Cell phones with internet access for kids

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Cell phones with internet access for kids

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Every family needs to make their own decision about what's the right age to get their kid a cell phone. I mean, kids are bringing cell phones to school as young as elementary school, but if the kid needs it for safety to text their mum, to tell them that they got on the bus ok, then who's to say that that's too young? So, as long as your kid understands how to use the phone appropriately and responsibly and is mature enough to follow your rules, then maybe they're old enough, it's really hard to find a phone these days that's just a bare-bones phone, but I really recommend that parents turn off some of the bells and whistles and allow your kids to earn those features incrementally as they've demonstrated responsibility. For example, a lot of kids these days wanna get iPhones, but iPhones allow you to keep a lot other features, like YouTube, internet access, even the App Store, you can keep those off and prevent access to them. So, you can actually allow your kid to demonstrate responsibility with a bare-bones phone and then they can earn those features incrementally as they've demonstrated responsibility.

Watch Caroline Knorr's video on Cell phones with internet access for kids...

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Caroline Knorr

Parenting Editor, Common Sense Media

As Common Sense Media's parenting editor, Caroline helps parents make sense of what’s going on in their kids' media lives. From games to cell phones to movies and more, if you're wondering "what’s the right age for…?", Caroline can help you make the decision that works best for your family. She has more than 20 years of editorial and creative marketing writing experience and has held senior-level positions at Walmart.com, Walmart stores, Cnet, and Bay Area Parent magazine. She specializes in translating complex information into bite-sized chunks to help families make informed choices about what their kids watch, play, read, and do. And she's the proud mom of a teenage son whose media passions include Star Wars, StarCraft, graphic novels, and the radio program This American Life

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