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Original poster

all x 3 kids have asked for mobile phones "with a camera" for Christmas...

27 replies

cutekids · 16/10/2007 21:49

they are 9,8 and 7.
my Mum told me to tell em where to get off....!
they get "spends" from family members every week. do I succumb and tell em to pay for their own credit or do i just say 2"no"!?!
(Carphone Warehouse cheerfully told me back in April that we had such a good credit rating that we could have "at least another x 3 phones under contract".!!!!Anyone have any good advice? Or are they still 2 young?!?

OP posts:
Original poster
cutekids · 16/10/2007 21:55

?!!!

OP posts:
MaureenMLove · 16/10/2007 21:58

Much too young imho! If you buy them phones this year, how are you going to top it next year!

MarsLady · 16/10/2007 21:58

Personally I think that they are too young.

Mine got phones when they started senior school because they have to travel a fair distance and I need to know if they're delayed etc.

Also.... doesn't do any harm to not get what we want sometimes.

WendyWeber · 16/10/2007 22:16

Way too young, cutekids! They won't be able to afford their own credit, and would very likely lose the phones one way or another before long.

Buy them something they can't take out of the house (or else something big enough to be hard to lose )

Original poster
cutekids · 16/10/2007 22:19

So i'm not being "old fashioned" then?!
seems all the mums i speak to have got their kids mobile phones...

OP posts:
unknownrebelbang · 16/10/2007 22:19

Too young, imo.

roisin · 16/10/2007 22:20

Much too young. My ds1 may get one the Christmas after he starts secondary; but even then I am not at all keen. They cause all sorts of problems in/out of schools with bullying and so on; and are also target for mugging.

colditz · 16/10/2007 22:22

No way! Too young, too young, get them a digital camara and let them share it!

blazingsandals · 16/10/2007 22:22

Oh god no. Several reasons: (1) if it's desirable, it's nickable; (2) next year it'll be a laptop each; (3) You can't buy them all the same, they will mix them up or argue about who has the best; (4) They can save up to buy a camera phone if it's that important to them.

Lump of coal each I reckon!

MintyDixCharrington · 16/10/2007 22:24

(5) it has been shown that mobile phones really fry the brains of young children and on no account should even be USED by the 7 and unders, let alone given their own...

so many reasons, so little time

sKerryMum · 16/10/2007 22:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

sKerryMum · 16/10/2007 22:26

This reply has been deleted

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empen · 16/10/2007 22:30

I was watching a thread yesterday debating mobile phones and the general opinion was to wait until the kids are 10, have started secondary school and are therefore walking to school or places on their own and you can check up on them.
I am not sure that there are many phones without cameras in but obviously the quality of the pictures is extremely variable and I def would not let them have a contract phone as all the other kids will have PAYG and will be using your kids contract phones once their own credit has run out!!!

Original poster
cutekids · 18/10/2007 12:29

very interesting!
Just went back to this and was quite surprised by all the opinions. Happy it's not just me!!!!However,it seems that "all" the kids have em here.(North Wales).Wonder what that's about?!

OP posts:
purpleduck · 18/10/2007 12:57

too young
too young
too young

pointydog · 18/10/2007 13:05

erm, I don't feel particularly strongly about what age is too young.

But in terms of cost, you can get phones that take pictures for £35 in tesco. They're not that pricey if that's the only Christmas present.

seeker · 18/10/2007 13:10

Tell them they can have a phone when they go to Secondary school. And that doesn't meant that they all get one when the oldest gets one! And I make a point of never believing my children when they say "Everyone's got/has seen/is allowed to...."

CarGirl · 18/10/2007 13:12

dd has just got one at the age of nearly 11, it was £20 and pay as you go - she doesn't take it to school and it does mean she can text her Dad which is nice!!!

I was reluctant and only said yes as it was a gift from her Dad and very cheap, and she will have to pay for her own credit!

Bundle · 18/10/2007 13:15

tooo toooo young

get them a tangerine each in toe of stocking

or

say eldest can have one when 10
others - cheapo digital camera or mp3 player. £30 tops.

Tinkerbel5 · 19/10/2007 11:37

I wouldnt buy a phone for a child under 10/11 as I dont think they have any need for one, its different when they take themselves off to secondary school, I cant imagine a 7 year old sitting there typing out sentences on a text message asking their friends if they are coming out !

kitsandbits · 19/10/2007 11:39

Too young.

I agree with a camera -

and a 50p emercency coin in case they need to use a payphone! lol

MrsArchieTheInventor · 19/10/2007 11:47

I honestly don't know the right age at which to allow ds to have a mobile phone but as he's only 4 it's a moot point at the minute, however even at 7/8/9 I'd have issues about him having one.

I know I'm going to get my head bitten off here but when I were a lass we didn't have mobile phones, we just made sure we always had a spare 10p in our pockets just in case. AND my school was 15 miles from where I lived and I had to catch 2 buses to get there too.

WendyWeber · 19/10/2007 12:09

MrsArchie, you probably haven't noticed but the proliferation of mobiles has now bitten us all in the bum and there are very few phone boxes these days because they stopped being profitable.

So once a child is going any distance alone (ie when starting secondary school generally) they really need their own phone.

MrsArchieTheInventor · 19/10/2007 14:53

I still can't recall a single time when I needed to contact my parents so urgently that I had to use a payphone.

I can see the benefits of mobile phones and I do have one myself. I'm just uncomfortable with the idea of young children having them.

Pollyanna · 19/10/2007 14:54

I've said no to my 8yo. They can have a phone when they walk to school on their own I think.