Reply to Current 8th grader doesn't have a cell phone yet. Is it really necessary for kids to have a cell phone in high school?

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Reply to "Current 8th grader doesn't have a cell phone yet. Is it really necessary for kids to have a cell phone in high school?"

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[quote=Anonymous]It is necessary. It is not 1995 anymore - plans change on a dime and you want your kid to be in the loop. You're not sitting at home waiting for a landline phone call when plans change, and their generation really isn't doing that.

As others have said, there are apps, updates, changes, group texts deciding plans, etc. etc. It is not appropriate for your kid to be coordinating other kids lives because you refuse to get them a phone. And kids don't check email anymore. In the same way teens today don't text a lot, they REALLY don't email. And an email sent at 4:59pm that the game at 5pm is cancelled means nothing honestly. The quick update in the app that everyone gets a notification for does.

Socially, it becomes more important as they get older. You can (and should) set reasonable boundaries, whether it is what apps they can have or how much time they can spend on either the phone or the apps. But they need to be connected - like it or not, it is how their generation communicates with one another. We sat and waited for the phone to ring, or the email to come, but it's different now. Being the sole holdout really isn't helping them (because who wants to be the kid that never shows up because they never got the update) or you (you drive to point x when the app told you it changed to point b 30 minutes before) in the long run.

If you're worried about the bad stuff, educate yourself first and then educate your kid. That is on you. Teach them to look for bad stuff or creepy behavior and how to respond to it. Because it will happen - whether an unknown number or phone call, or someone says something or sends something inappropriate in a group chat. Just have a talk. You'll feel better and they will be in the loop. And they will eventually be the one who's updating YOU on what's going on. You should look forward to that milestone!![/quote]

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