TuscMoms.com

Do you think it's OK for kids under age 12 to have cell phones?

According to a parenting.com poll, 79 percent of moms say NO and 21 percent say YES.

I say it depends on the kid & the circumstances!
My nine-year-old nephew has one, and I think he just plays with it (which is pointless).
But I think some families are so busy, everyone in them needs a phone so they can keep their schedules coordinated.
My teen got one when he was about 13, and it was a great... uhhh.... "leash."
He knew that in order to keep it, he had to answer me when I called. So I always knew what he was doing - whether that was skateboarding down the street with friends or riding home from school with a friend instead of taking the school bus.
And if it can help a busy parent keep track of a young teen (I was a full time newspaper reporter back then), then why not younger kids?
I don't plan on ever going back to work full-time now, though, so my poor preschooler isn't going to have a cell until he's driving!