My baby sister is 14 years old, should she be given a cell phone?

My 17 year old has a cell phone and I am thinking of getting one for my 14 year old just to have when they are out in case for some reason they need to get a hold of me and they can't reach a phone . It is an addiction but if taught to only use it when it is needed then it could come in handy . You never know when you are out that something isn't going to happen that having a cell phone might not be a good idea . As teenagers they often go out with each other and we want to be able to trust them but it would be good to know that if something were to go wrong that they would have the opportunity to call for help , so if used for things like this , I don't have a problem with a child having a cell phone . They wouldn't need to take it with them everywhere they go and if only used on different occasaions , it could come in quite handy and a way for you to get in touch with your child when they are out :)

My mom bought my baby sister a cell phone after she turned 16 and got her driver's license. She used to have to drive an hour to see her boyfriend, so my mom wanted to make sure she had a way to call if anything happened. Personally, I didn't have a cell phone until I was 27, so I was a little jealous of my sister. But it does make sense to give teenagers a cell phone these days, as long as they are instructed to use it responsibly, and are given limitations on what they should and should not use it for.

no she not be given cell phone...let her concentrate her studies first...

hey zerzis you are very right that cell phones are becoming very common these days and there is no age limit as such when one can enjoy it .It is becoming more and more part of ur lifestyle and u cant live without it .But i think that since ur sister is of 14 years so she really does nt need it .she will get addicted to it.there is no as such need for her .It wil be like a music player or gaming device to her and she will rarely call if considering a normal usage .

Well, I dont approve of youngsters carrying cell phones. Actually it creates lots of disturbacnce for them. Youngsters should be paying more attentions to studies and carrier, not on gadgets, especially the one like cell phone. But still, if the parents or other elders in the family have no problem with that or because of some special cases like security etc, the cell phones can be given to youngster.

I think 14 is a little young for a cell phone. Once kids are in high school I could see the need for a cell phone then but if she doesnt need one then why get her one.

Well Zerzis, in my opinion i would suggest not to get it for her. It is good that we get one for them but i think that she is still a kid and should be stayed away from these. Once she crosses 18 or goes to college then we can give a cell phone, but now there are chances that she may get addicted!

If your sister stay outside for long time & no other family member remain as a companion of her at taht time then you may allow her to use a cell phone. You have picked up a good point ...Cell Phone really may be addiction. You as well as your parents are guide of your sister so it is a matter of looking after of you. Cell Phone is necessary but sometimes it is enough to spoil one's life. Still, I don't allow Cell Phone for minor in our family.

I think it all depends on the maturity of your sister and why she needs the phone. My son just got a cellphone and he is 15. The reason he got one is because he is very active in sports and it makes it easier for him to call for rides home or to let us know if games are starting late. I also like it because I can keep track of where he is when he is out with his friends. He knows that if I call, he must answer. He also pays for his own portion of the cell phone bill. If she just wants one because everyone else has one, I would say not unless she is paying for it herself.

I think they can only be addictive if they have the ability to make calls & texts wherever & whenever. When my daughter is older (she's only 10 months now) i will allow her to have a mobile phone but it will be pre-paid only & if she uses the credit, she needs to be responsible for putting more on. There is also a new gadget here in Australia which i'm sure has been there for a while - it's a pre-paid phone & has a setting that parents can play with to set the numbers that can be called from that phone. It means the money cant be wasted on texting & calling friends all the time. I guess as a reward you can unbar certain numbers for a day or whatever but it means your child cant just waste all their credit & if there was an emergency, there would be credit left to call a parent. I thought it was a good idea coz they have the phone for sately reasons but the parents have control over who can be called! No, 14 isn't so bad though - i'd rather a 14 yr old had a phone if they were out & could call me if they were afraid, there was an accident or something like that. Better to be safe than sorry, right?

My 10 year old stepson wants one. But I convinced his dad that he is just way too young to have a cell phone. Junior High kids maybe, high school sure if they can pay for it themselves. But elementary kids NO! What good reason would someone that young have a need for a cell phone?

There have there firefly phones out now for kids! It doesnt have numbers on it, the parents program what numbers the kid will be allowed to use and then the kid can only call whoever is on that list! I tihnk that would be perfect for your sister. She could sue it to get ahold of family or in case of an emergency and wouldn't run up the bill!

i think it's okay to be given a cell phone for your younger sister.it's just for convenience.her dad can easily find or get in touch with her with the cell phone.

really in my home with my family we have all phons and i think we all need it but some poeple until new they didnt use its and i think couse they didnt like it

I think it depends totally on whether she needs it. Maybe your dad feels she should be in touch. Maybe your dad knows other 14 year olds who have been given cell phones. I agree it is an addiction, but sometimes it may be a necessary evil. No minors in my household have cell phones, but one of them also 14 is likely to get his first cellphone!

My mother is thinking about getting my brother a cell phone and he is fourteen years old. The reason being is that he likes to hang out in the electronics department in Wal-Mart and play video games. He scared her without meaning to by going to another part of the store last week. She always has to come and get him from the electronics before checking out. If she gets him a cell phone, it will be easier to get in touch with him. I don't know about your sister unless she is like my brother.

My sister is 13 years old this year. She is using a cellphone. It is quite common among her peers owning a cellphone. I do see her sms a lot. I have gave her some advice about not being addicted to cellphone and as long as it doens't like hugely impact her student life, i allow her to own a cellphone. No bid deal.

nowadays a cell phone is a necessity, especially for an emergency cases. but you have to control her in using the mobile, by giving her an allowance for the mobile credits and keeping in track on her usage. it's only a matter of discipline.

I agree with you, Zerzis! I think the student,especially under age of 16,dont need the cell phone. the cell phone affect their learning.