Mine have had them since middle school
My son is 12 and has had one since he was 10. Smart phones. Usually a 2 or 3 year old iphone or Android. He’s a reliable trustworthy child but I still check his phone if I need to and he only has number of family members or his friends from school and those are monitored as well. He loves to ride his bike and go to a park down the street and I like him checking in me with me every 30 minutes so I feel better knowing he has a phone. Every kid is different. He isn’t allowed Facebook and we do not do tik tok in this house but I did let him have an Instagram with rules attached to it. It seems to be ok so far. I need him to know he’s trusted until he proves me otherwise but so far so good.
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My girl’s 9&10 do only because their dad provided it so they can talk to him. I personally don’t think they are mature enough.
We got my daughter one when she started middle school, we didn’t live in in the area.
My 10 year old has a phone. She takes the bus to school and ventures to her friends on her own. I need to be able to get a hold of my child
When they get their 1st job or 1st car. Then they can have one.
Depends on age and if afterschool activities. No expensive one and would start with buy the minutes card plan… Easy to take away if have too and keep track of on the phone time.
If they have a job and can afford it sure. Otherwise no. There’s too much research out there saying don’t do it.
I regret giving kids a phone it took over there life so I decided not to give my younger ones one but also made a mistake on giving them tablets so they don’t have them anymore either
My sons shared a phone but it stayed at home and they can’t bring it anywhere. It is only to communicate with me if I’m at work and they’re at home
At the point they walk home and to school on their own or go further afield than playing in the yard or street.
Not mine he calls his grandma over me telling him no
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Yes. Once my kids start sports or have club meetings they will need one so they can get ahold of me.
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I didn’t have a phone until I was 16. They don’t need one until then. If they’re at a friend’s, there’s a phone there. At a school function or sports? There’s teachers and other adults with phones. I managed just fine with no phone. My kid isn’t getting one until they show they need one or they are about 16.
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Mmm maybe not a cell phone but a tablet or iPad sure. Cell phone when they’re in like, 7th/8th grade is okay
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No they don’t need one any more than they need there own computer with out super vision
Yup. I got my daughter one because she walks home from school alone and spends that hr by herself before I get off work. She must call me leaving the school and when she gets to the house. Things are not the same now as when I was a kid. And we dont have a house phone.
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Depends on the age. My 7 yr old had one but i took it away because thats all she ever wanted to do.
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My children all had a phone WHEN they could afford it. My 11 year old cut grass, and most recently cleaning horse stalls and bailing hay. S cell phone is an accessory NOT a necessity. I provide the necessities.
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Depends on age & why they need it.
My boys are 12 & 13. They have phones for when they go to friends houses or friends call them after school/weekends.
They don’t take them to school since I drop off/pickup. Internet is blocked so only good for emergency calls
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8 kids 15 grandkids. Many of the grandkids over 8 have a cell phone nicer than the one I have. lol. THey know how to work it better than me. The one thing I love is that the kids can text me. They dont abuse the texting and I love having them contact me everyday. THey just text Hi to me and if Im available to talk i either text or call them back. Yes we have had a few hiccups along the way but in general are able to handle them.
My daughter 2 she have one I travel with but it have no service just educational games I see no issue with as long as they responsible and the parents supervise any social media
No children do not need cell phones. I do think if you do not have a landline at home you get a house cell phone that is kept at home.
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i didnt let mine until they were old enough to work n pay for it and the service themselves, they never took care of things so i did it this way
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I think they should have a cheap phone when they are 12 or 13, just for emergencies or to simply text friends. They have pay as you go phones, and that’s good enough. When they grow up and earn their own money, they can buy a smart phone or whatever they desire. But they have to earn it. Kids break phones. I know I accidentally did alot.
My three didn’t get phones until they got into high school.
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Maybe a flip phone… 
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I didnt get a phone til i was 17. Lol.
Circumstances matter. My son got his when he was 10 because his dad and I were divorcing and not communicating well, so I got him a phone so he could contact me for comfort or if he needed me. Otherwise I would have waited till he was older.
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They dont need one until they are about 15 years old or older
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In this day and age definitely. The world is getting worse and worse, I couldn’t imagine not being able to get ahold of my kid if something bad happened at school or a friends house
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Well I guess my kids would start with one when I need to get a hold of them. But right now they are always with me or their father or another adult so they don’t need one.
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I think once they start secondary school then they should have a phone especially if they are walking or getting a bus to and from school just incase anything happens. So I’d say 12/13 is a good age you could always limit their time on it and not let them have it in their rooms after a certain time or at all. It’s a scary world out there so just for peace of mind for you and the children will probably benefit them having one. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy as long as it does the job lol. Xx
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ONLY if HEAVILY monitored and restricted
No social media
No free access to the world wide web
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Got one for my daughter because her dad tried to tell the courts that I wouldn’t allow her to talk to him.We started wt a free phone . Then worked up to an Android.
I learned the hard way when my son was in 2nd or 3rd grade and spent the night with a friend he’d known since kindergarten. He had no way of contacting us to pick him up when some bad things went down. I knocked on the door for about 15 minutes before someone answered it. The mom’s eye was black and swollen shut when she finally opened the door. He got my phone when we got home and I went to get another phone.
Depends. If my kid is leaving the house a lot to be with non family then yeah I’d get her a phone. I’m considering it still since we have 50/50 custody and we both work so she isn’t with either parent 247
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Not until she’s staying home alone… so like 10-12ish.
But no social media. There will be parental restrictions. I’ll have all passwords and will monitor it.
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I dont think they need these brand new ones that are out there just something cheap that they can use in an emergency.
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I will say i dont agree but my 9 year old has one for the fact he travels every week to a whole different state to see his dad and his dad wouldnt let him call me when he needed to so i got one but it has a ton of parental locks on it and i am able to lock his phone at any given point and unlock it as well from my own phone… its through an app called parent link
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Depends on their age
If parents are separated,I f they go to friends houses and/or are home alone then absolutely yes.
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Mine got one when she turned 11.
I had a flip phone in grade 4 (nine, ten years old) because I bussed and would be home for an hour after school. My kids are five and I’m debating when I’ll need to get them their own. Im thinking around eight, nine ish. I would only get something like a flip phone if they’re still a thing, all they need is calling and texting.
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My 8 year old has one. But he can only call 4 ppl.
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It’s up to the parents…but children should have a cellphone if they are away from parents.
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As soon as they’re doing things without me. Like walking to school, having sleepovers, going shopping then I’ll get them one.
My kids both have phones. My son is 8 and my daughter is 10 but their dad is halfway across the country and that’s how they communicate. I have full access to their phones and also have child lock on it and a timer for bed times so they have limited access.
I would never allow my child to go to school without a phone of some sort. Obviously it would have restrictions, but there aren’t just payphones sitting around or anything. I’m not letting my kid be gone for 8 hours a day without any way of getting a hold of me in an emergency.
Depends on the age you can get something where they only use it to call you or emergency. Put parental locks on it. Know every password.
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Depends on the age in my opinion. My daughter is 9 and wants a cell phone because some of her friends have them. I told her no because in my opinion that’s too young. I told her maybe when she gets to middle school. Right now she doesn’t exactly go anywhere without an adult or walk anywhere by herself, so no need for it.
A need for sure. My oldest was in 5th grade, middle 4th grade and youngest was 2nd grade when they got their first connected iPhone. They had unconnected iPhones and iPads and so on before that. They need a way to keep in contact with us at all times.
A basic one for safety
Access to the internet corrupts absolutely
Depends on the age and personality. If u see your child as responsible trust him or her at a appropriate age.
My 12 yo does and i feel so much connected to her and safe. I m shared custody so i can text with her the week she s not here knowing whats going on . And also when she s at her friends or i leave her home for sn hour i feel safe being able to track her and text call her.
My friend got her daughter a watch that can only call 3 people and I think thats a great idea. My daughter is only a few months old, so who knows what kind of technology will be around by time i need to consider something for her.
My boys at 10 & 11, they have tablets but not phones. The kids messenger app allows them to call/text whoever I link to their account. No need for phones, yet. I’m always home with them anyways.
Maybe a Nokia 
, but children shouldn’t have full access to the internet there’s to many creepy dodgy people out there these days you don’t know who is behind a screen , bullies are more out there these days Cos they can hide behind screens. if a child has a phone they should have a time limited, Cos sleep is so important for children these days .
My 12 and 16 year old have phones. I’m not always at home and we don’t have a home phone so
My 12 year old has one 
n has had one since he was 8. I don’t buy a new phone either for him. I upgrade my phone and give him my old one. He has Life360 on it for I know where he’s at all times no matter what especially since he rides his bike to school daily. He knows how to text and answer his phone too. If the child is irresponsible then probably not but if they are responsible then yes. I pay for my sons phone card so we do the 90$ ultimate unlimited 2 line straight talk plan and I do go thru his phone whenever I want and he doesn’t throw a fit or anything like that.
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Not unless they are in an after school sport where the parent can’t attend. Mine are 6 4 and 2 they dont need phones. So maybe when mine are in jr.high but as of now no children dont need phones.
I got my daughter a cheap prepaid when she was 8 because we were going on vacation and my husband wanted her to not steal his phone for pokemon go. She did really good with it for months… i had family link attached so I could see what she was doing, the numbers messaging/calling her, set time limits, and require my permission for websites or downloads. I loved her having a cell. Until she lost it. We haven’t replaced it yet.
Not to let them have one until they can pay for it. Unless they are in sports and then get them a trac phone so they can only call or text for a ride home from an even. I wouldn’t get a smart phone since kids are rough on phones.
My son is a freshman in high school. It really helps me stay in contact with. My 5th graders don’t have one.
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My kids are too young for a phone but by the time they’re in 4th grade we will giving them phones for emergency purposes and they will not be allowed on the internet or social media. Too many creeps out there. I used to babysit a five year old that had her very own iPhone and was always on tik tok. Made me very uncomfortable.
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Personally, i want my kids to have phones as soon as they start hanging out with friends so they can contact me whenever they need to.
My kidd go to daycare and school. No need for pohones til in sports. But only for sports purpose if staying after. Therevwill be parebt controls on phone and wifi at home… not to use to talk to friends jist call us for rode or emergency… no extra bs on it. A phone is an expensive tablet. Since my kid is far from driving age abd is not interested in sports dad and i say no phone. He can use ours if he asks.and then well inlock ours or he can use house phone too
I would say around 11’ish but NOT a smartphone! Get a Gabb phone that only allows text, phone calls, and I think music. Don’t give your kid a smartphone until they’re older…like 18!
When they prove responsible enough 2 have one. I was 13 when I got my first and it was a pay as u go track phone. My sister was 11 same phone. She wasn’t responsible enough for it. Mine will get a phone if in sports but not until 9th grade and prove responsible enough
My kids got an “emergency” phone once they were old enough to start hanging out with their friends alone. Not texting, photos, video, social media, or long calls. Just enough “minutes” to tell me to come pick them up. They both got a job at age 15 and paid for their own phones and monthly phone service after that.
Until they dont remember their password, and you spend three hours at apple trying to fix the phone! Remember they are Children
Hmm must be 14 years ago since I gave all 3 of mine mobile phones. Just call and text ones. My youngest was 8 and after school she was seen at the bus stop outside school to come home. I always watched at the window to see her get off the bus. This one day in December the bus didn’t stop outside my house. So I called school and asked if she was still there. Nope, she had been seen at the bus stop talking to a friend of hers. We thought maybe she had gone home with her even though she knew she had to ask first. So I called her friends mum. Nope wasn’t there. Started panicking and so did the school. They organised a search of school grounds while I called all her friends. Nothing. After about an hour I decided to call the bus company (yup should have called them first) to be told that the driver hadn’t been able to stop because it was at the top of a hill and it was too slippy so my daughter got kept on the bus. She was at the bus station in the next town and someone would drive her home to me. She got back about an hour later. Next day all 3 kids had mobile phones. So if your child is ever needing to do something alone, take the bus etc, then they need a mobile phone so you can call them, plus you can install an app which let’s you check where they are if they don’t answer
Define “children”, cause I see 8 year olds with phones and they don’t need them. Maybe 12 and up.
Really? Either get your kid a phone or don’t.
No way. When my child is old enough to walk somewhere or be at an activity or play date without an adult present, then they get a cell phone. Which will be no younger than 12/13 and even that depends on maturity levels. Also won’t be a new and fancy phone. If my child is with a trusted adult there should be no reason they can not borrow a phone if needed. As the mother of daughters I have seen how cruel children are, especially preteen girls. Which has become significantly worse thanks to cell phones and social media accounts at far too young ages and without parental discipline. Why bring that into your children’s lives?