What age to get cell phone?

[Guest]

What age do you allow your child to get a cell phone?  My ds is 13.5, and is asking for a cell phone.  I would like to get him one because I could contact him whenever I needed to, but my dh thinks he is too young. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

If needed, any age IMO. 

 

Neither of mine have one (9 and 12).  We just haven't felt the need for it yet.  If you are worried about him making calls without permission you could always get a prepaid. 

 

My issue with it is the cost.  I just can't justify spending that much money every month for phones that won't get used for anything other than entertainment.  We have enough entertaining devices.  KWIM? 

[Guest]

My 12yo is getting one for Christmas and she could have used it years ago. When they get old enough to be left at activities is when they need them, IMO.

[Susan C.]

My vote is when they need one. It sounds like you do. You can get a prepaid cell for quite cheap. Then its not a big loss if it is lost or broken. If you are in a major city, Net 10 is a good option. If you need signal for sparsely populated areas, Verizon is the way to go.

 

ADDING: We don't pay for unlimited texting, and talking full conversations. And our kids are grown but still at home. We use the home phone for that. Cells are for convenience only, to touch base and get short messages back and forth.

[skimomma]

We got one for dd at age 10.  It was more for OUR benefit than hers.  Most of her friends live in houses with no land lines and there are no pay phones anywhere anymore.  We needed to be able to contact her and for her to be able to contact us without drama.  It is a dumb phone though.  If she ever wants a smartphone, she will pay the difference in plan price and for the phone.  Even at that, I don't think we would allow it until she was older anyway.

[Spryte]

I don't think there needs to be a hard and fast rule for this, it sort of depends on each family.  Our oldest got a cell phone in the 9th grade, but he was in PS, and started doing a lot of after school activities.  It just made sense for him to be able to contact us if schedules were to suddenly change.

 

DS is 10, and doesn't have one, hasn't asked for one (it's not even on his radar), but I'm considering one for him because I'd like to drop him off at some activities, but I want him to be able to reach me.  He has serious allergies, so I think a phone would ease *my* fears.  :)

 

A pre-paid plan looks like an excellent idea.

[SparklyUnicorn]

My 12yo is getting one for Christmas and she could have used it years ago. When they get old enough to be left at activities is when they need them, IMO.

 

It depends.  I'd assume the adults have phones or access to a phone in the unlikely event of an emergency.  I don't tend to leave my kids though. 

 

What I've seen too, is the older kids playing with their phones instead of paying attention to the activity.  My son's drama instructors have a real hard time trying to get kids to put down their phones . Even my son becomes frustrated by their inability to do something other than play with the phones.

 

I'd ring my kid's neck if he did that.  But I don't know if the drama teachers don't say anything to the parents or the parents know and don't care.  I really don't know.  I don't pay $100 a month for my kid to stare at his phone during the class.

 

My other son's choir needs weekly volunteers whose sole responsibility is to make sure kids are not playing with their phones during rehearsals.  This is despite a no cell phone rule during rehearsals. 

 

It's pretty ridiculous, but I see adults doing the same thing so of course how would kids know any differently? 

[Farrar]

We got one for my boys to share when they were 9 yo. Ds was going to be taking the subway alone sometimes and we wanted him to have it. Also, sometimes we leave them home alone for a couple of hours and we don't have a land line. It's been useful now for other ds's long Nutcracker rehearsals when he's on his own including for his breaks and sometimes roads close and we have to rearrange pick ups and want to check in with him. He's staying with friends for a couple of days while we go out of town and I'm glad he'll have it then as well. It's talk and text only, no data, super cheapie phone. 

 

I know that a decade ago, there was a sense of waiting for the right age for it, but I no longer think that applies much because they're such a basic expectation of communication now. When you're ready to use it and can be responsible about it is the right age. I think most 13 yos fall into that category.

[SparklyUnicorn]

We got one for my boys to share when they were 9 yo. Ds was going to be taking the subway alone sometimes and we wanted him to have it. Also, sometimes we leave them home alone for a couple of hours and we don't have a land line. It's talk and text only, no data, super cheapie phone. I'm very glad they have it.

 

I know that a decade ago, there was a sense of waiting for the right age for it, but I no longer think that applies much because they're such a basic expectation of communication now. When you're ready to use it and can be responsible about it is the right age. I think most 13 yos fall into that category.

 

These would be reasons I'd get them phones.  And I do realize it is getting more and more difficult to have access to a phone in public.  So anything involving not being at a specific activity with adults, etc. would seem like a good reason to have one.

[Just Kate]

This sounds crazy, but we got our ds a very cheap cell phone at age 8 because he was on the swim team with frequent, long practices, and I wanted us to be able to communicate (there was one practice that was cut short due to lightning and he sat there for an hour waiting for me to pick him up! Yes, I was irritated with the coaches, but that is another story). He doesn't use it frequently, but it has helped when he is outside playing and dinner is ready or something. I can always reach him and I don't have to roam the neighborhood looking for him!

 

Amazingly, most of his friends have cell phones, and some of them even have iPhones! 

 

I used to think that grade school age was too young, but now I see that with outside activities, I feel much better knowing we can always reach each other if necessary.

 

ETA: Another reason that I am okay with my now 10 year old having a cell phone is that I think there is an expectation that kids have them these days. For instance, my dd is taking a theater class and this week is tech week, which means that she has had practices each night to get ready for the show (tonight is opening night...Yipee!). The last two nights, the practice time was from 5:30 - 9pm and it included all of the kids in the show, including older teenagers. Many of the parents drop the kids off for practice, as that is what the teachers really prefer (but I always hung around). Even though practice was scheduled from 5:30-9pm, it ended at 8:30 on the first night and then 8:10 last night! It was just assumed that the kids would call there parents from their cell phones.

 

Also (and I mentioned this at the beginning of my post), the reason we got ds a cell phone was that at age 8, his swim team practice was cancelled due to lightning. There wasn't a bad storm or anything, so I didn't realize that the lightning had even occurred. Ds sat there for an hour waiting for me to pick him up! I was furious with the coaches. And I was furious with myself, as I thought I had done a good job of training ds on what to do if he needed me (go to coach or person at front desk and ask to call me). He told me that all of the other kids just pulled out their cell phones to call home. That was when I realized that many of the younger kids on ds's team had older siblings who swimmed. Anyway, we immediately bought him a cell phone. And, of course, I had a little talk with the coaches (why did they not make sure ALL kids had a ride home!!!???).

[Pawz4me]

We haven't had a land line in many years.  So our boys each got a basic cell phone around 10, when they were old enough to stay home alone.  When they were around 15/16 we got them smart phones.

[Farrar]

It depends.  I'd assume the adults have phones or access to a phone in the unlikely event of an emergency.  I don't tend to leave my kids though. 

 

What I've seen too, is the older kids playing with their phones instead of paying attention to the activity.  My son's drama instructors have a real hard time trying to get kids to put down their phones . Even my son becomes frustrated by their inability to do something other than play with the phones.

 

I'd ring my kid's neck if he did that.  But I don't know if the drama teachers don't say anything to the parents or the parents know and don't care.  I really don't know.  I don't pay $100 a month for my kid to stare at his phone during the class.

 

My other son's choir needs weekly volunteers whose sole responsibility is to make sure kids are not playing with their phones during rehearsals.  This is despite a no cell phone rule during rehearsals. 

 

It's pretty ridiculous, but I see adults doing the same thing so of course how would kids know any differently? 

 

My kids' phone is too boring to play with and doesn't have data. I suppose that in a few years when their friends have them too, texting could be an issue, but I would come down hard on them for it, I have to say. Never say never... my boys are young still... but I feel like they'll continue to be responsible about it and if I tell them it doesn't come out, then it won't.

[Susan in TN]

We bought ds one at 17yo because he was needing to drive into the city at night every week. We bought him a smart phone when he went to college and dd16 inherited his stupid phone. She doesn't have her drivers license yet, so we would not have otherwise gotten her a phone at this point.

 

For our family, it is primarily a matter of weighing our limited budget with safety concerns.

[Tammi K]

We're another family that bases it on need. Our youngest is 13.5 and he is never really anywhere without a sibling because it just works out that way. I suspect within the next year he'll start being in places where he will need one.

 

The next old got her (dumb) phone when she was 15 but didn't have texting until she got a smart phone for her last birthday.

 

Usually they've gotten phones when they tell us they are starting to feel bad about having to borrow a friend's phone to call us for a ride. :tongue_smilie:

[Susan in TN]

My other son's choir needs weekly volunteers whose sole responsibility is to make sure kids are not playing with their phones during rehearsals. This is despite a no cell phone rule during rehearsals.

 

It's pretty ridiculous, but I see adults doing the same thing so of course how would kids know any differently?

I have seen/heard of this in youth symphony rehearsals as well. If any of the kids in my string orchestras tried this they would be out the door faster than you can say "Angry Birds". Come to think of it, we have never specifically stated a rule against phone usage during rehearsals. Hopefully it will not become an issue.

[skimomma]

My kids' phone is too boring to play with and doesn't have data. I suppose that in a few years when their friends have them too, texting could be an issue, but I would come down hard on them for it, I have to say. Never say never... my boys are young still... but I feel like they'll continue to be responsible about it and if I tell them it doesn't come out, then it won't.

 

Yeah.  There is not much to do with a dumb phone.  I suppose they could be texting, but that has not been an issue in dd's activities.  Most ban the use during activity time and they will be taken until the end of the activity if the rule is violated (usually followed up with a chat or email to the parents).

[skimomma]

There is also a big change from kids' activities from when I was younger.  Maybe it is because I live in a different area or my perception is different.  But when I was a kid, children's activities were very organized and parents knew what was going on.  That is not the case (at all) with my dd's current activities.  Things end early, go late, change locations and/or times.  Communication is poor.  We NEED the phone or else we have to stay at every activity.  If it were just one or two activities, I would just pull her out of them, but this has been our experience with every single activity she has been involved in.  It is frustrating to no end, but at least we have a way for her to communicate if plans change.

[Farrar]

There is also a big change from kids' activities from when I was younger.  Maybe it is because I live in a different area or my perception is different.  But when I was a kid, children's activities were very organized and parents knew what was going on.  That is not the case (at all) with my dd's current activities.  Things end early, go late, change locations and/or times.  Communication is poor.  We NEED the phone or else we have to stay at every activity.  If it were just one or two activities, I would just pull her out of them, but this has been our experience with every single activity she has been involved in.  It is frustrating to no end, but at least we have a way for her to communicate if plans change.

 

I don't feel like it's changed... we have some activities that are crazy organized and some... well... that are not.

[Erin]

Buck got his (a dumb phone) at 14 because that's when he started working.  He needed to be able to call us, call his boss (he day works on a ranch, so most of the time he's working outside, miles away from other people), etc.  

 

Bean will probably get one at 14 also, simply because that's kind of the precedent we've already established.

 

 

I can see where it would have been handy when they were younger, but at the same time, they never go ANYWHERE where someone doesn't have a phone they can borrow if they need to.

[KatieJ]

Our's got cell phones when they turned 16 and driving on their own. Prior to that they would take mine or DH if necessary. We limited texting for a long time until the plans became more affordable. I am thinking they were in college by then. We paid for the service if they were in school. When one of our sons quit college and worked full time, he paid for his own phone.

[KatieJ]

***

[marbel]

My kids got theirs around 11 or 12.  My daughter started babysitting and the parents didn't have landlines.  For a while she and my son shared one, but that didn't last long    So, they got phones when they  needed them.

 

Neither of my kids have smart phones.  There seems to be this idea (not on this board or in this conversation) that phone choices are a super basic phone with no texting and a smartphone.  Not so.  My kids can call and text but they don't have smartphones.  I forget what they're called - not a flip phone, not a smart phone. Anyway, they do the job but they don't create a distraction because they have no games, no internet. 

[maize]

I got a prepaid phone for my oldest when she started spending a lot of time at the dance studio, as late as 9:00 at night.

 

I don't think there is a set age, more a matter of meeting needs. If/when we opt for a smart phone though it will need good parental controls.

[kristi26]

Up until this year, none of my DC had a cell phone.  They were all homeschooled and so, rarely had a need for a cell phone.  But then DS14 got into a school in a semi-major city thirty minutes from our house and has to ride the public bus to get there and back again.  So we got him a Tracfone that he uses only for emergencies (in other words, to contact me so that I know he is alive :lol: ).  If he weren't going into the city, he still wouldn't have a cell phone. :)

[lynn]

We have a family cell that the kids used when they went out with friends or drop off for practice.  They get cell phones when entering high school.   I never know when they may forget to tell me they signed up for something after school or missed the bus.  

[magnificent_baby]

We got one for dd at age 10.  It was more for OUR benefit than hers.  Most of her friends live in houses with no land lines and there are no pay phones anywhere anymore.  We needed to be able to contact her and for her to be able to contact us without drama.  It is a dumb phone though.  If she ever wants a smartphone, she will pay the difference in plan price and for the phone.  Even at that, I don't think we would allow it until she was older anyway.

 

This is exactly our situation too. I drop Dd off for activities for a solid chunk of time and wanted a way to reach her. DH didn't think it was necessary, but since I'm the one that coordinates the majority of the kids' activities and schedules, I went ahead. She is not allowed to text friends or share her number (with the exception of one close friend) and I monitor her texts closely.

 

It did increase our bill by about $30, which I was not expecting. I wish I would have done more research ahead of time.

[magnificent_baby]

I got a prepaid phone for my oldest when she started spending a lot of time at the dance studio, as late as 9:00 at night.

 

I don't think there is a set age, more a matter of meeting needs. If/when we opt for a smart phone though it will need good parental controls.

 

Regarding the bold, my sister pays a $5 fee per month for a great app (?) that she can completely control her Ds's phone. I think it's through Verizon. I am going to look into this as Dd gets older and begins communicating with her friends on her cell (so far she only uses it with us).

[SparklyUnicorn]

This is exactly our situation too. I drop Dd off for activities for a solid chunk of time and wanted a way to reach her. DH didn't think it was necessary, but since I'm the one that coordinates the majority of the kids' activities and schedules, I went ahead. She is not allowed to text friends or share her number (with the exception of one close friend) and I monitor her texts closely.

 

It did increase our bill by about $30, which I was not expecting. I wish I would have done more research ahead of time.

 

Yeah that's probably not even considered all that bad.  I see these plans advertised on TV, "Only $50 a month per line!"  Wowsers.  That's expensive!!!

[Rebel Yell]

My youngest got her cell phone at age 9ish? But we do pre-paid Tracfones, no unlimited texting and zero data. No games. Just make/answer calls and text. Average cost for BabyBaby is about $3/month, since she rarely uses minutes and the phone was handed down with almost 3 years worth of service time leftover.

 

The phone itself cost $10, and was a hand-me-down from when Diamond switched to buying her own Go-phone and paying for her own unlimited talk/text plan. ($25/month)

 

SweetChild has a tracfone for calls/texts, but also has an iPod Touch which she can use for messaging when she has free wifi. She does have to carry both since we can only be sure to have contact with her tracfone.

 

So, no real age here- whenever it;s needed. But no smartphones or ulnlimited plans until they can pay for them themselves.

[marbel]

My eldest didn't get one till later, but my middle child got one when she went to school at 12. For the sake of not having to think about it again, ds will get one at 12 as well.

 

Ours are text and phone only. No internet. Pre-paid. They can't get into strife with phones that limited. None have been lost, touch wood.

 

 

It has been my observation (of my kids and their friends/acquaintances) that only the expensive phones get lost. The cheap phones never do.  

[Chris in VA]

Mine is 14 and doesn't have a phone. She's in PS, and is the only kid she knows without one.

The kids all text. She feels very left out--she says no one calls, they only text, so they don't call her and invite her places. I gently told her that's probably not true--but how do you say "they'd get in touch if they really wanted to."

 

It is partly true, though, that everyone texts and no one calls. No one gives out home phones, only #s to their own cell phones. Everyone is surprised dd doesn't have one.

 

She isn't in any school activities that meet after school, and no sports, so what's the need?

 

We've told her she can have a phone when she pays for it herself. We may get her one at Christmas, but she'll have to pay for the monthly plan.

 

And kids can get into plenty of trouble with just texting, believe me. You don't need a smart phone or data or to be hooked up to the internet to send pictures...But I'm not too worried about that.

[Jan in SC]

Mine is 14 and doesn't have a phone. She's in PS, and is the only kid she knows without one.

The kids all text. She feels very left out--she says no one calls, they only text, so they don't call her and invite her places. I gently told her that's probably not true--but how do you say "they'd get in touch if they really wanted to."

 

It is partly true, though, that everyone texts and no one calls. No one gives out home phones, only #s to their own cell phones. Everyone is surprised dd doesn't have one.

 

She isn't in any school activities that meet after school, and no sports, so what's the need?

 

We've told her she can have a phone when she pays for it herself. We may get her one at Christmas, but she'll have to pay for the monthly plan.

 

And kids can get into plenty of trouble with just texting, believe me. You don't need a smart phone or data or to be hooked up to the internet to send pictures...But I'm not too worried about that.

Honestly, she's right. My ds isn't even in PS and they only text. It is difficult to keep in touch because he doesn't have time to make phone calls, but he can text to and from activities. (I am driving.)

[catz]

I have not read other replies.  However, I think the age for a parent to get a child a cell phone is the age where it becomes convenient for the parent to be able to keep in touch with their kids.  My son last year at newly 13 was cast as the youngest in a youth production (they were casting ages 13-25) with only 10 cast members.  He was often the last one left at rehearsal and he couldn't get a hold of us.  That's when we knew it was time for him to have one. 

 

My dd got sick at dance last spring and had a hard time getting a hold of us and was having to ask to use other people's cells while she wasn't feeling well.  That whole situation caused TONS of anxiety for her and I wasn't sure she would even want to continue dance.  She's always been a emotionally sensitive child. So she got a phone for her 10th birthday and now she absolutely LOVES dance again. 

 

Anyway, I would not have bought either of my kids a phone if they weren't in committed activities and wanting more independence.  I know 16 year olds I wouldn't buy a phone for.  And if I had a kid like that, I'd probably wait until they could afford it.  I will say we have $10 a month plans through Republic Wireless.  So although my kids have "smart phones" they do NOT have a data plan.  And I'm glad we went this route (all 4 of us actually have no data plan phones now). 

[Wabi Sabi]

We got one for my boys to share when they were 9 yo. Ds was going to be taking the subway alone sometimes and we wanted him to have it. Also, sometimes we leave them home alone for a couple of hours and we don't have a land line. It's been useful now for other ds's long Nutcracker rehearsals when he's on his own including for his breaks and sometimes roads close and we have to rearrange pick ups and want to check in with him. He's staying with friends for a couple of days while we go out of town and I'm glad he'll have it then as well. It's talk and text only, no data, super cheapie phone. 

 

I know that a decade ago, there was a sense of waiting for the right age for it, but I no longer think that applies much because they're such a basic expectation of communication now. When you're ready to use it and can be responsible about it is the right age. I think most 13 yos fall into that category.

Yep, this is almost exactly the same as our situation. My ds got one at 9 y/o for very similar reasons: he was in a play that had dress rehearsals with unpredictable finish times each night, there wasn't always an adult with a phone he could use, no pay phones, and he was on his own for breaks. Around the same time we started letting him stay at home alone for a couple of hours at a time, and we don't have a landline. He took it with him recently when he went out of town with friends too.

 

It's just a cheap $10 flip phone, talk only, no data. Lately he's been asking to upgrade to a phone that can also text, and as long as we can find one that doesn't require a data plan or contract we'll probably get him one for Christmas this year. Just today I let him walk from the public library to his choir rehearsal with his 6 y/o sister. Choir is just down the street from the library, but they do have to cross the street twice. I told him to call me when they got to choir so that I know they made it safely, and he reminded me that it sure would be handy if could just text me instead...  ;)

[dirty ethel rackham]

I got them when they were old enough to be at activities without my supervision or someone else in charge.  It has been very beneficial.  I bought trackphones for the younger ones - it was a cheap option.  The phone was $10 and then I put minutes on once a year and I monitor the minutes.  My older two really only used it to communicate with me.  Dd uses it to text so she paid for extra minutes for that purpose.  Now she uses her ipod to text/fb for the most part so she doesn't need it for much else.  We will be changing family plans soon and we will be able to add her to our plan for very little money.  She plans to buy her own iphone and sell her ipod. 

[MiMi 4under3]

Eldest daughter got hers at 12.5, DS and twins just got theirs recently at ages 11 and 10.

 

Part of the reason the younger three kiddos got theirs earlier is that I wanted one of my twins (who has diabetes) to always be able to reach me, and for me to always be able to reach her. And if one twin gets something special... the other one has to get it too or it's "NOT FAIR, MOM!!!"

 

And we couldn't leave DS out with all his sisters having phones, so he got one also.

[Hypatia.]

We don't have a home phone, so we just got an additional iPhone added to our Ting account (still less than $65 a month for 3 iPhones).  We mainly keep it charging in the kitchen, so DS1 (who now stays home by himself for brief periods) can call or text us.

 

DD1 (8) has an annual overnight chorus event and last year I was wishing we had a cell phone that she could take with her, so it will go with her this year.  DS1's music class overlaps with DS2's speech therapy, so if he'll be waiting afterward for longer than usual I'll have him take it with him.  So it's not really a phone for a specific child but serves multiple purposes.  Since we don't use it often enough for it to affect our phone bill, it just adds the $6/month device charge.

[Ravin]

DD got hers at 9.5. It was the same price as a land line and we kicked the phone/cable provider to the curb.

[crazyforlatin]

I've mulling this over and I think I will be giving up my Moto G to DD9 and getting her a $10 plan from Republic Wireless. She has a nut allergy, so I'm always worried about her when she is at activities, not that she is the type to eat something without looking at the ingredients. I'm thinking of switching to Freedom Pop and getting an iPhone (can't seem to get used to Android) with that $7 plan.

[Tsuga]

What age do you allow your child to get a cell phone?  My ds is 13.5, and is asking for a cell phone.  I would like to get him one because I could contact him whenever I needed to, but my dh thinks he is too young. 

 

One of the following:

 

--When he can pay for it himself;

--When you are asking him to do work for the family (escort siblings to/from school, run to the store for things, be responsible for watching siblings after school and bring them to sports) that you want him to have a phone for.

 

But I'm a hard-asterisk like that.

[Jenny in Florida]

My daughter got her first cell phone when she was 10. She didn't want it, but we insisted that she carry it when she was dropped somewhere on her own. At the time, she was starting to have lots of choir and theatre rehearsals in various places all over town, and I often had to drop her and then drive my son to a different rehearsal or activity somewhere else. After a couple of incidents in which her choir was released early (and no one remembered that she, the youngest, probably shouldn't be sent out to stand on a downtown street corner by herself in the dark to wait for me) and/or my son's activity ran late and I had no way to get in touch with her, we bought a cheap pay-as-you-go phone and started requiring her to carry it to rehearsals. 

 

A year or so later, we did the same thing with my son, who was about 8, for similar reasons. He was spending most afternoons and evenings at his ballet school, which had a security system that had a tendency to leave kids standing outside a locked down on the first floor unable to contact anyone at the reception desk on the second floor. 

 

Neither of them had any interest at that point in using a cell phone for fun. We viewed the phones simply as a convenience to provide us parents peace of mind.

[Cera]

I got one for my 10 year old when I started needing to be able to contact her.  She is dropped off for activities now and rides her bike to a friend's house down the road.  We also had an issue where she made a poor safety choice at a sleepover because she didn't know how to get out of the situation (rode in a car without a seatbelt because there were too many kids) and I wanted to ensure she could always easily reach me for help now that she is facing tween/teen choices.

[DawnM]

Whatever age they start being away from you and you need to get a hold of them.

[Laura Corin]

My boys had dumb phones as soon as they were out on their own where there was a signal/being dropped off at activities.  That was around ten with us.  Calvin got a smart phone (limited data, so he can't spend all day on it - this was what he wanted) when he went off to university.  Hobbes wants a smart phone now but isn't getting one.

 

L

[Muttichen]

We have never provided cell phones for our kids, so they got them when they could afford to pay for them on their own (usually around ninth grade).  They started out with tracfones that they could afford on what they made refereeing soccer.  Now they have more income, so they've upgraded.  

[LLMom]

Mine get them in 9th grade.  We pay for the cheapo ones until they have a job, usually by 16 at least.

[EKS]

We got my son a pay as you go dumb phone about a year ago because there are times when we need him to have a phone and there are no extra phones for him to take.  It is not cool or fun to use; in fact, he is mostly just embarrassed by it.

 

As far as getting a kid a smart phone--we waited until our older son was 17.  We probably won't wait as long with the younger one.

[Jenny in Florida]

As far as getting a kid a smart phone--we waited until our older son was 17.  We probably won't wait as long with the younger one.

 

I forgot to mention smartphones in my reply.

 

My daughter got a bottom-of-the-line smartphone when she was 17, I think. It was not an iPhone or anything remotely fancy, just the least expensive thing Best But had that would run on AT&T and looked and felt the way she wanted it to. We added the smallest possible data plan for it to our family plan, which allowed her to e-mail and Facebook while out and about. She had found it difficult to keep up with scheduling and notices regarding the shows she was doing, and auditions for new things, while away from home, because the majority of that stuff--at least in our area--is done through e-mail, Facebook and a couple of websites.

 

My son got his smartphone over the summer when we replaced the assortment of phones and our patched-together plans with four new phones and a simpler family plan. He was 16. 

[lllll]

,,

[KarenNC]

We waited until we had a clear need for one. That came between 8th and 9th grade with increased drop-off activities and our dithering about dropping our landline (which we haven't done quite yet). My daughter got hers last summer, so a couple of months before she turned 14 (it was considered a major part of her birthday present, though), because we were changing our plan and adding a personal phone for my husband (previously, he's always used his work cell, but wanted a smartphone of his own). She got my old iphone 4 because I upgraded, and we do a shared family plan with unlimited talk and text and 2 GB of data. She keeps her data turned off (and I can easily verify that she isn't using any via the carrier's website tracking tools). We live in a pretty urban area, so free wifi is pretty readily available. We did have to require that she leave the phone downstairs to charge overnight because the temptation was too much initially to stay up really late texting. She had had experience with an ipod for 2 years and her own computer for one, so we had already gone through the learning curve for internet access.