Millions of children are using cell phones now; some as young as 4 years of age are becoming ritual talkers and texters. How young is too young? (I'm using this argument disregarding any health effects phones may have, because while at this moment studies have been done to correlate phones with radiation and cancer, there has been no official proof.)

Parents typically look at the issue in one of 3 ways:

1. Phones can help children learn responsibility. However, it is a privilege that can be taken away.
2. Phones are a nuisance. They can be a distraction to children when they should be doing homework or being otherwise productive. They also lead to destructive habits.
3. Phones are a necessary lifeline for children in emergencies, but not to be used for social reasons.

The earliest age I will consider my children having a cell phone is at 8 years old, to be used for idea #3; in other words, they will only have a phone when they are not at home, and even then it will only be prepaid with 30 minutes or so on it. Text and internet will be blocked, and I will enable Fixed Dialing so they can only call people we want them to. Strict? Perhaps, but 8 years of age is too young for my child to have a relevant cell phone.

I will consider changing them to idea #1 (privilege but also responsibility) when they are 13 or 14. At this time they can start taking responsibility for their phone. They will still have restrictions, but those restrictions will ease up as they begin proving themselves. If they prove they can still handle their schoolwork and other chores without the phone being a distraction,
then shall I consider giving them more privileges with the phone.

Texting is one big example of having privilege. Having worked in the wireless industry for 3 years, every day I see kids who are texting 10,000+ times per month. That is 333 texts per day! Don't get me wrong -- I do enjoy texting, and often will do it in place of calling someone. But I don't have whole instant messaging conversations on them (hello. hi. how r u. good and u? doin gr8); I just think that's wasteful. 10 texts could be covered by a 1 minute phone call. But again, this is all privilege. Children can still communicate effectively these days without texting!

I just don't like the idea of my kids spending all their time at home, at school, on breaks, and everywhere else using the phone. Plus, I just read a recent story where 30 kids were charged with sending pictures of their own private parts and inappropriate acts as MMS to each other.

Not to over-protect my kids, but I want to keep them safe. I want to keep them focused on what's really important. While I have a passion for phones and gadgets, they are privileges and not essential. This may be a controversial subject, and everyone is entitled to have a different opinion than me. But this is the way I shall approach cell phone use with my own children.