Cell phones
Here's Liz Atwood with this week's Tween Tuesday
Surveys show kids are getting cell phones at an earlier age. My 15-year-old has one. He got his when he started middle school. But now his 10-year-old brother has one. For the older one, who was walking to school and starting to visit friends nearby, it seemed like a good safety precaution. For the younger, well, he got the phone because big brother had one and it didn’t add anything to the phone bill.
He just received a free upgrade and now he is showing it off to his friends and telling them they HAVE to have a cell phone. Truthfully, he doesn’t need it. But then none of the kids seem to be using the phone to talk to anyone. They play games, text and take pictures, but talk? No, only old folks actually use telephones for talking.
If your tween is bugging you about a cell phone, here’s some advice from the National Consumers League. And if you do decide to buy your tween or teen a phone, consider a plan that comes with unlimited texting. I learned the hard way about that.
Comments
I'm having the same issue with my 12 year old - she becoming more active and wants a phone and I've really been holding out on her. I've spent some time checking out brand and really weighing the pros and cons of the situtation. A friend recommended prepaid carriers instead of adding her to may plan - maybe Tracfone since the phones are pretty inexpensive...I've read up and it seems like prepaid might offer more control but I have no experience with the network or the service. Any advice?
Posted by: Krista | September 22, 2011 5:22 PM