Kids and Phones

blackjack · Post by **blackjack** » August 22, 2008 1:50 pm

How about this?

http://www.kajeet.com/4u/index.html

AlbatrossFlyer · Post by **AlbatrossFlyer** » August 22, 2008 1:50 pm

buffettbride wrote:
pbans wrote: One thing that has been going on in the schools around here is "NOODZ"....the kids are sending naked pictures of each other through text messages......it's been an interesting debate on what to do with the situation.
The school Matt's cousin goes to had a big drama w/ that last year I think. we've pretty much told her that if she wouldn't want to hear it on the school announcements every day, then it doesn't belong in a text message.

from what i read, some of the girls involved pretty much wanted their picture on the school announcement.

Skibo · Post by **Skibo** » August 22, 2008 1:51 pm

Times sure have changed. With the family plans it seems that everyone has a phone anymore. I guess any age is acceptable if you can use parental restrictions. Some plans are becoming available where you can track the location of the holder of the phone. Kids sure grow up fast these days.

AlbatrossFlyer · Post by **AlbatrossFlyer** » August 22, 2008 1:52 pm

buffettbride wrote:
AlbatrossFlyer wrote:how old were you when you got your first cell phone? i'm guessing you got through school just fine without one.
I got all the way to 30 years old without one.

sounds like a great age for the kids to get theirs......

pbans · Post by **pbans** » August 22, 2008 1:52 pm

AlbatrossFlyer wrote:how old were you when you got your first cell phone? i'm guessing you got through school just fine without one.

I did get through just fine without one...well, unless you count that little Flintstone bird that used to fly in and carve out the message in stone, but I got through just fine without a computer, too.....that would be next to impossible now.....times change it and it just makes sense to me to take advantage of the technology.

buffettbride · Post by **buffettbride** » August 22, 2008 1:53 pm

AlbatrossFlyer wrote:
buffettbride wrote:
pbans wrote: One thing that has been going on in the schools around here is "NOODZ"....the kids are sending naked pictures of each other through text messages......it's been an interesting debate on what to do with the situation.
The school Matt's cousin goes to had a big drama w/ that last year I think. we've pretty much told her that if she wouldn't want to hear it on the school announcements every day, then it doesn't belong in a text message.
from what i read, some of the girls involved pretty much wanted their picture on the school announcement.

i totally get that too.

we simply explained to victoria that if she wants any sort of real acting career, that any pictures of her had to have her clothes on. vanessa hudgens gave us a living example of why.

mommar · Post by **mommar** » August 22, 2008 1:56 pm

My youngest has had one since she was 11/12 6th grade, she was going home to an empty house.........I worked 3 - 11, hubby got home at 6, older bro & sis were in high school doing their things, and she was scared to death of thunder & lightning.........I was able to let her know which neighbor would be home on those t&l days so she could go to their house after school..........glad I did it

and she was able to tell me where she was at all times, and back then, 8/9 yrs ago, she was one of the few that had a cell phone at her age

But we had our reasons

she didn't/couldn't abuse it back then the way she does now

I vote get it!!!!!!!!!!

csmithnj · Post by **csmithnj** » August 22, 2008 1:57 pm

6th grade is when my son got his and when my daughter will get hers. That's when middle school starts. They are more independent. It also helps with after school activities so my wife doesn't have to drive to school only to find out he's staying late for school work or activities.

It allows us to keep in touch as needed.

AlbatrossFlyer · Post by **AlbatrossFlyer** » August 22, 2008 1:57 pm

what's the school policy on cell phones?

most of the high schools here require them to be off during school hours. (cheating, distraction from classroom learning, etc.) which in my book pretty much defeats any purpose of sending junior off to school with one....

if something is so important that you need to get a hold of your kid during school hours you should probably be calling the principal's office anyway.

AlbatrossFlyer · Post by **AlbatrossFlyer** » August 22, 2008 1:58 pm

buffettbride wrote: we simply explained to victoria that if she wants any sort of real acting career, that any pictures of her had to have her clothes on. vanessa hudgens gave us a living example of why.

until she has a role where she takes her clothes off

popcornjack · Post by **popcornjack** » August 22, 2008 1:59 pm

Granted, i have no kids (that I know of) so my thoughts are of a more "philosophical" nature, if you will....

Understanding that this isn't the world the one we grew up in, how important is it to actually have a phone? How often would it really need to be used? It's easy to think of the extreme situation--something happens while at school, or when she's out with friends that would require immediate resolution--but how often will something like that happen? It's a good way to keep tabs on her, but it seemed to work fine when I was a kid and my parents couldn't. yes, there are far fewer (if any) payphones left in the world so the ability to make contact if there were an emergency situation is limited, but once again, how often would that happen? And if it did, odds are likely that someone she's with would have a phone anyway.

Which is another aspect of it. From a social standpoint, how important is it? Just like when cable/atari/cabbage patch kids/whatever new thing it is came out, who had one versus who didn't became an issue--"Wow that person has a xxxxxx, that's cool, I need to have one." Granted, with the relative ease of getting one, I think some of the "coolness" factor of having a cell phone has worn off, but can still be that stigma of "you don't have one?"

There's no reason not to do things differently because of the new technology and changes in the world just because we didn't need them as kids, but that doesn't mean things should be done differently just because the opportunity exists. Ultimately the decision rests with you, because it's your child and determining what is best for her (and her family) is the most important factor.

chippewa · Post by **chippewa** » August 22, 2008 2:00 pm

Shared one phone with my wife till I got my own this year. I'm 47.

It does have a camera, so I'd better control myself.

mommar · Post by **mommar** » August 22, 2008 2:06 pm

chippewa wrote:Shared one phone with my wife till I got my own this year. I'm 47.
It does have a camera, so I'd better control myself.

You're a little young for a phone chip.............my hubby shared one w/me til last year, he was 54

buffettbride · Post by **buffettbride** » August 22, 2008 2:09 pm

AlbatrossFlyer wrote:
buffettbride wrote: we simply explained to victoria that if she wants any sort of real acting career, that any pictures of her had to have her clothes on. vanessa hudgens gave us a living example of why.
until she has a role where she takes her clothes off

hubby 'bout died the other day when i actually said out loud that someday he'd have to see his daughter kiss someone on stage.

she actually saw her first movie with bare-boobs in it the other day; titanic.

pair8head · Post by **pair8head** » August 22, 2008 2:09 pm

There is always a cell phone with built in GPS so you can go to the computer input her phone number and see exactly where she is. I'd also tell her that if I caught her turning that feature off the Cell phone is history.

buffettbride · Post by **buffettbride** » August 22, 2008 2:11 pm

AlbatrossFlyer wrote:what's the school policy on cell phones?

most of the high schools here require them to be off during school hours. (cheating, distraction from classroom learning, etc.) which in my book pretty much defeats any purpose of sending junior off to school with one....

if something is so important that you need to get a hold of your kid during school hours you should probably be calling the principal's office anyway.

general policy is phones are not turned on in class. it is more the after-school activities i want to know about. "can i go to so-and-so's house" etc.

we carpool with another family who picks her up after school, so i like to know if she wants to make other plans so i can communicate with them.

Dezdmona · Post by **Dezdmona** » August 22, 2008 2:16 pm

I think about this too.
There are times now that I want MJM to have a phone with him and will give him his Dad's phone on a temporary basis. (i.e., when we're in public places where we might get separated). So he started learning how to use a phone when he was ~8... I want to teach him how to use it responsibly.

As for having his own phone on a permanent basis, it depends on the circumstances when he get one.
I'm frankly just as concerned about his internet access as I am a cell phone, and monitoring will be comparable.
But I suspect he will get one when he goes into Junior High.

Lightning Bolt · Post by **Lightning Bolt** » August 22, 2008 2:16 pm

I, as a child-free bachelor, think we ENABLE kids a little too much today.

If she's a smart child, and she sounds like she is, I believe she will become more independent and self-reliant WITHOUT a phone, IMO.
My "vote" would be to hold out until high school, attached with academic conditions/incentives.
I only say this after observing my friends' kids who grew up WITH phones at young ages who are surprisingly needy and intellectually lazy...
they go to their phones to ask someone else to figure out EVERY SINGLE #$^&^* DETAIL.
I find it sad and pathetic, and it only seems to balloon our narcissistic, ADD-soaked society.

It certainly could be a generational bias, but in this case, I'm inclined to keep a slow, steady growth approach.

Lightning Bolt · Post by **Lightning Bolt** » August 22, 2008 2:20 pm

buffettbride wrote:
she actually saw her first movie with bare-boobs in it the other day; titanic.

Was that the movie?... or the boobs??

ph4ever · Post by **ph4ever** » August 22, 2008 2:21 pm

buffettbride wrote:
AlbatrossFlyer wrote:what's the school policy on cell phones?

most of the high schools here require them to be off during school hours. (cheating, distraction from classroom learning, etc.) which in my book pretty much defeats any purpose of sending junior off to school with one....

if something is so important that you need to get a hold of your kid during school hours you should probably be calling the principal's office anyway.
general policy is phones are not turned on in class. it is more the after-school activities i want to know about. "can i go to so-and-so's house" etc.

we carpool with another family who picks her up after school, so i like to know if she wants to make other plans so i can communicate with them.

what's the punishment for those that violate the rule? At Steven's school they took away the phone and would not return till the end of semister or until parents came and fetched it and had a talk with the principal