do you think its ok for an 8 year old to have there own mobile phone ?
- Thread starter RedDanDoc
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Soldato
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i was allowed a mobile phone just after i turned 14, spent way too many hours on snake 
Soldato
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Jesus when i was 8 i was only coming out into the world and paying attention to things i was more focused on playing with ma friends on my road and what not.
Kids walking around with Iphones and blackberries at the age of 8 is unnacceptable. I really think its bad if 8 year olds are allowed out on there own man seriously im 20 now just for the record.
This takes away from having an actual childhood kids are growing up to fast when allowed these things so early.
I really think that she should have asked you Ofcourse before she bougtht them the phones. You should sell them lol and buy them some things more for there age or to what they like.
Kids walking around with Iphones and blackberries at the age of 8 is unnacceptable. I really think its bad if 8 year olds are allowed out on there own man seriously im 20 now just for the record.
This takes away from having an actual childhood kids are growing up to fast when allowed these things so early.
I really think that she should have asked you Ofcourse before she bougtht them the phones. You should sell them lol and buy them some things more for there age or to what they like.
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Associate
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My eldest is nearly 10 and I wouldn't let him have a mobile to be honest, as already mentioned I can see very little reason for kids needing mobiles. Aside from anything else it would be a complete waste of money buying credit/contract. My Ex tried a similar and tried to buy him one - I put my foot down.
I'm not sure what age I would feel comfortable with my kids having a mobile, probablly 15/16, I didn't get my first mobile until I was 19 some brick on Orange contract. I still managed to screw that right up lol.
I'm not sure what age I would feel comfortable with my kids having a mobile, probablly 15/16, I didn't get my first mobile until I was 19 some brick on Orange contract. I still managed to screw that right up lol.
I think it's OK if the parents are OK with it. Preferably something cheap that can't go online.
Pretty shocking that someone has given them a phone without your consent/knowledge though.
My cousin has two daughters and I think they got phones around the age of 8-9.
In terms of what age is the right age, where do you draw the line.... I don't know, I reckon by the time kids get to about 14 or so they will probably be really keen on having one, one thing to bear in mind is that you don't want to stunt the social growth of your kids by cutting them out of the loop on such things. I didn't get a mobile until long after I left uni (I was one of the strange people that adopted online communication, mp3 player etc long before a mobile!) but times have changed, they are an integral part of society now and there's always a chance that teenagers could get laughed at for not having one or feel excluded when others are making arrangements etc. @Leviathon, you may have been 19 when your got your first mobile phone but that was ~1997 so still a pretty early adopter, I'd wager you were well below the average age of a mobile phone owner then, maybe even a bigger difference than between the current average and 15-16 (speculation on my part but I knew very few teenagers with mobiles back then, nowadays the majority seem to have them).
As for checking a phone I think where 11 year olds are concerned you are within your rights to check it if you are the one paying the bills.
Pretty shocking that someone has given them a phone without your consent/knowledge though.
My cousin has two daughters and I think they got phones around the age of 8-9.
In terms of what age is the right age, where do you draw the line.... I don't know, I reckon by the time kids get to about 14 or so they will probably be really keen on having one, one thing to bear in mind is that you don't want to stunt the social growth of your kids by cutting them out of the loop on such things. I didn't get a mobile until long after I left uni (I was one of the strange people that adopted online communication, mp3 player etc long before a mobile!) but times have changed, they are an integral part of society now and there's always a chance that teenagers could get laughed at for not having one or feel excluded when others are making arrangements etc. @Leviathon, you may have been 19 when your got your first mobile phone but that was ~1997 so still a pretty early adopter, I'd wager you were well below the average age of a mobile phone owner then, maybe even a bigger difference than between the current average and 15-16 (speculation on my part but I knew very few teenagers with mobiles back then, nowadays the majority seem to have them).
As for checking a phone I think where 11 year olds are concerned you are within your rights to check it if you are the one paying the bills.
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Yeah but thats just Middlesbrough being behind the times isn't it?
glol
I could probably think of fifty things you could better do whinging about, getting all weird about a mobile phone? Whatever next. There were times young kids on a PC seemed wrong in some backward social norm, now it's common. Get over it.
Associate
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But whilst you sit there being rational, CHILDREN WITH PHONES ARE DESTROYING THE VERY FABRIC OF OUR SOCIETY!!!!!1111111
Unless he has no money on his pre-paid card... He can still play a game when bored or his parents can know where he is.
Plus, what about normal phones, a mobile will not stop him from calling and playing online...
Microwave radiation has such a low dosage (of radiation) it's practically negligible from mobile phones. 'tis a myth!
Hehe, glad to see I'm not the only one
I mean when my dad grew up, he never had anything kids had today, in fact I'm only 25 and I'll say kids today have more than I had, it's just advancement of social trends, commercialism, cost.
Not that I'd buy an 8 year old a phone (Not because I think it's wrong in my mind, it isn't) but if I was met with fury and anger, I flip the bird and steer clear of such people. Semi-Neurotic oddballs I can very much deal with not having around to be frank.
Soldato
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Me being only 16, my thoughts might not necessarily be relevant to an *older* generation of parents but here they are anyway.
I think they're not old enough. In general for young people, a mobile phone is a metonym for their independence. At 8 years old, they're not ready to be independent. The one thing it could be used for is in an emergency or when they are lost. However, clearly as you appear to be a conscious and responsible parent, you probably wouldn't put your kids in that position. The only real places where they can get lost are places like shopping centres, where there's lots of people around anyway. Also, your kids won't be out on their own will they? However, if they were to be out on their own, it's not exactly hard to mug an 8 year old. Certainly not a nice thought, but if any muggers realised that a little kid has a phone, the kid would be an easy target.
My lil brother is 10, I could not imagine him getting a phone for a few years yet!
EDIT: in terms of mobile radiation. a test was done, they found that using a phone for 24 hours (in this case, within one inch of your head) heated up the water in your brain by 0.3'c. not exactly harmful
but here they are anyway.I think they're not old enough. In general for young people, a mobile phone is a metonym for their independence. At 8 years old, they're not ready to be independent. The one thing it could be used for is in an emergency or when they are lost. However, clearly as you appear to be a conscious and responsible parent, you probably wouldn't put your kids in that position. The only real places where they can get lost are places like shopping centres, where there's lots of people around anyway. Also, your kids won't be out on their own will they? However, if they were to be out on their own, it's not exactly hard to mug an 8 year old. Certainly not a nice thought, but if any muggers realised that a little kid has a phone, the kid would be an easy target.
My lil brother is 10, I could not imagine him getting a phone for a few years yet!
EDIT: in terms of mobile radiation. a test was done, they found that using a phone for 24 hours (in this case, within one inch of your head) heated up the water in your brain by 0.3'c. not exactly harmful
No way, too young and the whole "gamma rays impregnate childrens heads" way to early, I had mobile at 16 (11 years ago) they were crap and nothing like you what we have today, plus I would be worried about the copycat mentality of video recording and even pictures they could see.
EDIT: in terms of mobile radiation. a test was done, they found that using a phone for 24 hours (in this case, within one inch of your head) heated up the water in your brain by 0.3'c. not exactly harmful
It's more what the heating leads to, not the actual temperature.
inb4 internet warrior suggesting im saying the temp. doesnt create problems (SKILLMISTER)