re: What age should a child be handed a cell phone?

quote:

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I keep seeing kids younger and younger with phones. My wife and I agreed that our kids won't have their first phone until they are 16 and have their own job to pay for it. I think phones are a bad idea for kids.

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So when your child has afterschool activities your going to stay there the whole time? If dance practice ends early or baseball practice gets rain and ends early your going to leave your kid a quarter and tell them to use a pay phone to call you?
Cause we found once your child is old enough to be at such things and you don't stay there the whole time they need to be able to reach you for a ride or other things come up as well. Even scheduled events end early or run late. We've even run into complete wrong time on the email situation for various activities.
You gonna have a land line in the house? Your 14 year old isn't gonna be able to call 911 if there is a fire?
About age 8-9 children need a phone for the most part.