Why does a First Grader have a cell phone?

My wife is a substitute teacher and was leading a First Grade class recently when she heard a cell phone go off in one of the kid's backpacks. The answer the kid gave my wife when she asked him why he had a cell phone speaks volumes to what's happening in far too many families these days. He told my wife, "I need it to call my dad when he forgets to pick me up."

I don’t know but my son is in 5th grade and he isn’t getting a cell phone anytime soon.

So sad. Feel very lucky to have grown up on a bike instead of an iPad.

I can't answer the question, but my kids didn't get cell phones until they started driving.

Just to add greater context to the incident, school district policy does not permit kids that young to have cell phones in the classroom. It was when my wife asked the child to hand it over that he began pleading with her to allow him to keep it, that he “had to have it.” It was after he said that to my wife that she asked him why.

Im sure this exists thru iOS or Android software Ive just never looked into it, but I can see a cell phone that only has ability to call or text mom, dad, gps track, and absolutely nothing else could be useful. Id hate to be in a situation like Uvalde and never have the chance to speak with my kiddo. Or a kidnapping/trafficking situation. As long as there’s no games, no browsing, no social media, any kid would become bored with it and it’d be a tool rather than distraction.

Why does an 8th grader have one?

More do than don't.

Sad.

We went along fine for thousands of years without being able to text our 3rd grader at any moment throughout the day.

Schools should go back a decade and outlaw them in school, even for the teachers, even in high school.

Land of the free. As long as the child isn't using it during class time there is no reason not to have one. It's a good teaching moment about freedom having responsibilities.

Several kids my sons age had them in Elementary school. We did not get him one until he started he started athletics in 7th grade and other out of town activities. It made those late night trips to town to pick him up a lot better than us sitting in the parking lot waiting on them to get back.

sad for both the father and the son.

Man I must be a terrible parent mine has a Gizmo cellphone watch with tracking on it.

First graders have them so they can be trained to pull them out and record the incident when a teacher disciplines a student.

That is sad a parent consistently forgets to pick up their kid so often they are forced to get them a phone.

I can see where mine is and track the bus to make sure I beat the bus home.

I am busy and sometimes need the extra time doing what I need to do before I meet my daughter at home, and being home with her is also a NEED TO DO.

Because I need the 1st grader to teach me how to use the damn thing

Sad that the dad can't remember to pick up his kid but who cares how others spend their money or raise their kids? Doesn't hurt you in any way, don't worry about it.

Because his folks bought him one.

Mine will not have a cell phone till they can buy it and it won’t be a smart phone. To each their own.

I had to give my 6th grader a phone to call me when his mom would forget to pick him up.

Because they can have one. Need has nothing to do with it.

Cell phones will be the downfall of this country, as an educator I have seen it first hand. It's sad.

So they can call the police and tell them which room the shooter is in?

"America's First Team"

When I was a kid before cell phones we had a telephone in our house. If I needed to call someone I used that phone.

I haven’t had a landline in 20 years. My oldest son used my cell phone to call his friends if he needed to. That changed in the sixth grade. One night one of his girlfriends texted me a selfie of her new hair cut. I told him he needed to get his own phone. His brother got one in the sixth grade too. Both pay for their own.

Your kids are clearly on their way to being degenerates, Lol.

All of mine have a phone, most are hand me downs from me and the wife's old phones. Only the three oldest have cell service. It is nice to have the tracking, but also, just as important, they can call us ANYTIME if a situation makes them uncomfortable or they need something. I trust my kids more than I do most other people. I also think it is vitally important to have restrictions on what a kid can see or do on their phone and what apps they are allowed to have.

If I had a kid that age they’d have one simply for the fact I could track them at all times, if anyone had an issue with that they could kiss the third eye. My give a craps about what others think left me a long time ago,,

Both my kids got their cell phones in the first grade. It wasn’t too rare for my 11 year old but it was for our 18 year old. Very few kids had them that young back in 2009. No we never forget our kids. They both have been very responsible with their phones. They don’t use them when they are not supposed to and they haven’t lost or broke them.

^^^^^^^

I think the answer is a parent bought them one.

Lol, right!!

Daughters iPads are in lock down and we check them all the time

Phones are like anything else, internet, TV, etc. There's a lot of evil they can be exposed to, but a lot of benefits, if the parents will care enough to monitor and put some limits in place. 10-year-old grandson just got one with limits. He's a responsible kid. Next-door neighbor's granddaughter has always been glued to one, even in church. My wife just went to a "baby shower" of this girl's (who's 16) baby at the grandmother's house. The girl wore rhinestone spike heels and a low-cut neck cocktail dress. It's a perpetual train-wreck we've had a reluctant view to for many, many years. The phrase "You're doing it wrong" comes to mind.

I'm struggling with the timing of giving my 10-year old one. He lives in a different town than me, and it'd be nice to FaceTime him directly versus using his mother's.

The downside for me is that it feels like an 'innocence lost' scenario when a kid gets a phone; I want to extend those fleeting moments of having that magical little boy for what little time his childhood has remaining.

First grade seems way to young to me, however I HATE HATE HATE phones and technology.

He can face time via iPad and wifi, fyi

Yep. My youngest uses it to play Roblox and a few games, that's about it. When I was young I played Nintendo, now kids just play games on phones and not as much console games like 30 years ago.

Based on what I’ve seen, they need a phone so their parents can show them how to do their math homework.

I’m in the same boat as bobo. Daughters 10 got a gizmo last year . Programs 10 numbers . I’m out of town for work I know where’s she’s at al times .( if she’s keeps the dang thing charged.) there’s a lot of other settings her mother set on it that makes me feel pretty good about who she can contact and who she can’t . And she asks for a cell phone every year and I’m just dreading it I didn’t want the watch but have become accustomed to it . now a phone and boys and teen years and hormones and drama just make me want to go crawl into a hole and die lol

And as stated before I hate hate hate hate . Phones and technology it’s like a permanent electronic leash teathering me to work and the wife. The only escape I have is fishing . I let everybody know where I am and I’ll be back when I’m done and I throw it in the center console and go pretend like I know how to fish for the rest of the day 🤣🤣🤣

My niece is going into second grade and one of her friends has a cell phone with TikTok…I was shocked.

We got both our girls phones this last year 6th and 7th grade. They are not allowed to have any social media though.

One thing that kind of ticked me off last school year was that my then oldest was in 6th grade, first year at the Jr. High and they would tell the kids to take pictures of the board for their homework. They expected that every kid had a phone and to drop off items they had a sign asking you to text them.

I was purposefully trying to hold out and still only made it half the school year before we got her one for Christmas. Luckily she hardly is ever on it, my younger one however we have to regulate.

We have set a pretty hard rule that they aren’t allowed any social media until they are 18.

Same....for my kids, no Youtube, no Tiktok, no IG, no FB, no Snapchat, no social media at all except for BeReal app, and that's only for my oldest. They can text friends, but if not in their contacts they get blocked. Also can set to turn the phones off at a certain time.

There's plenty of ways to set healthy restrictions on kids to limit exposure. Also, reality is by the time they are in middle school they have probably heard or seen most of what we don't want them to anyway at some point.

The cell phone is only a device. You can't blame the phone any more than you can blame a gun. It's the person using it that counts.

My daughter has had one since she was 12 because her mom and I divorced and I needed to be able to talk to her. She’s 16 now and we’ve had zero issues with her.

My son is 13 next month and doesn’t have one and doesn’t need or want one. He’s too busy riding his bike, playing baseball, and fishing to care.

Yep. This is the reason I got cell phones for my kids at an earlier age than I wanted to. Got tired of not being able to call them, was always some excuse from the ex as to why. Parental blockers on those phones are a good thing. Phones were used to call or text parents and nothing else, and was nice not having to go through their mother.

We got both our kids phones when they got into 7th grade so that they could call us if their football and band schedules changed so we picked them up at the right time.

It is not hard to monitor who they talk to, what they look at, or anything else nowadays with the apps that are out there for parents to use. Ours knew full well they were going to be checked on here and there and if they screwed the pooch they'd loose their phone for a good while.

1st grade or even elementary school is way too young IMHO.

The gizmo watch is a really good solution, my only complaint is battery life. Way cheaper then a cell phone

your grandparents probley thought the same thing whin you drove your car/truck ta school @ age 16.

bet 90% of kids on this forum are driving newer car/trucks than i am.

It's a new world. Progress.

Most ya'll typing on hand held computers .

No, my parents and even one of my grandparents I knew for sure drove to school at 16. Heck my grandmother was driving to school well before 16.

I don't blame you getting mad. I would say that's a young, not super-intelligent teacher. Some young "adults" can't think outside the box to save their lives. I know this is veering off into the weeds, but I was in a community band in San Antonio. The "kids" that were on the board would just say, regarding a concert, "Just share the promotional flyer on Facebook with your friends", then complain when very few people would attend the concert. The venue was literally across the street from a very large retirement/assisted living facility. 'Never dawned on them to PRINT a few flyers and drop them off at the facility's front desk, or even take the time to ask for the Activities Director and personally invite the folks. A ton of social skills are being lost with the technology and social media. But, as I warned you, I digress.

A lot of schools issue iPads, or combo laptops. My daughter was taking pictures of her sight words homework in the 1st grade

I believe that often results in it will be hidden from you until they are 18.

Yeah, now that you mention it, the grandkids have something issued to them for school. I'm officially old and behind the times. But, they DID go back to teaching cursive handwriting.

No no no turkey. These devices have safeguards and the parents know everything that happens on them.

The devices do have safeguards available that are pretty well locked down. They really do.

Another device can be used like a tablet, older phone using just Wifi, laptop, computer, friend's device etc.

Sounds free people doing freedom stuff. Maybe there should be a background check and a waiting period to give your child a phone.

There should be no cellphones in classrooms. Keep them locked up in the locker.

The grandkids are in middle school, but they got cells in grade school. They test us almost everyday, just saying have a great day or tells what they have been doing. Just small talk but if you are a grandparent those texts will put a smile on your face.

So what your saying is buy your kids tablets let them do as they wish while you’re away at the liquor store getting their beer (because they’ll do it anyways) I mean may as well get em some weed too!

No, he's saying that you don't understand what can be done on kids phones, they can be highly regulated. And even if you don't get them one, they can look at whatever they want on a myriad of other devices. Also, if you think by not buying your kids a phone you are shielding them from anything, that is pretty naive thinking. I don't know about you, but by the time I was in 5-6th grade I had pretty much seen and heard it all....and that was in the time of VHS tapes and magazines.

Better to teach them responsibility, trust, and sound decision making. I want to raise my kids to know how to react in real life situations, not shield them from it, and that starts at a very early age, IMO.

What I'm saying is a young person can access and use social media from another device that is unknown to the parent. Parent thinks they have the kid's smartphone locked down, which they do on the device provided. "And no access to social media until age XX".

Kid just uses another device out of the parent's control. For example, an older smartphone that no longer is associated with a phone plan is fully capable of accessing the internet and social media apps via WiFi. Or hooks up through a computer, laptop, etc.

Yeah I’m a total idiot on all things technology. Don’t have friend with teens, nieces, nephews, don’t know anyone that’s battled this already. You’re the expert and you know absolutely every key stroke your children make.

Good grief! Get over yourself already.

I know you're trying to be sarcastic, but you can literally see every keystroke on the device you are monitoring/managing for your kids. The question brought up elsewhere is that kids don't have to use that one device, so you have to teach them responsibility, rationale, and self-discipline (regardless if you give them a device or not)

My brother thought he could see everything on his daughters. Until he realized he could not.

I don't need to know everything my kids do...my wife and I trust them, we teach them daily, we provide the best environment we can for them without being helicopter parents, and are bringing them up to be good future adults.

Absolutely nothing wrong with that. As I said early on to each their own.

But if anyone thinks that they know absolutely everything their child or teen does and or sees on their phone they are mistaken.

Our 2 girls are 27 and 31 now......our oldest got her phone at 16. Our youngest because of technology and price got hers at 12. It's sad for me to see the difference between them in that my youngest never puts that phone down and can't stay in a conversation more than a minute without having to "check in" with her device. She is very successful in life on the business and responsibility side of things. But her friendships aren't "true" because she's never stayed in a conversation without distraction in her personal life long enough to form the true friendships we did growing up because we didn't have cell phones IMO....

I would ban cell phones and go back to CB Radios.........man we used them for staying out of trouble..........most of us had 2 in the vehicle

How did she bypass his restrictions or notifications?

Good discussion. Regardless of how well you raise your kids, they have the judgement of kids. From time to time they just do dumb stuff. That is where parenting comes in. My son just graduated college. He got his first phone when he was in the ninth grade. Before then he was learning to do the things he could not do on a phone. In the ninth grade he played 3 varsity sports. The practice and game schedules were posted on the athletics Facebook page so we got him a phone. As a young adult he is very well rounded and knows how to do many more useful things for himself than most of the young men and women I have met that are his age. The age of the cell phone has spawned a helpless generation. A lot of young men and women missed out on learning a lot of useful life skills I take for granted because their noses were in their phones. Cell phones are a major contributor to a soft, weak, helpless generation, where accountability for what they say is an afterthought.

X2

It's never too late to learn.

Not a clue. But I’d be willing to be bet if you were to google how to bypass them someone will tell them/ you.

Nothing worse than someone that thinks they know everything.

I know.

I agree that’s plausible but even without a smartphone provided by parents, a kid still has access to all sorts of things.

Or maybe just get a kid like a Tracfone that does nothing but telephone calls if you want to provide him/her communications.

I checked online and even youngsters can obtain a HAM radio license. Use a portable HAM radio and a Morse code oscillator. Get the whole family involved. Young friends would be amazed when little Johnny whips out his HAM equipment and fires off a message in Morse to mom that afternoon practice has been canceled.

My work here is done.

It’s a tough call to make anyway you slice it the way I see it . Damn if you do damned if you don’t . There’s no manual for kids teach them morals and ethics along with skills for the rest of there life the best you can and hope for the best . Anyone that thinks they can force feed and dictate a child’s outcome is a fool and it will usually have the opposite effect you were hoping for especially for a stubborn/ oranery kid.

I believe we’ve been in agreement all along. We can do the best possible to prohibit and/or protect our kids from the world but in the end they are also better off learning how to make good decisions and judgement calls. Kids are very clever. Many on here, probably most, successfully did things without their parents knowing. There will be stumbles along the way. Some learn. Some don’t.

Well said, TH.

Model A's weren't around in my Grandparents day @ 16.
Neither mom nor dad drove ta school @ 16, both walked, mom rode her horse several times senior year.
Dad's first car was a used model A.

Know several seniors that rode bus even in senior year. Kid just outa town, 3years younger drove tractor.

guess not all things are equal.

This is true but my problem is the schools are making it nearly impossible for kids whose parents refuse to get them a phone. That is a problem.

Why does a 1st grader have a cell phone? For his digital hunting license of course

Well played, lol

Could be wrong but something tells me the poor kid has used the phone more than once to call his dad to tell him he forgot to pick him up.