Parents vs Kids + Cell Phones – Keeping a Pact

Disclosure: This post is brought to you as part of the U.S. Cellular Better Moments Brigade Ambassador program.

I am SO thankful that my kids are still small enough that I don’t have to deal with drivers licenses, cell phones, and late nights out with friends – but I know it’s coming! I’d certainly love to hear how you deal with your kids boundaries and cell phones! U.S. Cellular has a pretty awesome idea where you can create and download an agreement for free that you make with your child which helps both of you establish your expectations and guidelines when it comes to cell phone usage!

A recent U.S. Cellular survey showed that kids received their first mobile phone when they were 13 years of age (just for reference 5 years ago the average age was 15 years old;  Between Nov. 15 and Dec. 2, 2013, 500 nationally representative online interviews were conducted among smartphone users in partnership with Maritz Research.)

Since my children aren’t old enough to have cell phones yet I can’t even begin to discuss what a good “age” for kids to have a cell phone is and I can imagine that it would certainly vary widely depending on your specific family situation. I know many parents want their children to have a cell phone so that they can stay in contact to and from school and when they are out with friends.

It certainly can ease the stress of knowing where your child is and gives them immediate access to you if they run into any problems. Since we use U.S. Cellular and have for several years now I love knowing that we can rely on their 4G LTE network which is up to 10 times faster than 3G. And my husband is just dying to get his hands on an iPhone 5S so he can sync it with all of his work files so I’m sure that won’t hurt things either!

Download a FREE cell phone agreement!

But setting guidelines for your child’s cell phone usage isn’t the ONLY important thing!! You definitely need to take the time to sit down with them and set their phone up before they use it. Make sure you put into place the appropriate parental controls, download/delete apps that are not age appropriate, and block any unwanted websites that you don’t want your child visiting. PLUS make sure you stay on top of monitoring the usage on the phone with things like the Family Protector app which not only allows parents to monitor call content & text messages but also contacts and call history. You can also restrict usage during specific times and set internet limits.

Interested in learning more? Check out the list of Device Workshops in your area offered by U.S. Cellular which focuses on family tips for setting up phone guidelines and deciding when is the best time for your child to have his/her first cell phone.

AND Don’t FORGET to download this cool free phone agreement between you and your child where you can set specific guidelines!

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