WOW!!!
i'm gobsmacked - esp by the posts where kids have them......

One in aprticular of the seven yr old that listens to music etc..

My son is 6 and he still loves playing outside, playing soccer, criekt, and yes - we play Ben 10......

They have a wii for riany days but they hardly addicted and they certianly havn't asked for a phone!

I have given my 10 yr old a phone linked to my contract. He can only call me from his phone and the cost will come off my account but i always know i can get hold of him if he is outside playing

My daughter has had a phone from when she was able to use it - in SA its not an option , it's vital as a security tool. What's the price you put on your kids safety? We living in the Wild west or worse here
She has a fixed amount every month and I check on it to see she still has airtime. She was 6 or 7 when she got her 1st phone... now almost 14. She does mxit , facebook, sms whatever on her phone or puter - so what?
If you are deluded enough to think a cell will corrupt your kid - well then you need to look at your parenting skilz and the core values you have taught your kid before blaming technology - we live in a techno world today - why should our kids be luddites.

Gave my children a phone each so that I could remain in contact with them whilst they were staying with my ex during his access periods as he wouldnt let me speak to them on his phone. Ex kept 1 for himself (because it was "better" than his ?) and sold the other. Ended up having to hide a cell phone in the teddy bear every time the kids stayed over with him :o)

My daughter got her phone, an old one of mine, when she was around 7 as she was going to her father every second Sunday and she wanted to know that I could be in touch with her if she needed me.
I would not have let her have one until she was 18 otherwise.
There are very strict rules and she is very aware of the no mxit rule. She can phone her friends any time from our landline to their landline, we have a telkom account that allows for 1 hour long calls from 7 to 7 and weekends.
Works well for us.

Go look at this: Cooking eggs and popping corn with cellphones is impossible!

Why is it apparently impossible for people who obviously have internet access (they're on here, aren't they?), to look up things on www.snopes.com, before making fools of themselves by misrepresenting hoax-videos as facts?





And yes, you are 100% correct - YOU are the parent, and YOU decide when and where, in ALL things. What other people allow their children to do doesn't have ANY bearing on you and your children. What is politically-correct is also irrelevant - the PC-types are only interested in enforcing THEIR wishy-washy morals and standards on everybody else, not in what is best for the child in question.




Funny how people are willing to give up their responsibilities and rights as parents, particularly with regard to making decisions about the welfare of their OWN children, when faced with the cry "But everybody ELSE does it"! If that's the way you parent, you might as well give your child up for adoption - because then they at least have a chance of finding parents who love them enough to discipline them and do what is right by them.

The Youtube vids are fake. Believe me I tried it. We tried to make popcorn with 6 cellphones. Nada!!

My personal opinion is that the parents should assess their children. Some children are more mature than others. You can get a responsible 11 yr old that will use a cellphone only when its really needed. And then you can get a childish 20 yr old that has no life outside of mxit and facebook. Its up to the parents to make the right choice.

My daughter is 12 and was given a mobile phone about 2 months ago. The terms and conditions of the usage of such phone is to contact mom / dad incase of emergency. mxit has been allowed but limited to friends being contacted only and no participation in any chat rooms (was not aware of the legislation that says children under 14 are not to have phones with internet access). Mom/ Dad can monitor phone when and if deemed necessary and go into her mxit account, sms's, call logs etc.

Does she abuse the phone? yes on occassion, but when told to put it away she does.

She has a phone because I know I have brought her up to be a mature responsible person.. at 12 she is no longer a child.. nor is she an adult.

My son who is 9 is also looking for a phone, but alas my husband and myself do not see him as responsible or mature enough and he has been sat down and explained. When he reaches some milestones in regard to responsiblity and maturity then yes, he too will get a phone, but he knows he needs to prove that he is mature and responsible enough first. If this means he gets a phone when he is 16 then so be it.

There are many scources of terror in the cyber / mxit/ facebook world for all parents, but so is there in malls, parties, sleep overs etc. You know your child better than anyone else, if you believe they are mature enough, if you have the relationship with them that they can openly speak to you should something "funny" be said to them then allow them to grow in their new found responsibilty of maintaining a phone. If however you believe they are too young in mind and heart to own a phone.. then I would go with your instinct and not give it to them because you as a parent know best. It is not age that determines this, it is trust, maturity, capability of handling responsibility and open relations with your child. For some this may be 10, for others this may be 16.

I just think in thse busy days we can allow our children to have cell phones in order to be connected with them where ever they are, I find it very easy and nice to be in touch during the day so that we can know the where abouts of our kids. I think they can handle their phones under our rules and regulations

I think it's entirely dependent on how mature your son is, and what are the reason for him wanting one, and what are your reasons for not wanting him to give him one. Consider the following:

A cell phone can be used to teach responsibility. Our children are exposed to different sorts of technology everyday. We need to teach them not only the good, but also the bad side of technology. So set rules and boundaries arounnd cell phones.

The power to buy one is in your hands. You are the parent. You can make the choice whether he gets one or not. The choice of the phone is also yours. Decise what features it should have, and what the phone should be used for. You don't need to buckle to peer pressure, check if it is a case of 'but so-and-so has this and that.'

It can also be liberating for you to be able to contact them when they are not around you, and vice versa. We bought my neice one for her 12th birthday. One day she called us to pick her up, she was staying with family friends while her parents were out of town, she was not comfortable staying there because she did not feel safe. It was good to have that peace of mind for both us and her parents.

Then allow your child to show how he can handle a cell phone. Does he obey the rules you have set? Does he maintain his airtime balance? Or is the cell phone just a glorified toy?

Either way, it depends on you. Be the parent. Decide what the cell phone would mean to both of you.