Teens and Cell Phone Rules

I would never get my teens a cell phone.
I understand that parents want to know their kids are save and all that stuff,but I don't agree with that.
It always makes me cringe,when I see all these children running
around with their phones in their hands constantly texting and talking.....
I call it the entitlement generation!!!
They can't afford it,they shouldn't have it.
Plus they do link brain cancer to constant use of cell phones.
That is just my thought.

Do everything you would do for yourself, and understand that teens will text much more than they will talk. If they go over they have to come up with the money to pay for their overages. Use a family share plan. If they repeatedly go over they lose the phone for a certain amount of time. I have seen this work really well in the past. Generally they only use the phone to talk during unlimited time anyway so it shouldn't be a problem. The other option that I have seen is a prepaid monthly plan. You agree to pay a certain amount every month, and as soon as they go over the minutes, the phone is shut down by the company until more minutes are added(payment received).

My daughters and I have Virgin Mobile pay as you go plans. You have to add $20.00 every 3 months to keep the phones activitated. I told them I would be responsible for the $20.00 every 3 months. If their phones run out of minutes before that it is their responsibility to add minutes. They get phone cards from their aunts and uncles at Christmas and thier birthdays which helps them out. It has really taught them to be more responsible. If they are on their phone too much it will "cost" them, so it does help. My daughter did look into getting a different plan now that she's working and realized how expensive cell phones really are!!

I have a 15 year old daughter with a cell phone. She is on our family plan with unlimited texting. Her texting quantity because an issue. We had to set rules that she could not call or txt friends between certain hours. We told her the first time we see usage during that restricted time, she would lose her phone. So far, she has been good about it - she definitely doesn't want to lose her phone. After a specific time, she must give her phone to me or dad. The bottom line is, its not the cost of the phone, its the amount of time spent texting or talking that could be spent studying. Good Luck.

L.,

My daughters got cell phones once they were in extracuricular (sp) activities in school. This way they were able to contact me when they were on thier way back to the school or needed tobe picked up after practice.

We use Virgin Mobile pay as you go. They work for thier money to "top-up" the phone. If they don't do work for me or go overboard using the phone, like TEXTING, then oh well, thier out of luck. My oldest has a job now so she pays for her own and my 14yr watches my 10yr after school for an hour so I give her 20.00 a month. But if she needs more, she works it off.
My girls also ask for cards for birthdays and holidays. They don't need to have a "real plan" as they call it. But it is nice to be able to get in touch with them when I need to.

If you have already decided to do this, don't listen to the judgmental people who say they would never ever do this. I was probably one of them once, and then my daughter grew up and she was in sports and after school activities and maybe at the park with friends or at the pool - and when she needed a ride or when the event was over (if I wasn't there already) I could come get her. They are a great convenience and there is nothing wrong with the safety thing as well -- being in contact. I would do a pre-pay plan or add them onto your plan. Sometimes there are great deals for doing this. I would check around. The texting is what gets crazy, and you would have to have rules upfront about this. They can really run up a bill with that, and my daughter wasn't allowed to have texting on her phone until she got a job and could pay for that herself.

I have a 17 year old that has had a cell phone since he started high school. He just recently graduated and we never had any problems with the phone. I guess I was lucky but we did have a few rules. First he was responsible for his phone and if he lost it he would have to buy a new one. Second he knew that I would be looking each month how many minutes he used and he was alotted about 500 minutes + free nights and weekends + free cingular to cingular calls. Third we talked about texting and I will quote him, "if I want to talk to someone I will call them, texting is lame." So we never worried about that but with the unlimited texting plans you can get know that should not be a problem. My girlfriend pays $29.95 per months for the family to have unlimited texting. She found she could lower her phone use minutes because that is all the do is text their friends.
Forth as for cost his phone costs me $9.99 + tax per month, we have never asked him to pay for it because are business picks up the cost but I don't see any problem with asking them to pay for that monthly fee.
I also do not see a problem with restricting the time the phone is being used or time texting. The phone is a luxury and is a privilege. You are the mom the phones be long to you, you make the rules and there is no reason why they can earn the privilege of having a cell phone.
One Last Comment:
Some of the moms say that a phone is a necessity. A CELL PHONE IS NOT NECESSITY AND JUST BECAUSE EVER ONE HAS ONE DOES NOT MEAN YOU NEED TO GIVE YOUR BOYS THIS PRIVILEGE. Necessities are food, clothes and a roof over their heads. Our children have it good and they sometimes need to see what is like to have to wear second hand shoes and go with out a cell phone. I am not telling you to take their phones away I am just saying "A CELL PHONE IS NOT NECESSITY"

Good Luck with those 3 boys....
S.

My thought is, why do young teens need cell phones?? Let there friends call your house phone. If they need a cell phone for a special outing occasionally they can borrow yours. They don't need to be in touch with their friends ALL the time. This is how my parents handled it and it is how I plan on handling it when my kids get older. Good luck!

EDIT-- After reading some of the other posts I just wanted to add that just because someone has a different opinion does not make them judgemental. I hope people realize that ): Thanks for listening.