At what age should a child get a cell phone ?

[olddots]

remeber this is the lounge so humor is good .

[NYC_SKP]

1. Until they can twerk, no phones should be provided.

I'm very firm about this.

[ret5hd]

2. in utero

anything less borders on child abuse!

[kentauros]

32. And that way,

they can call CPS before they get aborted

[hlthe2b]

3. Only when the iphone 10,000,000.0 is released.

[olddots]

4. the implant at birth idea could be sooner than we think

[csziggy]

12. The Phone Company has been planning the Cerebrum Communicator for decades!

[kentauros]

33. I love that movie!

Of course, it could be dangerous in the hands of Lily Tomlin

[csziggy]

52. Lily Tomlin would cause a constant rig-a-ding in everyones' heads!

And The Phone Company doesn't care.

[kentauros]

54. I remember when that aired!

It was just as funny then as now

[HappyMe]

5. When they can buy their own

and pay the bill.

[NightWatcher]

6. my 4 yo has an iPhone

Actually it's more like an iPod because it is my wife's old iPhone 4 that had the SIM card removed. It's got some of her favorite shows on it as well as the PBS Kids app so that she can watch episodes of their shows. It's also full of music and some pictures. She uses it to take pictures as well.

We control how much time she gets to play with it. It comes in handy on some car trips and other situations where avoiding meltdowns and boredom are important.

[aikoaiko]

7. First cell at 9 for Christmas -- iPhone 6

We enjoy texting each other.

Verizon has a 4.95 monthly option where I can limit his data to 5 GBs.

Well worth the fee IMHO.

[Orrex]

46. 5 GBs is a lot of porn for a 9 year old.

[benld74]

8. Our oldest 1st phone during HS freshman year

came home in her purse, in literally pieces. She dropped it, it broke, he 'friends decided to really break it'. Insurance paid for a new phone based upon the contents of a baggie that held the pieces of the old phone.

[pinboy3niner]

9. I got mine at age 55

I may have been too immature. But I'm always immature so what do I know?

[Skittles]

18. you want I should kick your immature ass, pinboy3niner?

I WON'T PHONE IT IN; no INDEED

[kentauros]

34. Are you sure that wasn't premature?

[malthaussen]

10. When they're old enough to know not to draw to an inside staight.

They need good grounding in probality theory before they start their gambling careers.

-- Mal

[woodsprite]

11. Both of our kids got their iPhones when they started staying after school

for extracurricular activities. I didn't want them to be stranded and not able to get to a phone if the bus didn't run or someone missed picking them up. For my daughter, that was 9th grade, but for our son, it was 7th grade - math league, book club, combined orchestra rehearsals, science olympiad, Jefferson club - all held after school meetings.

[cwydro]

13. Makes me wonder how all of us in earlier generations

somehow managed to get home.

Maybe I'm still stranded after tennis practice...

[Skittles]

19. sometimes it's hard to remember exactly what we DID do

I do remember it involved a lot of CUSSING

[cwydro]

21. Oh it did indeed.

And whining, whinging; just a lot of carrying on.

Most times I just walked home. (of course, it was uphill through two feet of snow even in May!)

[woodsprite]

29. I walked as well, but it wasn't over 7 miles away.

Actually, if you walk to our house from the school, you would be walking uphill both ways!

[Rhiannon12866]

44. Activities bus. At least that's what I remember from when I was in school.

Or my mother. Fewer mothers worked outside the home when I was a kid.

[PassingFair]

48. A lot of us had stay at home moms...or mothers with flexible schedules.

My own mother was a teacher.
Off work at 3:30 and summers off.
My schedules have sometimes been pretty stringent.


My oldest got her first cell phone at age 12.
As soon as I could afford one for her.

She didn't have an internet capable phone until she was 16.

[tabbycat31]

50. payphones existed

[Generic Brad]

14. When they are old enough to understand literal meanings

Test it out. Give them a cell phone if they ask, but if they have not specified that they desire a working cell phone, it is perfectly acceptable to give them a broken or non-functional one.

[kentauros]

35. Better yet,

first supply a photograph of a phone. Then give them the actual yet non-working phone. After that, give them an actually working landline phone (or a payphone, if you can find one.)

I do recall a cellphone mod someone did of an old wired phone, red in color, not a black one. Of course, it was rather large to tote around...

And then there's the Rotary Cellphone, one concept-type from Samsung, and the ultra-cool steampunk version

Samsung Jot




Steampunk Rotary Cellphone

[KMOD]

15. As soon as they're able to laugh and understand this

[youtube]

[youtube]

[cwydro]

17. Omg

I LOVED her in that. Laugh-In right?

I still love her. Huge fan.

[KMOD]

20. Lily is the BEST!

I'm pretty sure that one was from Saturday Night Live.

Around the 40 second mark you can see Senator Al Franken as well, lol.

[cwydro]

22. Well, she used to do the "one ringie dingie" thing on LaughIn

back in the day. Too funny. I'm gonna have to look for some more clips. I thought that guy looked familiar!

But thanks for that one, it just cracked me up!

[KMOD]

23. Yes, she did!!!

it originated on Laugh In.

I loved the one ringy dingy, too. I'll have to find a Laugh In vid as well.

[cwydro]

24. Post it if you do!

You gave me a much needed laugh tonight.

Oddly, I saw her playing a part on NCIS earlier this evening!

[KMOD]

25. Found a great one!!!!

here ya go!!!

[youtube]

[/youtube]

[cwydro]

26. That is hilarious!

I'm a Cher fan too, so doubly good.

And I want Cher's lavender phone!

[KMOD]

27. I gotta give you one more, because it's a classic!!! :)

[youtube]

[/youtube]

[cwydro]

28. Where are you finding these?!

Youtube? I gotta send these to some friends.

She is a riot. And what is so funny, is that is EXACTLY the way the phone companies used to act.

Again, thank you for the laughs!

[lovemydog]

16. At birth.

[olddots]

30. maybe they should get their first tattoo

Oops thats another story

[A HERETIC I AM]

31. 40

Fuck em'


If they can't pay rent/mortgage, a car, utilities and everything else, they don't get to use a portable phone.


And get the FUCK offa my lawn.

[kentauros]

36. You have a lawn?

Impressed!

[A HERETIC I AM]

37. YES I DO!!!!

And it's BROWN at the moment, thanks to the DAMNED KIDS AND THEIR NEWFANGLED PORTABLE PHONES!!!





or it could be to the fact that its winter and the grass goes brown in NE FL.....





BUT STILL!!

[kentauros]

38. At least it's only the grass that's brown.

Otherwise, you'd have to answer to UPS

[A HERETIC I AM]

39. It's people like you that cause unrest.

The only other things that are brown around here are......

umm....welll...


no, that's.....

er......

but then....no...

if I just turned it so..........no....



FUCK IT!

[kentauros]

40. There ya go!

You're on your way to relaxation through Fuck-it! Therapy

[A HERETIC I AM]

41. You think I have time to watch a 3:51 video?!? really???

There is something else happening on the internet over there----->

How that fuck am I supposed to find the time to watch a god damned 4 minute video, jerk off, yell at the kids and, their damned modern conveniences, make coffee for the morning, shower, wash my naughty bits AND.....

oh .....


poop.

Had the vid playing the whole time.



I need to type faster in order for my outrage to have more relevance.

[kentauros]

42. Maybe next time be single

And I just watched a 9-minute Eddie Izzard video on the perils of Star Trek ("Captain, I think this entire planet is made of widdly-wee.&quot while I awaited your reply.

So, if I can waste time at 1:26 ayem, so can you

[A HERETIC I AM]

43. lego Death Star Canteen;

"I will have the penne ala arrabiatta"

"Well, you'll need a tray!"

[kentauros]

53. "They smelted metal."

"Don't eat wood."

I hadn't seen the one you posted, though there was one done many years ago and then remade a couple of years ago with the peas bit restored

[A HERETIC I AM]

56. Greg and Donny kill a skunk.

Since this sub-thread has gone COMPLETELY off the rails......

"Hell'd ya get pink for anyhow?"

"Cause they look like meat"

[kentauros]

57. That was great!

Hadn't seen that before

Remember the Trailer Park Boys?

[A HERETIC I AM]

58. I never watched any of their episodes, but I may have to!!

There is so much funny and good stuff on YouTube it boggles the mind! I have often thought I really should disconnect my interest just so I can get outside more when I'm home!! I spend an awful lot of time on the road (OTR Trucker, in case you forgot) but I still manage to look at DU and YouTube several hours a day!

This has been funny and fun...thanks kentauros!

[kentauros]

60. That's so true about YT!

Though I do tend to go back to the things I know more than anything.

I do remember that you're a trucker, but don't mind being reminded now and again. There's a fair number of other truckers on DU, and I don't remember them all!

Spending time outside is fine if you either just enjoy being outdoors, or have something to do out there. Otherwise, I'm fine being inside, whether on the computer or in the kitchen (or watching Babylon 5 yet again )

Now, if you want something else to laugh at that doesn't require youtube, how about Cake Wrecks?

[A HERETIC I AM]

61. I think you've found another thread title.

"How old should someone be before they are allowed to decorate cakes professionally?"

[kentauros]

62. If that'll fit in a thread title, I'll do it!

Cake Wrecks never fails to amaze, for both wrecks and brilliant pieces (they feature the best of great cakes on Sundays.)

[sendero]

45. When they become old enough....

... to be away from home (not at school) a fair amount. Because at that point I want the convenience of being able to contact them when I wish.

And not answering the phone is grounds for giving it up a day or 3.

[Orrex]

47. As soon as they're old enough to be thrown into a lifetime of hard-marketing campaigns

[bigwillq]

49. As soon as they know how to use a phone (nt)

[dr.strangelove]

51. Isn't there an app that tells you this

hang on, let me ask my 6 year old to find it on his phone.

[Arugula Latte]

55. Ours were about 12 -- start of middle school.

They started having more freedom (going to the park with friends, etc.) and it was nice to be able to keep in touch but still give 'em a bit of rein.

[Chan790]

59. I was 14.

I needed one at 14 though...I don't drive, I had health issues which require me to be able to contact emergency help, and my parents wanted me to be social.