At What Age is it Proper to Give Your Child a Cell Phone? – Survey of the Day

I remember a time not too terribly long ago that I was in junior high school, and a kid brought a cell phone to school. First, time I had ever scene one that wasn't with a rich adult. It was like the next day another kid had one, and pretty soon everyone had one. Now, though you see 5 and 6 year olds with a phone on there belt. Seems odd. At what age do you think it's proper to give your child a cell phone?

The AT&T Mobile Safety study of parents and children by GfK shows there’s an opportunity for parents and kids to have more discussions about the sometimes contentious topic of mobile phones. Surprisingly, 90% of kids ages 8-17 agree it’s okay for their parents to set rules for their use of such devices; However, only 66% say their parents have actually set such rules. Other findings:

• · The average age a child is given their first phone is 12.1; the average age for a child’s first smartphone is 13.8, among those with a phone.
• · 48% of children ages 12-14 have ridden in a vehicle with someone who was texting while driving. Among those ages 15-17, the percentage of teens who have ridden with a driver who was texting increased to 64%.
• · One in four teens ages 15-17 have received mean or bullying text messages, compared to nearly one in five reported by both 8- to 11- and 12- to 14-year-olds.
• · More than half of teens ages 15-17 know someone who has received a sexual message or picture over their phone, compared to 39% among those aged 12-14.
• · 58% of parents say that their mobile phone provider offers tools or resources for parents to address issues like overages, safety, security and monitoring. One in 7 is not sure whether they have access to these services.