ask my dc how to answer a call before I went to the store! I would have felt very silly if I'd gotten a call and couldn't answer it. Kind of like the old man I saw in the parking lot one day whose car alarm was blaring while he stood there feeling bad that he didn't know how to turn it off. (As people walked by he'd try to explain that the car was new and he hadn't gotten around the figuring out the alarm yet.)

 

For the OP, ds1 had a flip phone at 13yo because he started his referee job with the Y. We'd just drop him at the soccer fields for a few hours and wanted him to have an easy way to contact us. He was phone-less a couple years between quitting the job and getting his license/driving himself to school. Once he started driving we renewed his "dumb" phone and later, after graduation, he got a smart phone. Ds2 is 16yo and still doesn't have a phone as he doesn't need one yet. Most of his friends have phones, though.

[marbel]

None of my kids had a phone before age 13. It isn't so much the age for us as when they start babysitting, walking/riding their bike places and/or attending a lot of drop off activities.

 

Yeah, for us age had nothing to do with it.  We got them when the kid needed them.

 

My daughter got hers when she started babysitting, and that was really only because people don't have landlines anymore. It caught us by surprise the first few times because the moms didn't think to let us know they didn't have landline and didn't think to ask if she had a phone.  She borrowed her brother's till we got her one of her own.  (He had one because he went to Scout events and needed the ability to contact us for pickup.  He could have borrowed an adult's phone but we preferred he not have to do that.)

[Elisabet1]

When they started driving. I felt they needed one in case anything happened while driving, like an accident. Plus, I can trace the phones and I like being able to check up on them while they are driving to make sure all is fine in those early years.

 

My 10 and 12 yr olds want phone. I tell them no. They just do not need one. I want them to talk to people face to face, not text on the phone. Also, if kids are given everything at 9 yrs old, then what do they look forward to at 16 or so? 

[Reefgazer]

In our house, age 10, because that is when their freedom to roam the 'hood and go places a bit more independently really ramps up.

[Scarlett]

I got my son a basic phone at age 12 because he goes to his dads for visitation every 2 weeks and I wanted him to be able to call me. His dad doesn't have a land line.

 

2 years later....just a few months ago I let him up grade to a smart phone. He baid for the phone and I pay the monthly bill.

 

In my experience it is common for 9 year olds to beg for a phone but rarely is it a good idea at that age. My SS had one at that age ( and needed one because he lives with his mom and dh wanted to be able to contact him ) but he constantly lost it, didn't keep it charged and forgot to check for messages. At 13 SS now has a smart phone and he is much more responsible.

 

In your case with no real need and her tendency to over do screen time I would hold off a while....until 12 if possible. I would also start with a basic if you can even still get one.

[Cinder]

In your case with no real need and her tendency to over do screen time I would hold off a while....until 12 if possible. I would also start with a basic if you can even still get one.

 

You can. Ds2 was surprised to see a flip phone for $5 at Kroger the other day. I guess since everyone has a smart phone now those flip phones just aren't in demand anymore.

[happypamama]

We just got a phone for the kids' use a couple of months ago.  It's a TracFone ($11 a month) and is ostensibly for any of them to use, but so far DD12 is the only one who has needed it.  I sometimes drop her off at activities or classes and wanted her to have a way to reach us.  It has some texting and will do internet, but the internet is very cumbersome and costs a lot of minutes, and she's not allowed to use it.

 

She has not used it a whole lot, but it's been helpful on a few occasions.  She often has it with her when we're out, because it plays mp3s too, and sometimes she likes to walk to a different section of the store; the phone means I can call her and not have to drag myself and the small ones all the way across the store to find her.

 

Also, we have no landline, so the "kids'" phone also acts as an emergency phone, should I need one when my cell phone is dead.

[Reefgazer]

I don't think you're abnormal or off at all.

 

I have a DD (12) and a DS (9).  We have a family computer, one TV in the living room with no cable;  these homeschooling boards are the only social media anyone in the household uses.  My kids have a shared Wii, and they each have a cell phone (non smart phone, so just for calls or texting ) and an iPod 5. 

 

The kids are not allowed any screen time on anything during the school week, and are limited to 2 hours each of screen time total on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  There are exceptions to this policy for schoolwork/school research to be done on the internet/computer (which is not a lot since all DD's papers are written longhand until she masters punctuation and spelling without the crutch of spell check and grammar check), and they are free to listen to music whenever on their iPods, but they are not allowed to access the internet/games.  They have free and unfettered access to their phones, although the phones must be charged downstairs and out of their bedrooms when they go to bed.  We've had this policy for years and it has worked well for us.  You can get a non-smartphone and not have the headaches associated with a smartphone for your kids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My dd9 is begging for one. It seems all of her friends have one or an iPod. She wants to text her friends. We are a tech limiting house. She can use my phone to text one of her friends, but not often. I don't leave her anywhere, where she couldn't reach me (at the gym, she can ask to call, or at my BFFs house who I trust completely). She doesn't stay alone at any time. I just do not see the point. Part of my hesitation is that she is very much like me. She 'checks out' on her kindle (no wifi, just an old school kindle) or behind a book. She had the tendency to over do on screens, which is why I limit them. I do NOT want her downloading a bunch of games and playing for hours, and I do not want the inevitable fight about how long, how often, ect.

Besides that, they are expensive, and if don't think she's responsible enough yet. However, maybe I'm being too closed minded? We definitely limit screens more than other people we know, (one hour per day they are allowed iPad/netflix time) but even that feels like a lot to me. I notice that when we keep screen time to a minimum, she plays, gets along better with everyone, ect. My expectation was that when she could save enough to buy one and maintain a plan (no idea what it is monthly) she can buy one. She would have to be much older for that to work though, as her allowance is $20 monthly. I was thinking at age 14 or so, but everyone I say that to thinks it ludicrous. Am I really that off here? Is it normal for 9 year olds to have them now a days???

[Mommyof4ks]

My dd got one for her 14th birthday, because she is away from us a lot more now.

[Baseball mom]

Kiddos don't have a cell yet and the oldest is 16.  He has no real desire for a phone.  I did get a tracphone for an emergency phone.  If they are going somewhere they take the phone.  They don't use the phone unless they are out and need to get ahold of us.

[Catwoman]

When they started driving. I felt they needed one in case anything happened while driving, like an accident. Plus, I can trace the phones and I like being able to check up on them while they are driving to make sure all is fine in those early years.

 

My 10 and 12 yr olds want phone. I tell them no. They just do not need one. I want them to talk to people face to face, not text on the phone. Also, if kids are given everything at 9 yrs old, then what do they look forward to at 16 or so?

Don't worry -- they'll think of something! :D

[Momling]

12 yr old has a phone -- she uses it when she walks and takes the bus around town, babysits and spends all day away from me at ballet rehearsals or at class. It's an older model iphone and she also uses it as a calculator and watch and radio and to listen to audio books. 

My 10 yr old does not have a phone. She does ride her bike to and from school, but isn't always careful about remembering where she leaves things.  I imagine in a year or two, we'll add her to our plan.  She has an old unconnected iphone so she doesn't feel particularly left out.

[Evergreen State Sue]

Our teens are driving, and doing activities now without Mom and Dad. That's when we decided to buy cell phones.  We bought tracfones recently from QVC.  The phones were about $75 for 1500 minutes and one year of service, including the phone.  Our kids were told to budget their minutes each month because if they use them up before the service is up, they are buying the extra minutes.  You really don't need that many minutes to call in an emergency or if you need to be picked up from an activity.  It still gives them some extra minutes for friends.  We thought it was a good deal and gave us peace of mind.

 

[mamajag]

My daughter is 10 and just got her iPhone. She does a lot of extracurriculars and needs to be in touch with me because some things don't have a set end time. We don't limit tech in our home, though. I do take all tech at bedtime because the kids have attempted to sneak one into bed.

[Trish]

We gave our kids phones when we wanted to be able to get in touch with them readily, or have them contact us. This turned out to be age 12 for our older, and 10 for our younger. (since the phones were buy one get one free) It wasn't expensive to get regular dumb phones that could text and talk but little else.

[Wabi Sabi]

It has little to do with age, IMO, and more to do with when your child starts spending more time away from you, riding public transportation, being dropped off at classes and activities, etc. 

My ds needed a phone this past year at 9. I felt it was necessary when he was in a musical with a community theater group last Christmas. Parents were not allowed in rehearsals, and during tech week I'd drop him off at the theater in the early evening without an exact time to pick him back up. He needed a way to call and let me know when he was ready for a ride home, and I didn't want to always count on him being able to find someone who would let him borrow their phone.  

 

Around the same time I started letting him stay home during the day for short periods of time. We don't have a home phone, and I wouldn't be comfortable letting him stay home alone with no way to call for help in an emergency. 

The phone often goes untouched for weeks, but it's still nice to have around now that he's at the age where I do drop him off places and pay phones have all but disappeared. He's in another theatre production right now so he tucks it into his pocket for rehearsals, and I've even had him put it in his backpack when he goes on playdates/sleepovers. If anything ever happens to make him uncomfortable when he's with someone else I want him to have a way to contact me. 

It's a very cheap, basic phone and does not have a keyboard for texting. However, he does have an iPod as well (it was a gift from a grandma, not me), and he uses it to text friends and family when he's home and on wifi. His only contacts are parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and a couple of friends we've approved. It tickles me that he and his great-grandmother check in on each other via text a few times each week. You know times have changed when 80-something great-grannies have iPhones and use them to keep up with grandkids across the country!

 

He also uses the iPod to listen to audiobooks, make videos and take pictures, and he has several apps that he uses daily for educational purposes. He has one app that he uses to help him memorize Hiragana for his Japanese  class, another app for sight reading music, and a third for quizzing him on his math facts. Flash cards would serve the same purpose, but he likes the interactive style of the apps better than traditional flashcards, it works for him, and it frees up some of my time.