There comes a time in every child’s life when he (or she) reaches the appropriate age for cell phone ownership. The right age for this monumental rite of passage is somewhat up for grabs: According to my kids, the right age to own a cell phone is either 7 or 9 (which are, in an amazing coincidence, their exact ages). My sense is that a child should be a little older, but clearly, it’s a parental judgment call.
Parents who feel the time is right for their kids’ first cell phone should look into Kajeet cell phone service. Kajeet has partnered with with Samsung, Sanyo, and LG. These camera phones and the Kajeet cell phone service (through Sprint, nationwide) are great first cell phones for children because there are very simple to use parental controls for peace of mind, plus the talk, text, pictures, games, and more that kids want.
Parents giving their kids and teenagers their own cell phones probably worry about issues around personal responsibility. The Kajeet Configurator helps assuage these concerns; the cell phones can be programed to only make and take calls at set times – such as not during class. Parents can find their children’s phone anytime with a GPS Phone Locator, and even set automatic check-ins. Also, there are programmable set amount of people who can call or text message the phone, “pay as you go” plans, and a low access charge for a lot of camera phone capabilities. The rates and fees were planned specifically to be easy to understand and affordable.
Kajeet cell phone service teaches kids responsibility despite our interference (via setting limits for calls and text messaging). It gives our kids and teens the freedom of a personal cell phone, while keeping them safe. Talk and text packages start as little as $4.99 a month, which is far better than my own plan. The pay-as-you-go service really helps older kids and young teens learn to manage their accounts.
We moms know that kids usually think they’re ready to own a camera cell phone before their parents agree. For parents who have decided that their children and teens are mature enough to have their first cell phone, we highly recommend Kajeet.
