Hi, I got my eldest a mobile when he started catching the bus home alone, he was 11 in grade 5.  My 7yo asks when he can have one & the answer is "when you need one" eg. catching the bus alone.   I have set up 1c texts on prepaid which works really well.  I transfer $5 a month over to it & always make sure he has a few dollars on it to make an emergency call to me if he needs to.   For me it was all about need - I must say I feel secure knowing he has it.  Rach

hi there,

Im currently 17 and i got my first phone at the age of 9. Due to living with a single parent. But that wasnt the case. I think if you trust him enough go get him one. You never know he might be at his friends one day and he might need you or anyone's family member but they have no way to get in contact with you. Just go get a cheap phone which is about $59.00 these days and get him on a good telstra deal or who ever your home phone is with. but go and buy one from a phone shop that can help you more. Deep down i feel as tho he and any kid needs one when they are around 9 to 10. even older depends on why they want one.

well  my oldest is 17 and he just got a mobile. He thinks he should have had it years ago cos all his friends have one. I didnt think he needed one cos of costs etc. Also he doesnt work and have his own money.

Anyone I bought a telstra next g phone and got on a prepaid option where you can call and text up to 5 numbers , that are telstra customers, as many times as you like in a day and it costs $1 a day. So pay $30 and it lasts 30 days as long as he is not making other calls.

So he can call home anytime without costing heaps. It's good peace of mind. He travelled on his own to brisbane recently by train and plane so it was good to keep in touch to make sure he got from the station to the aiport ok.

The main reason I got it was because his brother had  a siezure on the way home from school and they couldnt contact me so they just caught the bus home when really he should have gone to hospital.  My kids travel over an hour and a half to school every day.

So even though technically it belongs to the oldest his brothers have use too if ever they go out on their own for a walk or riding.

It's a small amount really for peace of mind. Just have to be tough on them not to use for socializing. I don't think kids need that and they need to learn disipline or they will have trouble paying the bills later on in life.

In my opinion, children under 16 shouldn't have cell phones in any but the most extreme situations. They definitely shouldn't have them for socializing. Our house rules say that dating should wait until 16 and that children who are driving should have a cell phone.

I can understand parents wanting to be able to get in touch with their kids, just not giving their children an all-access pass to contact their friends.

My son has one and he is 11 and he only got that a few months back as he wanted to visit his mates down the road and i am very wary on letting my kids outside my gates without me.. He was giving a pre- paid and has being very responsible..

As for a 9 year old having one, how responsible is he is the question u need to answer..

I have a 9 year old daughter and there is no way is she ready to take on that responsibilty, and she is happy to chat on the house phone for now...

xx cazza

  I think for emergency's and safety reasons a mobile phone is a good idea but I wouldn't go any other way then pre-paid that way you can set the limit. And explain to your son once the amount has run out, that's it until you renew it.

Thanks... I am feeling much more sane again since reading the responses... !  I see all these kids aged 9 and 10 with mobiles and think what are they thinking giving them a mobile! And then when my son started pestering me I thought I must be behind the eight ball nowadays, but reading the comments below has made me feel much better.. he can have one for xmas in 2011. he'll be nearly 13 then plus it will give me time to upgrade and he can have my current one.. he he he :)

giving your child a mobile phone is sometimes a good idea (in case of an emergency, or if you are running late) emergency numbers are free to call, and if the phone is prepaid just put a few dollars on it in case your son needs to call you.

Hello, we have just given our 13 yr old a mobile phone, for safety more than anything else as she has to catch a bus but we find it hard as she will use her credit onher friends and then expect us to buy more. It is a novelty to start with and thats ok but they are not cheap. I think 9 is abit young yet , especially for the finance side. Perhaps you could get him into doing jobs to earn credit, and see if he would be responsible about working and saving for his own credit. If he doesnt, then i would say, we will try again when you are 10. good luck

Well I fell into the "I can't believe " group until my daughter wanted to walk to school.  Halfway through year 5 she became unbearable and I realised she needed some time out to herself and was becoming stressed.  So we let her walk home one day a week - that two hours to do her homework and just chill at home turned her back into the child I knew.  By year 6 she was walking home three afternoons a week, when she got home she would ring me at work so I knew she was safe (only a 15 minute walk).  But then we broached not going to before school care and walking to school (downhill, so only ten minutes).  My fear - kidnapped before reaching the school and no one noticing until 3.30pm when she didn't ring me!  I could just see the ladies in the office being happy about ringing me to let me know she had arrived safely.  I needed this or I would worry all day.

Solution - We explained the cost, bought a cheap (pink) pre paid phone.  When she got to school a quick phone call was all I needed to maintain my sanity.  The first 12 months she did not even use up her $30 credit and now she is in High School the same applies.  She rings when she gets there and we have not had to top up her phone yet!

Phones are for a purpose, not socialising.  Explaining the cost and how they can cost (specialised ring tones etc.) are very important and we have had no problems.  Definitely the home phone is how she communicates with her friends and not ringing THEIR mobiles, but their home numbers is also part of the learning process.

She has survived high school without being dubbed totally uncool (maybe all her friends are just as uncool - I don't care) and we have had no nasty surprises in bills.
Steph

I gave in and let my 11yo DD have her first mobile last year when she was starting to get more independant ( staying over at her friends house or was at Band and I wasnot there. Then if plans changed and she needed me she could always call.

I gave her my old phone so that was free & I put $30 credit on it for her and set some pretty strict rules for its use:

Can call Dad & Me only if need to change plans ( not 3 times to say hi!!)

Once the credit is used then it is chores time to earn more- and I include respectful attitude as a pre-requisite for phone freedom- after all "if you cant speak to me nicely and Im standing right here, you best give me you phone til your manners improve so you dont offend your friends!!"

well I know I'm not there yet with such a young one but I got one at 18 and I think that is percfectly fine. I'd also think it was reasonable if a kid got one when they got their first part time job but IMHO 9 is waaaaaaaaay too young. I don't think you will be the only 'uncool' mum and hey if you are well too bad. It's not your job to be cool it's your job to look after the little munchkins as you see fit.

Good luck with it

hey, i have 4 kids and 3 of them are 18yrs, 16yrs and nearly 14yrs.....they all have a mobile ph and they were all bought one for xmas the yr they started high school. I also live a fair distance away from town so when the kids are with their friends in town they are able to be in contact with me 24/7. I do personally feel 9 yrs old is a little too young for a mobile ph. Nearly all the kids in high school have a mobile phone these days. My eldest 2 have jobs so they pay for their own phone bills which are pre paid and my near 14 yr old gets her pocket money fortnightly and does jobs around the house to pay for her own credit for her ph, helps them to understand the value of money as well.......good luck!!!

personally I think when they have a job then they can have a mobile. I know that is hypicritial of me as I was 18 and my Dad bought me one and to be honest I have never had a job apart from being a mum in my life and at 18 I was not responsible and gave my Dad a $320 mobile bill for the month. (my hubby just told me that cause I didnt know that)

I think u can still get one that only calls home.

But at 9 my kids wouldnt be going out anywhere except friends houses and they still wouldnt be allowed out of that house.

Call me the geeky mum coz Im soooo against kids with mobiles!  I've told my son he can have his own mobile when he gets a job!  With all the nastiness and bullying out there I think its just one more way for kids to get themselves into trouble.  If more parents stood up and went with their gut instead of going with the flow, none of these kids would have mobiles.  Its ridiculas! My son is 12 and asks for a mobile atleast once a month.  I tell him no once a month and you know what???  He is still alive and he still has a little girlfriend and his friends call him on our landline when they want to speak to him.