Selecting if it is the right time to purchase your kid a mobile phone can be hard. If you are a parent in this situation and have not made up your mind, here's some information on getting cellphones for kids, thanks to the National Consumers League. Article source: Kids and cellphones: Knowing when the time is right
Children are getting younger
NCL representative John Breyault explained that about 75 percent of U.S. teens have their own cellphones while ages 9 to 12 is the fastest growing group of cellular phone users.
"The age a child gets a first cellphone is getting progressively younger. Parents want to be in touch with their kids," said Breyault.
The NCL says that you should do a few things before getting a kid a cellphone, no matter what your reason is for getting one.
Why does my kid need a cellphone?
Every parent should look at this first. No cellular phone should be bought without first contemplating this. Everyone wants to get Emergency GPS. Still, there are other choices to take into account such as the amount of minutes, texting, chat, internet access, gaming, and music downloads you would like your kid to have. Plus, if they're prone to losing things, you'll want to ponder pur-chasing handset replacement insurance.
Which plan to choose
Once you know what your child needs in a cellphone, it is time to select a service plan. Your child might not be able to limit themselves with texting, calling, and data. Is a cap what you need?
You are able to get a standard contract plan or prepaid plan for kid. A contract plan offers detailed bills that spell out all charges and allows you to lock in a package of possibilities, but the typical two-year contract comes with a stiff early termination fee if you decide to try something else. The prepaid plans allow you to ignore the idea of overage fees. It usually costs more with a smartphone though.
Reception should be accessible at all places your kid will be. This consists of friends’ houses, school, malls and sporting areas. If reception is spotty, that chunk of plastic and metal is far less useful.
What you should know about texting
Most cellphone plans depend on texting and SMS. Doing 2,000 to 4,000 texts a month isn't unlikely for a teenager or tween. That means unlimited plans are usually the best choice. If there's a family plan where minutes and texts are being shared, then this is even more im-portant. Unlimited texting typically costs and extra $10 to $20 per month.
When choosing how much you want to pay, there are other things to think about. This consists of texting, IM, Twitter, Facebook and other services. “Sexting” should be involved in the talk parents have with their kids before purchasing a cellphone. Your child is more likely to be cyber bullied when online all the moment.
Take into account whether your kid is emotionally ready to have access to technology that can both bring individuals together and tear them apart. It is a good idea to talk about cellphone appropriateness. There's a wrong and right time to use one. Each family and school will have different rules.
All about DadLabs comments
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG7WQcOPHuc
Articles cited
http://pediatrics.about.com/od/otherparentingissues/i/kids_cellphones.htm
http://www.modbee.com/2011/09/18/1864271/claudia-buck-tips-offered-for.html
http://www.nclnet.org/technology
Children are getting younger
NCL representative John Breyault explained that about 75 percent of U.S. teens have their own cellphones while ages 9 to 12 is the fastest growing group of cellular phone users.
"The age a child gets a first cellphone is getting progressively younger. Parents want to be in touch with their kids," said Breyault.
The NCL says that you should do a few things before getting a kid a cellphone, no matter what your reason is for getting one.
Why does my kid need a cellphone?
Every parent should look at this first. No cellular phone should be bought without first contemplating this. Everyone wants to get Emergency GPS. Still, there are other choices to take into account such as the amount of minutes, texting, chat, internet access, gaming, and music downloads you would like your kid to have. Plus, if they're prone to losing things, you'll want to ponder pur-chasing handset replacement insurance.
Which plan to choose
Once you know what your child needs in a cellphone, it is time to select a service plan. Your child might not be able to limit themselves with texting, calling, and data. Is a cap what you need?
You are able to get a standard contract plan or prepaid plan for kid. A contract plan offers detailed bills that spell out all charges and allows you to lock in a package of possibilities, but the typical two-year contract comes with a stiff early termination fee if you decide to try something else. The prepaid plans allow you to ignore the idea of overage fees. It usually costs more with a smartphone though.
Reception should be accessible at all places your kid will be. This consists of friends’ houses, school, malls and sporting areas. If reception is spotty, that chunk of plastic and metal is far less useful.
What you should know about texting
Most cellphone plans depend on texting and SMS. Doing 2,000 to 4,000 texts a month isn't unlikely for a teenager or tween. That means unlimited plans are usually the best choice. If there's a family plan where minutes and texts are being shared, then this is even more im-portant. Unlimited texting typically costs and extra $10 to $20 per month.
When choosing how much you want to pay, there are other things to think about. This consists of texting, IM, Twitter, Facebook and other services. “Sexting” should be involved in the talk parents have with their kids before purchasing a cellphone. Your child is more likely to be cyber bullied when online all the moment.
Take into account whether your kid is emotionally ready to have access to technology that can both bring individuals together and tear them apart. It is a good idea to talk about cellphone appropriateness. There's a wrong and right time to use one. Each family and school will have different rules.
All about DadLabs comments
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG7WQcOPHuc
Articles cited
http://pediatrics.about.com/od/otherparentingissues/i/kids_cellphones.htm
http://www.modbee.com/2011/09/18/1864271/claudia-buck-tips-offered-for.html
http://www.nclnet.org/technology