by Shelley Kishpaugh

Created on: February 12, 2009

When to give a child a cell phone seems to be a frequent topic of discussion among parents right now. Anyone with a child beyond his or her preschool years can tell you that the children all seem to be of the same mindset - children should all have cellphones right now! It seems like the cellphone is the "thing to have" for kids right now. When I was growing up, the big thing was designer jeans, now it appears to be the cellphone.

Much to my own children's dismay, I have not jumped on this bandwagon. My oldest is eleven, and he is perhaps on the border of where I am closer to considering such a purchase. My twins are seven, and it will be a very long time before they are even remotely close to requiring one.

In our home, I have vetoed the cellphones for children for much of the same reason I have also nixed the idea of allowing my eldest his own email account. I feel like he NEEDS neither of them. There will be enough time in the adult world to be at the beck and call of technology. Who among us doesn't sometimes feel like their whole day was wasted sitting on the phone or computer? I think we should allow kids to be kids. This means they should be outside playing with dirt and sticks, rather than getting wrapped up into cellphones or handheld video games (which my children also don't own).

When to get a cellphone for a child should be based on need, not fad. My children are in the company of adults for much of the day. I know that nearly every adult has a cellphone and can reach me if things go awry. Instead of giving my children a phone, I quiz them regularly to make sure they remember the phone numbers to both of their parent's cellphones.

Occasionally, my children will head out for an adventure on their own. If they are simply going to the park across the street, I have them check in at predesignated times. If they decide to walk to the grocery store, or somewhere fairly distant, I give them MY cellphone, so that I may check on them periodically, and so they may call me at home, if needed.

My oldest is not quite of an age where he can be dropped at the mall with friends and the like, but when he approaches this age, a cellphone will be in his future. He also swims competitively and, as of now, has yet to travel without a parent to an away meet, but that day is rapidly approaching. I will not be sending him to such a meet without some way of contacting him...therefore he'll get a cellphone.

I would definitely say that the time to buy a cellphone for a child should be based strictly on when the child actually has a need for a cellphone. I am betting that most children don't need one before the late preteen years at the earliest. If a child is not mature enough to handle the responsibility of being home alone, or being out in public alone, he or she probably has no use for a cellphone. Phones are everywhere and borrowing one, if needed, is a very simple matter. Most adults will offer to allow a child the use of their phone to call a parent if asked, especially if that adult is in the supervising role of the child in question.

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