My son, Michael, is 14 and has had a cell phone since junior high school (6th grade). My husband and I felt that it would be a great opportunity to encourage additional responsibility (while also staying connected with our active teen). Junior high school is one of those milestones where responsibility takes on a whole new meaning...there is peer pressure, new-found independence and new social circles. We took these things into account but the primary reason we decided to get Michael a cell phone was because he had proven himself to be responsible.

Initially, the rule was that only calls to us or an emergency contact were permitted. By the time he was in the 8th grade he had quite a collection of friends' numbers, so we allowed him to call friends AND set additional rules regarding the length of conversations and a curfew for making/receiving calls. Gradually we added features that allowed him to browse the internet and send text messages. The understanding was that if we ever felt he was not being responsible (i.e. going over the minute limit...downloading expensive ringers...inappropriate conversations/messages), the services would be restricted or the phone taken away.

Michael goes to high school in the fall and there will be new responsibilities. He will be expected to get a part-time job (one that does not interfere with school) so that he can contribute to the cost of his social activities and his cell phone. The idea is that by the time he graduates, his cell phone will be HIS responsibility and he will have a good understanding of what it takes to use (and maintain) one responsibly.

I believe that giving your child a cell phone provides a great opportunity for parents to teach their kids about financial and social responsibility--for parents it is a way to stay connected with and keep track of your kids. However, I also believe it's important for parents to evaluate whether their child can handle the responsibility of a cell phone.