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I can’t believe I’ve been considering getting one of those prepaid plans for my tween for over a year now. I can remember sitting in his kindergarten orientation and completely tuning out the teacher who started talking about the school’s policy about students having phones. Yeah, right, I scoffed. My kid won’t have one until he’s in high school. Or maybe middle school, but we’d see.
But a while back, I realized he’d probably get a phone before he even left elementary school. Here’s what I considered when it came to my tween’s first phone:
2. Sometimes he’s home alone. A child only has to be 8 here to be left alone for short periods of time. While we didn’t start that quite that young, he has been staying home alone for a while now, at least for short periods of time. And without any phone, since we don’t have a home phone. He can use his tablet to send me a DM on twitter and it will pop right up on my phone. And he knows that if it’s a real emergency or anything he isn’t sure about, he can go to one of three designated neighbor’s houses(we check to be sure at least one is home before we leave him). But, I’d much rather he have the ability to actually call me.
3. He goes off places without me. He has running practice after school two days a week, which supposedly ends at 5:15 but really ends anywhere between 4:50-5:30. Since we live close to the school and I have to wait with my two younger boys in the car, we tend to err somewhere in the middle, which sometimes leaves him as the last kid standing.
It would be so much easier if he could just call or text me to tell me he’s done. No one likes to be the last one waiting. And my younger two would tell you that they don’t want to wait in the car for a long time, either. So this could be the happy medium.
4. I want him to always be able to contact me. When he’s not with me, he’s at school, or a practice with a coach we know, or at the house of a friend whose parents we know. But as he’s getting older, he might be with someone we don’t know as well. Or even when he’s with someone we do know well, they could invite someone else over. What if he wants to come home because he’s in a situation where he doesn’t feel comfortable? Maybe the kids get into a fight or are doing something he really doesn’t want to be doing. If he already doesn’t feel comfortable, he probably won’t feel comfortable asking to call me. But he could discreetly send me a “Come get me NOW” text if he had his own phone.
So, after considering all of that, we decided to get him a phone. You can see his big grin up there when he got his T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Avant phone from Walmart.
It’s just $40 a month to get 4G LTE data with unlimited talk and text. Introducing Simply Prepaid™ from T-Mobile, which is changing prepaid. When you think of prepaid, you might think of slow data, a spotty network, and second rate phones, but with Simply Prepaid™ you get 4G LTE data on T-Mobile. And the Samsung Galaxy Avant was more than enough to impress even my tween. There’s no overages, credit check, or annual service contract required. I really like the no overages part. Even though this is for my child, I still don’t want him to settle for second-rate prepaid wireless, and with Simply Prepaid™ , he’s not. After all, if he has the phone, I want him to be able to use it.
There are different payment options and we’re choosing to go with a T-Mobile prepaid plans card, which we can pick up at Walmart. This way, we really can take it month by month and see how it goes with our tween having a phone! Our tween who now has to pay for half of that $40 a month!
So far our only rules for the phone are: pay for half your bill, take care of the phone, don’t put ANYTHING on your phone without asking a parent first(apps, another person’s phone number- you have to ask), no giving out your number unless we say you can, and to follow all the online safety/kindness rules we’ve previously discussed.
Does your child have a phone? What age were they when they got one? If they don’t yet, what age do you think is appropriate? What rules do you think we should add about using the phone?
Hubby is thinking about getting a prepaid account. He talks very little on the phone and uses it only for emergencies.
We got our daughter a phone for her 12th birthday. The reason we got her one was because she was starting middle school. Since that school starts a bit earlier and ends a bit earlier, she would be walking to and from while we took her brother to school. It made me feel so much safer to know she could contact me at any time. She has a basic flip phone so we don’t have to worry about the internet, although all those safety rules to apply when she’s at home on her computer.
I wish Walmart had been in the phone game when I got my daughter her first phone. Their programs sound wonderful, and our phone bill is so HIGH!
I love that Walmart has gotten into the smartphone game. When I got my oldest one a phone, it was super expensive! I did it anyway, because I felt it was needed for safety.
It’s so crazy to me how young of kids get phones nowadays. When I was teaching, some of my 3 and 4 year olds had their own phones!! I was never allowed a phone until I went away to uni at 19 🙂
i swear prepaid phones are starting to sound more and more fabulous to me!!! Many years before my daughter will be a tween, but even for me maybe after my 72929 year contract with Verizon is up, maybe I will convert myself 😉
It sounds like you made a really informed decision about your tween and the right time for a phone. I know younger and younger kids want them, but that’s very different than needing them.
My children are still quite young but after seeing what my students get up to on their phones, I’m thinking mine won’t get them until they’re at least 14-16!
I love that Walmart offers these plans, they are perfect for tweens and teens. My nieces and nephews have phones and I love being able to connect with them within seconds
I think it’s always important to decide when to get your tween a phone. Thanks for all the help!
I love T- Mobile! I have always loved their great prices!
We are actually about to get my 6 year old a prepaid phone- never thought I’d say that sentence! She is traveling over the summer without us for two weeks, so we decided it would be best to get her a phone and not have to disturb or rely on others to get the phone to her. I am so glad you posted this because I was unsure of which model to chose!This one looks great, thank you!
Omg… they’re just getting younger & younger! I think it’s a great idea as long as the use of the phone is safe as well, there is so much available to our youth these days it’s crazy 🙂
It’s a tough decision on when to get your kids a phone. But it looks like your son is responsible and you’re family is doing it for the right reasons.
My oldest daughter has a cellphone and has had one for a couple of years now. This prepaid phone sounds perfect for my oldest son.
I’m thinking about that for my son he’s growing and were my wife thought to buy him a phone since he in the middle school.
These are great safety tips for any kid getting their first phone! It’s crazy how essential phones are for kids now.
My youngest son has been asking for a phone for awhile. These prepaid phones are exactly what I need for him right now. Going to check them out. Thanks!
I agree that it’s a personal decision to choose when to get your child a phone. Lots of factors at work there!
My kids were 7 and 6 even they got their phones because we had just moved and I was pregnant and in so much pain that I couldn’t walk further than the hall the last 3 months. My husband was out of town a lot and they needed a way to keep me informed of there whereabouts with their 2 yr old sister. They can use their phones in 6th grade at school, but we use them now because they walk home.
My daughter is only five, so she’s too young for a phone, but I plan to get her one as soon as it makes sense. It totally sounds like a great idea to get one for your son, and what a great plan.
Well, my son is 13 and he has a regular cell phone, but he had a prepaid cell phone when he was 10. He showed us how responsible he could be and we upgraded him. The way kids learn in school today is so much different than how we were taught. They are definitely more tech savvy than I could have been.
We got our ten year old her first mobile phone, a prepaid, last fall and put some strict rules in place regarding usage. Things have worked out quite well and I love being able to update her about plans and schedule changes throughout the day!
Such a great plan for tweens! It sounds so reasonable and gives us parents a piece of mind. It is always good to be able to connect easily with children.
I think it is very much a personal decision as to when your child starts to carry a cell phone. Kiddo is 10 and she does not have one. We might consider it in the next few years, but right now she doesn’t really need a phone of her own.
What a big step for everyone! Glad you chose the right phone for your tween
We got our son a cell phone about a year ago. He’s almost 12. He is so beyond mature and was ready. These sound like a great idea!
Lots of things to think about when getting your child a cell phone. It’s a hard decision to know when it’s the right time.
We had to get my daughter a phone as a ‘tween because my husband was out of town a lot. I remember worrying that she would lose it, but she never did! We waited longer to get my son a phone because he just didn’t need one.
Decisions like this make being a parent so hard. Sounds like he is responsible enough to handle everything beautifully though!
Being a parent can be so hard as you need to think about so many things even getting them stuff like these ones.
I haven’t thought about a phone yet for my son. He just turned 7 so he is not ready yet.
All my babies, and tweens and any other are already grown. So I will let my grown children know all about this for sure. Thanks for sharing. have a great week.
These are good deals. Like your rules.
It seems we give our children their own phones earlier and earlier. Truth is, they really are good to have if anything happens. Safety first!
Wow! Lots of things to think about. Huge step too!
My oldest is 4, so it’s just me and the hubby with cell phones. I think my kids will get them when they start doing extracurricular activities and need to be able to reach us. Probably middle school, unless he gets involved with something at the elementary school level.
I like the “pay half of your bill” part! I paid for all of my bill when I first got my cell phone in high school. #client