Kids and Cell Phones

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I know this has been a long time coming.

Josh.

Cell phone.

When?

Well, the answer is now for us. I think that deciding when to get your child a cell phone is such a hard decision to make. They are a big responsibility. There is a lot of ‘stuff’ out there that we are protecting our kids from and phones can make those things accessible. And of course, they aren’t cheap.

I’ve put in a lot of research into Josh and his phone. Here is what I’ve learned.

Cost

I have a certain phone through a certain cell phone company who shall remain anonymous. My bill – for just my line – is $95 a month. Yes, I get unlimited talk. And text. And data. But yikes. That’s more than I want to spend on my child’s phone.

After some research I found T-Mobile Simply Prepaid. It’s available at Walmart. They are no-contract phones that can do everything, just as well as my expensive anonymous phone.

And the price is for sure right!

We chose to get the Samsung Galaxy Avant phone. It’s got everything that we were looking for. It’s a smart phone, so Josh can download his apps. It has a camera for him to snap pictures with his friends and it was in our price range!

Plus T-Mobile Simply Prepaid has everything that we need! For only $40 a month, Josh gets unlimited talk, text and data! And not just data, but 4G Lite Data! That’s fast! And I don’t have to sign a contract, there are no overage fees or even credit checks.

Their plans are so good that I’m actually thinking of making the switch once my contract runs out! After all – Josh is getting everything I’m getting on his phone…for half the price!

 

Responsibility

One of the other things I loved about the phone are those cards. See them? I’ve decided to make Josh earn his phone time. If he wants the $40 plan – he needs to do chores around the house, keep up his grades and earn it. (Love that idea! And I love the fact that he is ok with it! In fact, I think he likes the thought of “paying” for it on his own!)

Responsibility is a HUGE thing to consider when getting your child a phone. Even though the T-Mobile Simply Prepaid is a great deal, you don’t want to invest if your child will lose it or break it. But it’s not just about keeping the phone safe. Talk to your child about how to use it responsibly!

Our rules are simple. Mom’s in charge. I get to see his phone whenever I want. I have passwords to everything and I can log in and check emails, texts, or see phone calls made. And apps and YouTube videos have to be Mom friendly. If you don’t want to sit next to your mother to say it/watch it/play it then it doesn’t belong on your phone.

We also have talked about cyber bullying.

Honestly, talking to your child about getting a phone is a great opportunity to bring up these conversations!

The Verdict

It’s been a slam dunk in our house! The Samsung Galaxy Avant has been a perfect phone and the T-Mobile Simply Prepaid service has been wonderful! Super easy to use and it does it’s job without fail!

I’ve actually loved getting texts from him. Quick I love yous (don’t tell him I told you!) and he can shoot me a text letting me know about a supply he needs (before he forgets!). It’s also been nice because we don’t have a house phone. We just use cell phones. Before, Josh would stay at home when I ran to the grocery store or a quick errand and it always made me nervous. But now, I know if something happens he has a way to get a hold of me and I can get a hold of him! (Confession: Like the other day, we changed the password on our garage door and may have forgotten to tell him. Glad he was able to call and get in the house since I was running late getting home!)

Plus, Josh is loving it. It feels good as a parent to be able to give him a chance to be responsible and see that he does the right thing. We are converted. We are HUGE Simply Prepaid fans in our house!

Do your kids have phones? What did you look for in a first phone?