Kids and mobile phones

[Kerry]

At what age would you say it's acceptable for a child to have a mobile phone?


Personally, I let my daughter have one at 11 as she was moving upto secondry school. For one - safety and two - not being bullied for not having one. But obviously there are drawbacks too. Not having the right phone or the risk of getting it snatched.

Thoughts?

My bro in law gave my nephew a phone when he was about 5 which I thought was just silly

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

my neice is 7 and she has a phone :bored:

[Kerry]

Actually, I have to mention the other side of the scale. Anyone else have a little chuckle when they see elderly folk sat sending texts? It always makes me smile :D

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

yes :laugh3:

[Kerry]

yes :laugh3:

I can never hide it. I'll be sat there on the tram and some old dear is sat texting :laugh: What I'd give to see what they write :D

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

my mum got an answering machine from her friend the other week and it was like

'hello, can you hear me, oh how do i work this bloody thing'

:joker:

[Iceman]

My nephews both got phones 2 years ago when they were 9, very basic nokia phones no camera or nothing and only had family an a few friends on them. Now that they're 11 they have better phones than me :(

[Kerry]

my mum got an answering machine from her friend the other week and it was like

'hello, can you hear me, oh how do i work this bloody thing'

:joker:

Reminds me of a few Peter Kay jokes :D

[Lee.]

Hahah.. The first time my mum had a mobile,she phoned me to ask how to do a space when sending a text.. I told her I wasn't sure but my phone was the 0 button. Next thing I knew I got a text message like this; hello0lee0this0is0my0new0number0lots0of0love0mum. :laugh:

On topic though, I think secondary school is an acceptable age for a mobile. Any younger is just silly.

[Kerry]

My nephews both got phones 2 years ago when they were 9, very basic nokia phones no camera or nothing and only had family an a few friends on them. Now that they're 11 they have better phones than me :(

I get my daughters reject phones :rolleyes: Mind you I don't want her new one. It's a touch screen thing and when I had a go with it...... well it wasn't pretty....

[Kerry]

Hahah.. The first time my mum had a mobile,she phoned me to ask how to do a space when sending a text.. I told her I wasn't sure but my phone was the 0 button. Next thing I knew I got a text message like this; hello0lee0this0is0my0new0number0lots0of0love0mum. :laugh:



:laugh3:

[KG.]

my mum got an answering machine from her friend the other week and it was like

'hello, can you hear me, oh how do i work this bloody thing'

:joker:

Hahah.. The first time my mum had a mobile,she phoned me to ask how to do a space when sending a text.. I told her I wasn't sure but my phone was the 0 button. Next thing I knew I got a text message like this; hello0lee0this0is0my0new0number0lots0of0love0mum. :laugh:

On topic though, I think secondary school is an acceptable age for a mobile. Any younger is just silly.

:laugh3:

I think when kids start 'playing out' as in going out for a significant amount of time, and away from your house/road is the right time for a mobile phone.

[Lee.]

:laugh3:

I think when kids start 'playing out' as in going out for a significant amount of time, and away from your house/road is the right time for a mobile phone.

Yes, I agree with this actually. Be handy just to be able to send a quick text if they're going to be a few minutes past their curfew to save the worrying !

[Maia]

I got my first phone when I was 10 - I think any younger than 9 is too young; probably around 10/11 years old is fine.

[Stacey.]

I got mine when I was 10.. only then cus all my friends were getting them at that age too. About that age is right I think

[Zippy]

Never get them a flash one or you are making them a target for muggers. And tell them to use it discreetly and not flaunt it around.

Of course, a lot depends on what area you live in.

[Stephanie]

i got a nokia 3410 when i was about 8/9.

[Jordan.]

Id say around 11 is right. I hate little kids who have mobiles for the sake of it and don't even know how to use them.

[InOne]

Got my first when I was 9. It was 1999 so it was a brick lol

[Niamh.]

I got my daughter a phone last year when she was 9. She doesn't use that much, she uses it mainly to text and speak to her dad (we're not together)

[Niamh.]

Got my first when I was 9. It was 1999 so it was a brick lol

I was 21 when I got my first phone :joker:

[Jack_]

I was 9 when I got mine, was around the right age I think. I'd probably say the right age is when their friends are getting one, and so that'll vary from person to person...

[Vicky.]

Erm, Gavs 7 yr old son has a phone...we got him it for xmas. Its only really for ringing us and his granparents though because hes always asking his mum if he can speak to us and she says 'no the phonebill will be huge' and then he gets upset. So we got him a phone and shes not amused but its tough to be honest, he should always be able to speak to his dad/grandparents IMO if he wants to.


As for old people with phones, I find it hilarious. I spent 2 months trying to teach my grandma to text, she kinda got it, but you would get one text saying 'hi' and then 5 blank ones with it :laugh:

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

I was 21 when I got my first phone :joker:

:laugh3:

[Niamh.]

:laugh3:

no one had mobile phones when I was a teenager :joker: not even adults

[Lee.]

:laugh3:

Don't laugh! I must have been about 23.. You have to remember that before that phones were really only used by the "yuppies" Not everbody had a phone.. oh and there about the size of a brick.. When pay as you go started the mobile phone industry just boomed, the phones became smaller and everybody wanted one!

[Niamh.]

yeah I remember my moms first mobile, it was huge and it had this aerial that you had to pull out to make a call on it

[Kerry]

I can't believe how quick they took off. One minute you were super privaliged to own one, the next you were a nobody if you didn't :joker:

[Angus]

I bought a mobile for my son when he was 11 and starting at his new school. He had to get two buses to get there and it was more for my peace of mind than anything else. It was a brick by today's standards, with very basic texting and call features, but at the time it was state of the art:joker:

[Patrick]

I got mine in 2005, my little Nokia :love:

Aw, it was the sex.
I thought I was so ******ing hard with it seriously.

The younger the better though, you're safer with one.

[Twilight]

i got my first when i was 12 lol.

[MTVN]

Got my first when I was 11 and going into secondary school, lived in a small village with a school of about 60 people just round the corner so I never needed one before that

[Jessica.]

I got a Nokia 3510i when I was 11, it was in colour. :amazed:

[seanraff07]

I got my first phone(like the first Nokia out, it looked that ****) when i was about 11 too, just 5 years ago... yet now you see kids younger than 10 walking around with iPod touch's etc.. shocking :shocked:

[Omah]

At what age would you say it's acceptable for a child to have a mobile phone?


3 months (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ka8aW76wL._SS400_.jpg) ..... :colour:

[Beastie]

I think 11 is the right age to give a child a phone. When they go to secondary school. When they start doing stuff on their own like go to town with their mates etc. Infact kids start doing that younger. If you have a child you should keep them a child for as long as possible.

Anyway I would give me child a cheapish phone when they are about 11. I don't want them flashing around an expensive phone and then they get it stolen :nono: I would do what I think is best for my child. Yes.. kids may bully your child if they don't have the latest phone but that's pathetic. EVERY child has the potential to get bullied. I would raise my child and teach them how to react and what to do if they ever was bullied.

[Beastie]

Mmm well infact when I was a child. Like 5 years old.. I could easily just run out and play. Even without my parents seeing me. However nowadays a child the age of 5 gets a mobile phone. I can see what the parents are doing. Nowadays children can get snatched away easily. Well in actual fact the rate of children being snatched hasn't gone up much. Therefore the other option is for children not to have a phone until they are like 11 but then they would always have to be in the parents sight when they should be allowed a bit of freedom. Hard one to call really. However the age of 5 sounds ridiculously young for a phone.

[Beastie]

I got a Nokia 3310 I think it was when I was 12. I remember before then I was messing about with my dad's mobile which was worth nothing! lol

[Jordan.]

I think everyone had a Nokia 3310 at some point. :evilgrin:

[Benjamin]

no one had mobile phones when I was a teenager :joker: not even adults

In your day you communicated through rocks and smoke signal. No? :tongue:

[Smithy]

3410 >

[Kerry]

3 months (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ka8aW76wL._SS400_.jpg) ..... :colour:

Haha!

[Beastie]

I think everyone had a Nokia 3310 at some point. :evilgrin:

I know. I kept my first phone for about 5 years. I always keep the same mobile phone until it actually breaks! :hugesmile: I was so upset when it broke! My current phone has a scratch on the screen. It still works so I am keeping it until it actually dies. If it still texts and rings then it's in great condition!

[Omah]

Don't laugh! I must have been about 23.. You have to remember that before that phones were really only used by the "yuppies" Not everbody had a phone.. oh and there about the size of a brick.. When pay as you go started the mobile phone industry just boomed, the phones became smaller and everybody wanted one!

yeah I remember my moms first mobile, it was huge and it had this aerial that you had to pull out to make a call on it

I can't believe how quick they took off. One minute you were super privaliged to own one, the next you were a nobody if you didn't :joker:

It was cellular pioneer Motorola that developed the first truly handheld mobile phone – the 8000 series (http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2010/1/4/1262644341267/Mobile-phone-history--011.jpg). In 1983, the Dynatec 8000X launched in the US with a price tag of $3,995 and just half an hour of talktime. The 8500X arrived in the UK four years later and quickly became a must-have for any City boy or yuppie – it cost £1,200. It was made famous when wide boy character Del Boy brandished one in the BBC comedy Only Fools And Horses.

:eek:

[Kerry]

One of my cousins had one of those off Only Fools and Horses. I was in awe as a kid. So embarrassing to think of now but hilarious :joker:

[Benjamin]

Saved By The Bell always reminds me of my first phone. You even had to pull the aerial up. :love:

[Omah]

One of my cousins had one of those off Only Fools and Horses. I was in awe as a kid. So embarrassing to think of now but hilarious :joker:

Did it work or was it just a cheap copy that he yelled "Sell! Sell! Sell!" into ..... :joker:

[Niamh.]

In your day you communicated through rocks and smoke signal. No? :tongue:

Oi!!! You're awful cheeky tonight!:nono:

[Kerry]

Did it work or was it just a cheap copy that he yelled "Sell! Sell! Sell!" into ..... :joker:

Oh the real deal. He's a car salesman of all things :joker: You had to be the first to own a housebrick. Infact it made a housebrick look small :D