Have you ever been to the mall on a Friday evening or Saturday afternoon and took a good look around? There are 14 year old talking on cell phones all over the place. Don't parents have the ability to stand up to their own children anymore? There's no reason for a kid to have a cell phone before high school (or when they're in high school, for that matter). For one thing, they are too expensive. Either their parents are paying for them, or if the kids are a little older, they might be paying for them with their own money which they should be saving for college, or maybe a car or computer.
And for those who want their kids to have a cell phone for safety purposes, their are good alternatives to standard cell phones . They do make cell phones that only allow the kid to make phone calls to pre-approved phone numbers. So as a parent, you can set up a few emergency phone numbers, but the kids can't use it to call their friends.
