“Don’t forget to call when kindergarten lets out!”

Well, it looks like it’s time to buy your child a cell phone. And no, I’m not talking about your teenager. I’m talking about your first-grader. It seems that cell phones are the newest must-have item among kids – starting as early as age 6. 

Experts blame the wireless industry, which has noticed that young and preteen children are the newest market for their products. After all, pretty much everyone over the age of 13 already has a cell phone. In fact, Yankee group, a technology consulting firm, estimates that 6.6 million of the 20 million 8- to 12-year olds in the country already own a cell phone, and they expect that number to increase substantially in the near future. Due to this demand (or, perhaps, in order to create this demand), companies have started producing colorful and kid-friendly phones ranging in price from around $20 to over $100.

Not surprisingly, many parents think this trend is a bad one. After all, these children are not often dangerously out on their own, as tweens and teenagers are, needing to call and check in. Many parents complain that these phones are expensive and that their children often lose them. The phones also lose their appeal quickly, as a phone that seems cool to a 7-year-old will no longer satisfy a 10-year-old, who might then want the latest and more mature looking model. Other kids use their cell phones to make calls or play games in school, a problem that has been recently plaguing school districts across the country. Not to mention busy parents who are often the recipients of 5 or 10 calls a day. (One mom compared the frequency of her 7-year-old son’s calls to those of a jealous boyfriend, constantly checking in). Other parents who purchase cell phones for their kids say that they are looked at with disdain by parents who have chosen not to buy their preteens phones, and seeing friends with phones might upset or put pressure on the families who cannot afford them. Of course, this trend is not only another example of the marketing strategies and consumerism aimed at our young children, but also provides yet another way to indulge our arguably already too spoiled kids.

Many parents, though, think preteens with phones is a great idea. Most of the phones have tracking devices that would allow parents to find their children in case of emergency – or even curiosity. Parents feel a sense of security in knowing that they can reach their kids at any time, which has certainly become an increased concern in our society. Plus, especially since parents can control the features on many of these phones, they believe that allowing their kids to have them teaches them a sense of responsibility. Some even argue that the offered games can be educational. Finally, many who can afford to buy all of their children expensive phones and constantly use cell phones themselves simply see giving their kids a phone as a natural rite of passage.

Whatever your decision, as with ipods, video games, and laptops for kids, it’s important to tread carefully. Look at phones and calling plans that provide the most security for your kids: from being able to block calls during school hours to limiting text messaging to offering tracking features. And many non-traditional players are entering the space with innovative product lines and plans geared just for kids, such as Disney mobile.

And lastly, first grade for cell phones? After all, is Susie gets a cell phone for her 6th birthday, what will you be giving her when she turns 10?! 

Image: Weblogg-ed

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