A Cell Phone for Kids

just make sure radiation emissions are way below accepted SAR values

There's something a little creepy about this, but as a parent I've gotta admit I'd probably look at this for my kids when they get older.

Especially if they upgrade it to include GPS location.

If you want GPS, you may want this instead:

http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/000569.html

This sounds like a great product I just hope it exceeds the SAR value. GPS would be a plus.

I love this idea, my son and I were talking aboutbuying him a cell phone and i was debating the idea now i think i'll go to target and see what's there

This phone is probably a perfect idea for my 5 y/o - we live in nice, friendly neighborhood, but unfortunately there's about 5 different places she can be when we need to find her. =) Even if you teach them, kids still run off! Besides, be paranoid about miniscule phone radiation (shouldn't let them out in the sun if you're worried about that), or be paranoid when you can't find your child... I'd opt for a phone. At least with this one, you have control.

Yes I must admit the idea sounds most applealing. However, if a child can not keep up with thier hats, gloves, sweaters, etc. how do you expect them to keep up with a $100. plus item? Sorry, but think most of them are too young for such an item.

I love this idea and can't wait to find one for my child. I would most definetly buy one especially if it came with GPS location.

I need some more info on this; I have 2 young ones that are talking about getting cell phones now

I recently purchased a Firefly for my 10 year old son to take out of state to see his Dad. It gave me wonderful piece of mind, we were able to contact each other at any time. He was so responsible with it, and the minutes, that I have let him keep it now that he is back home. Trust me! the piece of mind alone is worth the $100!!

These phones are ridiculous. What is this world coming to when our children have to grow up at the age of 5! No, no no no no! I am an educator and I can not imagine the impact this will have on children's development and growth. Kids need to be kids. We as adults should be spending time with our children talking to them in person and teaching them the things we want them to know. Children shouldnt be responsible for phones at five years old! Society has taken things just a bit too far this time!

I think that this phone is a great idea. my 7 year old son wants a phone. He is very smart for his age and he also knows how to use my phone already.I am a a fulltime student in college and i work fulltime so he is with other family members and this will be very helpfull. Now, i don't agree with the price but i think it's a cool idea. besides kids are smarter than they use to be.

I definitely don?t think a 5 year old, or even 8 year old can be responsible enough to have one (some people may argue that it teaches them responsibility, though), but it?s a marvelous idea for 10-12 year olds, who are quite not ready for a real cell phone yet, but just old enough.

I purchased one for my 9 year old and he loves it. As the father of a child with health problems (congestive heart failure) I find it quite comforting to be a button push away at all times. The service is a bit spotty, and the phones are lacking a bit in quality, but it is still a great idea for the responsible 8-12 year old.

I sell cell phones for a living and I know a lot of my customers would be thrilled at having this for their children... I wish my company offered this wonderful product. You can't put a price on piece of mind!

The only thing I find a bit unsettling is the fact that there is a mom button and a dad button. What about the kids that dont talk have both a mom and a dad? I mean, these are kids, some may be quite sensitive about that sort-of thing. I have a niece and her father is not a very big part of her life, I was thinking about getting her one until I saw the faceplate and now I dont think I will. What number will she program for the dad button? The phone is cute, but I am surprised that in 2005, a company would be so presumptive.

We got one for our granddaughter so she can call us when she's at our former son-in-law's. He only has a cell that he keeps on him so she can't reach us if she needs to. It's not only peace of mind for us. It allows her to contact her mother or us if need be making her visits to him less stressful.

Nicole, go ahead and get it for your niece. The stickman can be anyone you like. Maybe granpa or uncle?

ref the stickman, my sentiments exactly. the phone is great. my 9 yr old loves it and keeps it on after school at daycare and when she is at her dads.

I bought this for my 10 yr old it is just great!
There were many questions I asked myself what if my child were to missed the bus and they had to walk home(with all those weirdos out there, I fear to think) whatever the case may be...I say you just can't put a price on your childs safety or
life. And if something were to happen, God forbid. Then the parent would be left with the WHAT IF I had got them the phone they could've phoned for help. Can you as a parent honestly live with this on your conscience for the rest of your life.

Think about it Parents if you can afford it buy it.

Our kids depend on us parents to protect them and by them having this phone, it will at least give them a fighting chance to get help if no one is around.

A bit extreme? YES, when it comes to my child!

I have to say a phone for children is a great idea but what about the parents who are barely able to pay thier rent and still would like the same peace of mind. I think a hundred dollars is too high for a phone you still need to buy minutes for for a child

Just joking here...but just forget the cellphone just get a GPS location chip, ID chip placed under your child skin like they do dogs now, This CellPhone thing is just a money marketing ideal to sell phone service. Did know they have MURS handheld radios and GRMS which with 2 handhelds and a GRMS repeater which are up and going for users to use and will give a range of 20 to 30 miles and its free just a FCC small fee it good for the complete family to use, CELLPHONES FOR KIDS !! someone is going to make some money here.

I have been considering a Firefly for my 7 1/2 year old son. Last year during a really cold week of winter, I was having trouble getting to school on time to pick him up. I called the school to let him know this and to stay inside and warm but the only option I had was to "leave a voice mail" for the secretary. It seems the school doesn't answer phones during the last half hour of school (because I tried repeatedly over the next few days also)! Needless to say he did not get the message and was very upset and cold when I finally got to him. If he has a phone, I can at least be sure to call him after school in a timely fashion and let him know if something is up. He is a responsible child, and I know he would take care of his firefly. To "SARAH the EDUCATOR": My son and I share a very active person to person relationship and I feel that this would allow a lot of families additional bonding and talk time. My child is #1 in my life and I would hate myself if I did not do this for a little added peace of mind. I'm hoping the price will go down for the holiday season, but am saving up for the regular price just in case. The lowest price I have found regular cells at is $35! That would be just right!

We got our 13 year old twin boys Boost Mobil cell phones to take to school. They are not allowed to use the office phone at their school and the pay phone is usually broken or they don't have change. When they stay for after school activities, they need to call us to tell us when to pick them up. We live a very long way from their school and it is long distance for them to call us on land lines. They were always having to use other kids phones or the teacher's or coach's phone. Now, we feel better that they can reach us at any time. We have considered getting a Firefly for our 8 year old daughter for the same reason. It's a safety, peace of mind kind of thing. The initial cost is high, but then it is only a matter of recharging the phone card. Ten or twenty dollars every 90 days isn't that bad. It is worth it to us to be able to be in contact with them in an instant.

I think this is perfect for my 12-yr-old daughter who is a latchkey child -- heaven forbid anything goes wrong, she is able to contact me immediately by pushing one button. Although she is great at calling my cell, it would be a real peace of mind knowing that she has me and a few select others right at her fingertips

we purchased a Firefly for our 9-year-old daughter--we loved the security of being able to contact her as she walked to the sitters house from school BUT she often sounded muffled and at times we just couldn't understand her because of the poor quality of the phone itself---so we traded in the Firefly for a Boost phone--cheaper, better service and reliable

I have been thinking about getting a Firefly for my two daughters aged 8 and 9, but I have been hearing that the Firefly has bad reception and the quality of the phone itself is poor. I am interested in the Boost phone. Where do I go to check out this one?

Another comment for "Sarah the Educator" or anyone else that feels this is going to far.

I remember the day that I could run all over Hollywood, CA. Even take the bus downtown and meet my mom in LA, or maybe go to the beach. Of course that was about 30 years ago, but it was a fairly normal thing back when I was around 8-11.

I think these types of phones allow kids to go back to being kids again, without having so many "don't"s & "can't"s to deal with.

Granted 5 is a little young to be running the streets alone, however every situation is different. Like the divorce situation or school phone policies.

When it comes to our family we are thinking real hard about a phone for our 12 yr old, and maybe even one in a couple of months when our other son turns 7.

However if you know what you are doing you can make most of the newer phones have blocked numbers ect, only problem being they aren't quite as rugged.

For the younger boy, at the moment, when he's playing in the neighborhood with friends he carries a Talk-About (walkie-talkie) with a 5 mile radius.

Only problem we have is that since we got him one half the neighborhood's got one for their kids. We just have to figure out how we can keep from getting on each others channel. Although having him and his best friend that he plays with all the time on the same channel means the when I call him the other mom knows too. Not a bad deal.

My daughter is 10yrs old and is asking for a cell phone. Of course I am leary of getting her one, as they are not toys and can add up additional minutes fast. I don't like the year/2yr contracts that the cell phone companies require. My neice could have used this when she was at a sleep over and another girl tried to do inappropiate things. My neice was uncofortable (with friends) and with the fact that she had to ask to use the phone to call my sister to come and get her. This phone would have allowed the privacy she needed. I am definately considering this for my daughter for X-Mas---hoping the price goes down a bit. But things are always priced higher in the beginning.

I purchased this for my eight year old who just this year started walking home from school. It is amaizing how well a child can handle the phone, and the excitment of having one keeps him very aware of its wearabouts. I have to say it has given me the piece of mind I needed when I talk with him on his walk home everyday.

i'm 19 and can't live without a cell phone. i remember the month i turned 13 we went down to what was then the voice stream store (it has since become t-mobile with much better marketing techniques) and getting this huge black flip phone with an ok button the size of the screen.

my brother used to run out into the middle of big intersections because his daycare didn't know how to take care of children. my family was happy to get me one. (they didn't have cells when my brother was little) the worst thing i can think of is this causing the "mommas-boy" effect. i called my mom all the time. sometimes just to see what she was doing at work. i never matured faster, and i haven't grown any more limbs, but i have lost 5 phones and a gps locator would have been nice on it.

now i swear by a bluetooth headset. but thats for another post.

my only grief is about not having gps capabilities. but then again gps isn't perfect, if it is sent through the cell network as well as the satellites it would work all the time. but thats the smart thing to do...

i like this phone, if it works well

to "Sara the Educator" I'm sure that you have read several parents state that we DO spend time with our children. These phones offer us as parents a way to contact our children when we CANT be there. We do appreciate the teachers help in educating our children, but we the parents have to protect them. EVEN when they are at school. My son is 8 almost 9 and he has had a firefly phone for a few months. I purchased it because of the things that could happen. (like Jessica Lunsford) The phone allows me to let my son be a kid. He can now go out and play in the neighborhood whereas before I would not let him go out. His friends had to come over to our house. That was taking his childhood away, not the phone. The only change that I have seen in him is he now wants to go outside. He and his friends take turns reading a book in the book club that they started. Now please tell me how giving my child a phone so that we can reach each other in an emergency is a bad thing.

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I use the firefly as a disiplline tool for my 17 year old daughter. Her conventional phone is a major part of her social life but when i ground her from it I still want to be able to contact her. With the firefly I can take away her convetional phone and give her the firefly and still have contact with her but still take away a major privliage.

My daughther is 12 and she has been begging for a phone. But she runs the phone bill in the house. I have been thinking in purchasing a phone that I could control who she calls. Anyways the phone is only if she needs to call home. The firefly or wherifone will be just great. Like I tell her when you get a job then you buy yourself a phone and pay for the bill is only right.

I am in a very horrible custody battle with my son's mother who is in my mind not stable enough to raise him but that 's another story. My son lives in Fresno, CA and I live in Fairfield, CA so him contacting me directly is impossible and I also want him to get used to calling me as well as learning phone numbers without the barriers in place. I think that this is a wonderful thing to come to the market in a long time to unseat the educator's statements.

I am considering this phone for my 87 year old father. He takes the bus everywhere and once he got stranded. I can use the "mom" and "dad" buttons for my wife's and my phone numbers.
I wish it had a GPS locator.

Thank you all for your feedback, I just purchased a firefly and I am quite torn about the value. True, one cannot put a value on a child's safety, however the service plans would be a ripoff for me. I don't expect my kid to use the phone unless she's in an emergency: The nurses office, witnessing car wreck on the way home, her friends mom (her ride) having car trouble, a stranger messing with her etc. Trouble is, what if she never uses it? Now I lose minutes every three months and have to purchase minutes in order to keep the phone activated, I would rather have paid $300 for a lifetime of activation that she presumably may never have to use.