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Always pay for the insurance option. My daughter has lost hers, gotten water damage from taking a call while in the shower(!), and (my personal favorite) spilled gravy on it.

@ KelleyR... See, now, in that case. I'd say the kid is too young to have a phone. If the child can't take care of/ be responsible for the phone, then I don't think he/she should be allowed to have their own.

When my sister was younger she had lost/broken several phones before my mom finally said, no way, thats enough, no more.Now, she can is responsible enough to have and take care of her phone. I dont think there's a particular age that should designate, Ok, time for a phone. Rather, the maturity/responsibility level of the individual child.

When they have a job! LOL

I am aware that I am about to sound like a fuddy-duddy (at the ripe old age of 26), but I didn't have a phone until I was 20. Why? Because that's when I could pay for it. I teach in a school that's high-poverty (68% of our students qualify to receive a free or reduced lunch), and most of my kids have nicer phones than I do. I think this sends the wrong message (huh. Pun certainly not intended). Parents do not need to spend money so their kids can text. It's unnecessary, and it's a constant distraction. I'm not against those phones that have four numbers programmed so a kid can reach his parents, but I find it ridiculous when seven-year-olds pull Razrs out of their Dora backpacks.

I'm 38 and only recently got my own cell phone. It is a pay-as-you-go phone and I mostly got it so that my kids' school could contact me in case of an emergency while I'm out doing errands. The girls are 5 and 7 and they can get one when they can pay for it themselves.

I'll get my son one when he's older if he ever goes to a school where he has to use public transportation to get there and back home (bus, or train). It will be preprogrammed with just a few numbers, mine, his father's and an emergency contacts number.

i agree with some of the other posters. I've seen too many parents end up with $2-300 phone bills because the kids got a phone & went crazy with downloads/games, texting, falling asleep on the phone while talking to friends/boyfriends/etc.
not until they can pay for it themselves!!!!!

I think that children do not need a 'real' cell phone until they are driving and have a job to pay for it.
However, the phones that allow 3-4 numbers only may be appropriate for school age children for safety reasons only. If my child is at soccer practice or whatever and his ride forgets him/her (for example), I would want him/her to be able to contact me. I just want to always be able to be in contact with my child in case of emergency.
My 14 year old nephew wants an iPhone. Please. I have an iPhone, but then I can pay for it, and I use all of the features. There is no way he can handle an $80/month phone bill and he doesn't need one.
/end rant

My brother's daughters all have cell phones -- the youngest is 8. I think that is ridiculous! They argue that the girls need them so they can get a hold of their parents after practices, etc. What ever happened to land line phones at schools? They can use those.

I'm an adult and I hardly ever turn my cell phone on. I only use it when I'm traveling or in a place where there is not a landline.