I found these "rules" funny for a 13yr iPhone owner

[syd430]

Originally Posted by tymaster50

And the parents are biased too. So what's your point? She started off the "contract" with congrats you're the proud new owner of a iPhone blah blah blah I believe you to be mature and responsible enough and then look at all the rules she outlined. Naturally any teenager will not want to follow rules like that. He can either turn out to be one of those uptight 40 year old virgin kind of guy's or one of those guys that once reaching 18 will move out to college as quickly as possible and never call his mom again.
And I'm not one of those snobby rich kids. I get my apple products through working, even if it's small like taking out the garbage, I'm a middle class African-american in a suburb. When I was 13 I was still posting on forums such as this with grammar that was easily above the age level. I am not in any way shape or form "a snot-nosed brat".

Lol. I didn't read your reply above or have any opinion either way of this issue (I didn't read the article). I was just joking, relax.

Not sure why you're having such a heated debate about this sort of thing at 17 anyway. Believe me, at 17 you've got a lot more pressing issues on your plate. I also wasted a lot of time on BS like this when i was 17, and now at 24, I regret not focusing on things that were more relevant to me at the time.

[lilface]

Originally Posted by adildacoolset

Agree 100%. And I'm 16.

If a kid absolutely needs to call, those small simple nokias can do the job quite well. I find lots of kids who don't need them, still get a fully fledged smartphone.

^ Exactly. I'm 23 and not so much a kid anymore, but growing up I didn't get a cell phone until I was 17 and well into high school. Although times are changing there's no need for a 13 year old to have a smartphone and having that many rules only jusifies the fact that he really doesn't need one!

[XboxMySocks]

As a """"""kid""""""" myself, I don't really see a huge problem with these rules.

If the kid was a little older, maybe. But he's not even into highschool yet. He doesn't need a ******** iPhone.

She is 110% correct about what she said - she bought it, but she's loaning it to him. Morally and legally, she is totally in the green zone. He doesn't like her rules? Simple. Give her the phone SHE BOUGHT back.

I mean, yeah, it's a little controlling. A little bit weird the way some of them are worded. But parents are ****ing weird. Especially when breaking (I can only imagine) huge mental boundaries for her son's benefit. It's something you get over. Honestly, is it really that bad that he has to have a life after 7:30 outside of his phone?

Is it really that bad that he has to answer his parents when they call? Is it really that bad that he has to 'not hurt others' with his phone? Hell, the more I think about it the more I like this mother, and usually I'm on the 'what the hell she's a crazy idiot' bandwagon.

However, at the same time, I own my iPhone 5 and pay for the bill ($28 monthly) and I actually feel like you kinda have to slowly carve your own niche of responsibility. I know I have, and I have a little 'limit' on how long I can text someone into the morning, etc. Maybe she's trying to create that niche for him.

[adildacoolset]

Originally Posted by lilface

^ Exactly. I'm 23 and not so much a kid anymore, but growing up I didn't get a cell phone until I was 17 and well into high school. Although times are changing there's no need for a 13 year old to have a smartphone and having that many rules only jusifies the fact that he really doesn't need one!

Honestly, I just had an iPod touch and was happy with it. It was the base line, 8GB 2nd gen model which I'm still rocking at the age of 16, along with my iPad. I plan on using it on experiments.

[BrokeTechLover]

All I have to say is that Greg is gonna end up in someone's phsyciatrist office,or have a BAD rebellious phase,OR end up hating his mother. I agree that I'm only 16 & I don't understand everything about parenting,but I understand being a teenager & this woman is doing more harm to this child than good & doesn't even realize it. I pity her

[ericrwalker]

Originally Posted by lilface

^ Exactly. I'm 23 and not so much a kid anymore, but growing up I didn't get a cell phone until I was 17 and well into high school. Although times are changing there's no need for a 13 year old to have a smartphone and having that many rules only jusifies the fact that he really doesn't need one!

I'm in my 30's and I didn't get my first cellphone until I was living on my own at age 19 and paying for it myself. That being said, my daughter is only 2, but I imagine she will probably get a smartphone before she's 13. Times are changing, if I can afford to give her a cellphone, a smartphone that hopefully I can track with "find my iPhone" or something like that, and can get a hold of her or have her get a hold of my wife or I when she needs to is a priority for me.

When I was a kid there were payphones everywhere. That's not the case anymore and it's no too expensive to "add a line".

[AppleBoyFreak]

I would not have signed that contract for an iPhone 4.

[ericrwalker]

Originally Posted by AppleBoyFreak

I would not have signed that contract for an iPhone 4.

Then you wouldn't have gotten the iPhone. Sounds like a win/win situation.

[matttye]

Originally Posted by tymaster50

basically this is what it is
mom gives him a gift, son is happy he gets an iPhone 5 (at the age of 13 is around the right time to start getting phones anyway, getting ready to start high school and stuff) (yes I was 13 when I started high school)
First thing he sees next to it "this is a gift but it's mine, I'll take it away whenever I want, pretty cool huh?" Then basically restricts him from a lot of features, makes it mandatory for him to play a game like crosswords or something, gets his phone taken everyday pretty much until he comes back from school, he can't use it in public because it's considered rude, he has to pick up every phone call politely(sucks for when those annoying telemarketers keep calling) he can only put music that none of his friends listen to, his mom has to know all his passwords and he pretty much can't call anyone. With rules like that I'm sure a lot of people would have rather gotten a flip phone and an iPod Touch or something. He is 13 but restricting his freedom like that has a chance of making him grow up rebellious.
Love that he also can't google anything that he wouldn't ask his mom.

and for the record I think it's best when you lead by example. If she's gonna teach him how to be responsible then she should be responsible too. She practically embarrassed him by putting the full story and his name on the internet. Does it even count as a gift if you can only use it for like 3 hours a day? It's like buying a brand new expensive HDTV for someone and telling them they can only watch it from the time they get home until 7:30 and only pre-approved channels, with a mandatory 30 minute "learning" channel show.

Re telemarketers:

You can be forceful and still be polite.

"With all due respect, this phone call is a waste of your time and mine because I am not at all interested in the product you're trying to sell me. Please don't call me again."

Re rules:

Different things work for different people, so you shouldn't judge them by your own standards. Two people can come from completely different backgrounds with completely different experiences.

My mother wasn't strict at all when I was growing up. She'd have just given me the phone and said "here enjoy."

[lilface]

Originally Posted by ericrwalker

I'm in my 30's and I didn't get my first cellphone until I was living on my own at age 19 and paying for it myself. That being said, my daughter is only 2, but I imagine she will probably get a smartphone before she's 13. Times are changing, if I can afford to give her a cellphone, a smartphone that hopefully I can track with "find my iPhone" or something like that, and can get a hold of her or have her get a hold of my wife or I when she needs to is a priority for me.

When I was a kid there were payphones everywhere. That's not the case anymore and it's no too expensive to "add a line".

I didn't even think about the whole tracking aspect benefit of your kid having an iphone. Oh man, if they aren't where they say they are... you can catch them red handed so easily! And you're right if you have the money, it doesn't hurt to have easy access to your children basically 24/7.

[ericrwalker]

Originally Posted by lilface

I didn't even think about the whole tracking aspect benefit of your kid having an iphone. Oh man, if they aren't where they say they are... you can catch them red handed so easily! And you're right if you have the money, it doesn't hurt to have easy access to your children basically 24/7.

It's not even about spying on your kid, anything could happen and when your kid isn't home on time and isn't answering the phone it's something to fall back on. Maybe they just lost track of time, but it's just another tool in the arsenal.

[lelisa13p]

Let us not forget that this Mom somehow got herself on national TV for this bit. Personally, I believe that a lot of that stuff was written with tongue firmly in cheek but that doesn't devalue the valid points that she was trying to remind her son about. I think the Golden Rule would've probably served just as well, covering most of what she listed, but it would've attracted a lot less attention.

Mom seems to be a bit of an attention-seeker. Kid'll have to develop a healthy sense of humor, if he hasn't already.

[Serelus]

Originally Posted by pat park

This is what most of us older folk went thru when we were teenagers.

This generation who grew up with smartphones certainly come off as entitled, spoiled brats who expect to get a phone with no rules, no obligation.

You're completely missing the point, it's not 1985 anymore. Times change and so do basic standards and morals within society. Stop thinking the rules you had to live by can still be applied in good way, today. They can't, technology evolved to the point where we had to adapt. My father used to tell my not sit behind the computer all day. And now he doesn't do anything else but spend alot of time on facebook.

The kid got an iPhone, and having to give it back to his mother at 7:30 is a load of crap. Giving your child something explicitly telling him that it's not his, in my opinion, doesn't constitute as a gift.

[GekkePrutser]

I wonder how she's going to enforce this 'contract'

Most kids are way smarter with technology than their parents, if he's anything like me when I was young he'll own the thing and they won't have a clue With jailbreaks you can hide lots of stuff.

[mrkramer]

The only problems I see with this is first of all most 13 year olds don't need a phone, and definitely don't need a smartphone, and the mom probably is wanting a bit too much attention since she did something to get this on the news. But as far as the rules themselves go I don't see a problem with it and if I had a kid that age who needed a phone and I couldn't find an old flip phone I'd probably give them similar rules.

[impulse462]

Take this from a 20 year old who started his rebellious "phase" at around 11 years old.

My parents were pretty strict with me, not letting me go out on weekdays to hang out with friends, not letting me go on long trips, not letting me play video games during the week, etc. That sort of left me jaded towards them throughout my late teenager years, and it caused a huge rift between my parents and myself. As a kid, I knew much more about technology than my parents and obviously used that to my advantage.

Luckily, I do realize the mistakes I made back then, and majority of this behavior was my fault, but a tiny bit was due to all this controlling behavior from my parents, and you can clearly see that through this contract. The kid will turn rebellious if this continues, or as a previous poster mentioned, will find himself in a psychiatrists office.

And seriously...giving the phone back at 7:30? Really? How is that even a gift? I'd just tell her to keep the phone.

[Dr McKay]

Rule 17 - Talk to Strangers.

[mrsir2009]

The thing that seems more than a little weird to me is the fact that she got this in the news. What did she do, ring up the local paper, tell them that her son just got an iPhone for christmas, and ask if they wanted to do an article about the rules he has to follow when he's using it? If I was the boy I'd be more creeped out by that than I would be annoyed by the rules themselves.

[lelisa13p]

Originally Posted by mrsir2009

The thing that seems more than a little weird to me is the fact that she got this in the news. What did she do, ring up the local paper, tell them that her son just got an iPhone for christmas, and ask if they wanted to do an article about the rules he has to follow when he's using it? If I was the boy I'd be more creeped out by that than I would be annoyed by the rules themselves.

More than likely it turned up on a Mommy Blog first.

[tigres]

Originally Posted by ericrwalker

I'm in my 30's and I didn't get my first cellphone until I was living on my own at age 19 and paying for it myself. That being said, my daughter is only 2, but I imagine she will probably get a smartphone before she's 13. Times are changing, if I can afford to give her a cellphone, a smartphone that hopefully I can track with "find my iPhone" or something like that, and can get a hold of her or have her get a hold of my wife or I when she needs to is a priority for me.

When I was a kid there were payphones everywhere. That's not the case anymore and it's no too expensive to "add a line".

Let me tell you something about this.
My son is now 16, he has my prev gen 4s. I pay for it, and it has (mandatory) find my friends on it.

that app is worth the price of admission. I always know where he's at, school, practice. He forgets to tell me if he stays after, and can't answer his phone- no problem- find my friends- bam!

He's a good kid, good student, and was raised with rules as we all should do with our kids. But the tech today is so useful for a parent, and I feel so much better knowing he is easily found with it.

I used to have the opinion that my son would not have a phone until 16. Well, I caved when he was in 7th grade. Responsibility is not an issue with him; and honestly times are changing fast with tech.

If you can afford it, the peace of mind that comes with it is really priceless.