Mobile phone for kids

T

The_Banker

Registered User
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Anyone have an opinion on mobile phones for kids? My 9 year old nephew wants a mobile phone for his birthday. I think he is way too young for one but it appears all the other kids have one. I think it is a bit "chav". I feel it is something Jordon and Peter Andre would buy for there kid.
Any thoughts????
 
A new bike or playstation game might be more suitable than a mobile phone. Has he said how he expects to be able to pay for his calls?
 
My kids went on about mobile phones from about the age of 9. I said no and no and no. When the eldest got to secondary school and was the only child in her class without a phone (and i didn't take her word for it I checked ) I let my sister give her an old one and I bought her a sim card for 20euro. That was september, she has bought one 10 euro top -up since and hardly uses the thing. Kids want the phones as toys not communication devices, they want the latest camera music player or whatever on the phone. Its just another fashion accessory. Ask the parents first but if they haven't bought one yet I don't think you should be the one to do it. Generally I think they're a bad idea for kids, esp under 12's, they can get lost, stolen, if its the "wrong" phone the kid will get teased and there is nothing worse than a 10 year old (or Younger) sticking a camera phone in you face and asking you to say cheese
 
For what it's worth, I've five kids aged 7-16, and the cut-off point so far (with one temporary exception, thanks to a well-intentioned-but-over-zealous godparent) has been 'moving on to secondary school'.

Foul things... harrumph!
 
I'm with the secondary school option ('graduation' from 6th Class as they call it these days!).

To be honest they are handy to have at that stage for missed buses/ hockey matches and the like.

And to the 'bah-humbug type' who says "well I managed fine w/out one" - so did I but I had two parents at home and only one of them working outside the home! Life is different these days.
 
I keep telling my 11yr. old daughter (who doesn't have a mobile) that you never see kids being murdered for not having a mobile phone, don't know if she fully understands what I mean but she has stopped pestering me for one.
 
I have kids aged 2 and 3 and they have recieved many gifts of toy mobile phones (they don't work...they just make noises and have shiny lights).....it seems society is braking kids in earlier and earlier.
 
Heard yesterday that there will soon be a GPS locator type facility for mobiles. So you can check where your child is as long as the phone is switched on (in case you're being sold a load of old pony..), or they arent answering.

Even phones without credit, or maybe without a SIM??, give 999 calls.

Definetly some "safety aspect" to mobiles - as long as its not so flash that it gets you into trouble rather than out of it.
 
Betsy Og said:
Heard yesterday that there will soon be a GPS locator type facility for mobiles. So you can check where your child is as
Click to expand...

A person can already be traced by their mobile phone (again if switched on). The mobile signal can be boosted and the area can be narrowed down to a triangle within local masts. This was used by Gardaí to find a local boy in Cork who went missing - Robort Holohan. I felt it was a shame that the Gardaí released this info because now the first thing someone will do when they kidnap someone is throw away the phone.
 

The thing I heard about is a website that will allow Joe Punter to check for themselves and apparently give a result within a few square metres. Re teaching the criminals, the same point could be made about all the crime novels and the CSI style programmes will probably give an avid follower a good grasp of forensics and how to avoid getting caught.
 
Sounds like a great advancement - how far off is it from being set up?
 
perhaps this is the kids phone that you have heard about.... [broken link removed]

if it takes off in the US - no doubt we will see it over here also
 
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