Cell Phone

This morning I was surprised when one of my students from the Preschool told me that she has a new cell phone from her mom as a present. Want to know her age? 6 years old! Apparently she wasn’t alone in this cell phone case, my other 2 students also gave their responses, “I also have one from my mom”. After class they changed their phone numbers. Wow, I really surprised.

I had ever given my daughter a cell phone last year as her present for passing the 6th grade of elementary school. At that time I thought a cell phone could be helpful for me to ask her on what time I should pick her up from school. From her new school schedules we knew that sometimes the school has extra activities until 3.30 pm.
On the other hand her regular school van pick-up services couldn’t take her home after 3pm,
because our house is too far from school :-b
But after all my idea didn’t work at all because I didn’t know before that her school has a rule “No cell phone for students at school”. They have to use the school’s public telephone with coins. The teacher often checks their school bags if there’s a cell phone or not.

I get lucky that my daughter doesn’t pay much attention to her cell phone. (I ‘hate’ to see kids busy turned down their faces to see the monitor of cell phone at many places). Most of the time her friends were the ones to call or send her short messages for asking something about school stuff. She seldom use her cell phone and finally her dad often “busy” to buy her a prepaid card because she often has her card reach the over limits time of using.

It’s a precious lesson for me as a parent for not giving a cell phone anymore to my other kids until they’re already at high school or grade 10.
I really want to know your opinions about giving cell phones to kids. Is it ok for kids to have cell phone or on what ages they could have it?