When Should I Get My Teen a Cell phone?

cellphone

So what is the appropriate age for a teenager to get her first cell phone? There are a lot of factors parents should consider when making this decision. Age of course is one but maturity also plays a big part. Is your teen ready to handle the responsibility of owning a smart phone or should you go with a more basic phone?

According to AT&T Team Leader Brittney Nash a good age for a teen’s first cell phone is around 8-14 years old.  Maturity plays a big part in this decision Nash says “You shouldn’t get a $600 phone for your child if they are not mature enough to handle the responsibility with texting, images, and taking care of an expensive phone.”teen-safe

So you’re taking the plunge and purchasing a cell phone for your child, but what phone to get? For younger kids AT&T rep. Brittney Nash suggests a basic phone with limited features and doesn’t cost much.  With older mature teens, a Samsung Galaxy or iPhone are good phone choices with proven track records. If the phone is going to be used mainly for calling parents for after school activities like sport practices or clubs, a basic phone is a good choice.

While I was visiting my local AT&T store in Spring Hill, another customer weighed in on our teen phone topic and pointed out that her teen just lost her cell phone privileges and was now getting a basic phone and text plan just for emergencies. So again, maturity plays a big part in this decision.

How can I keep track of my teen and their new phone? If you opted for a smart phone there are a lot of quality apps that can track the whereabouts of the phone and your child. Family locater is one android app that does it all with GPS phone tracking and real-time alerts. Another option is a monthly membership site that allows the parent access to most of the data on the phone like TeenSafe.com

All parents need to weigh out the many options of buying a cell phone for your child or teen. Should I get a basic phone or an expensive smart phone? Are they old enough and ready for this responsibility? Set some basic ground rules from the beginning and everybody will be happier from the start.

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