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iPhone for 14 year old

seriously..it doesn't matter...if it bothers you, that's your problem...but the only people it should affect would be the 14 yr old and the parent paying for it (no 14 yr old can pay for it independently)

so go find something else to do everyone
 
Now that the cost has come down, how is this really that much different from getting them an iPod Touch? They already have cell phones, and are already on the internet, so why not combine them into one unit?

Only thing that would worry me would be the durability of the glass screen (so far this hasn't been a problem for me, but it has only been a couple of months, and I'm certainly not 14...). Theft is another possible issue, but it is an issue with their 5G ipods also...

I woiudln't hesitate to get my daughter an iPod touch, so it would come down to the cost of the data plan vs the txt plan she is on now (about a $10/month difference)...
 
Completely depends on the 14-year-old. My 14-year-old daughter could totally handle having an iPhone, but my almost-16-year-old son could not.

But I'm not prepared to spend $70 per month for either of them to have phone service. I'll stick with Virgin Mobile for $80 per year.
 
Makes enough sense to me, I turned 14 in August and my mother purchased me an IPhone, she's also going to be paying my bill. I take care of my electronics so it's not like I'm going to break it.
 
I spent 7 hours on line on June 29th next to an 11 year old who was getting one for himself. We had a pretty good time hangin out. His mom showed up at the end of the wait with the credit card. He was a smart kid, pretty mature for his age, and seemed to be very capable of maintaining and caring for an iPhone.
 
If they are mature then get them the damn iPhone already! If you know they will lose/break it then dont get them one. Im 13 and I gots me a Nokia 6230 and use it for texting and storing a few MP3s and videos... Its just fine for me BUT I would much rather have a iPhone, I could just not handle that contract or constantly getting paranoid over when Apple will stop my iPhone from working if I crack the activation. So im getting a Touch :D

Also, I cant send stuff though Bluetooth on the iPhone and its likely to get stolen.
 
atarin said:
I got my nephew and niece phones when they were 8 and 10, respectively. They are on my family plan. I have bought them each three phones over the years, increasing the abilities of the phones as the kids matured. My niece is now 12, and my nephew is about to turn 14. I plan on getting them iPhones for Christmas. They have been very responsible. I think it depends on the particular child, though. Some kids are more responsible than others.

For my niece and nephew, it makes sense. They have spent hours getting to know my iPhone, and they really appreciate all it can do. Kids are very tech savvy these days, and they want more than "just a phone." I can't wait for Christmas to give them theirs! Plus, since they can't buy stuff over the iPhone other than on the WiFi iTunes music store (they would have to pay, not me), and since there are no ridiculous subscription services available, I feel safer financially (no possible surprise charges on the bill, although they have never done that to me before). The iPhone data plan is actually cheaper than the MediaNet plan I have them on now, so my bill will go down while giving them more Internet than they get now, as well. It's a win-win situation!

I have told them that this is the last time I am buying them phones (yeah, right, I can't really be sure of that - I do spoil them - but they think this is the last time), and that if they lose them or break them, they will have to replace them on their own. They know how expensive they are, and they have agreed. But like I said, it depends on the kid. If my niece and nephew were irresponsible or clueless about the value of things (especially money), then I wouldn't do it.
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i need you to be my uncle......:D
 
no, kids that young are too immature, stupid, and easily influenced. Considering today's child labor laws, I find it hard to believe that any 14 year old can pay for an iPhone + Service completely on their own.
 
In my experience, teenagers tend to be rather forgetful and unable to think some things through fully.
Like leaving an expensive phone in an unlocked locker during gym. OMG! Mah iPod wuz stoled!!1!!!

:rolleyes:
 
It's a case by base basis. My 10 year old (but in middle school) daughter wanted a cell phone, so we said, you pay the $10/month (add to family plan) and you can have it. If we think her having phone was beneficial to us any given month, we then pay the $10 since it "helped us" out and wasn't just a toy.

So she had me sell her iPod nano on eBay, had some birthday money, and got a Nokia N70. When the 4GB iPhone dropped in price I asked her if she wanted one. She thought for 2 days, then came back to me and said, "If you can sell my Nokia and get enough for the iPhone, then yes, otherwise no."

I was so impressed with her thought process I told her that I'd sell her Nokia and make up any difference. She demonstrated that she was responible with having a phone for the time with the Nokia, and her thought process showed she had an appreciation for the money. These two factors showed me that she is responsible enough to have the iPhone.

So what does it mean...If you're asking us our opinion so you can go tell your parents "See everyone thinks it's ok, other kids, even younger kids have one", then I say NO, you're not ready. If you've asked our opinion, read our responses and are thinking about if YOU PERSONALLY are ready for the responsibility, then yes, maybe you're ready for this kind of responsibility.
 
Genghis Khan said:
seriously..it doesn't matter...if it bothers you, that's your problem...but the only people it should affect would be the 14 yr old and the parent paying for it (no 14 yr old can pay for it independently)

so go find something else to do everyone
Click to expand...

I was making over $200 per month when I was 14. That was 26 years ago. I'd say there are plenty of 14-year-olds making $80+ per month today. Yeesh, you mow a couple lawns a week, babysit a couple times a week -- there are lots of ways to make that much money. My kids have a $20 per week allowance, so they could afford iPhones if they wanted them. They don't think it's worth it.
 
Well i'm 16 and can afford one. I know i'm a little older then 14, but i am at college full time and have a part time job for saturdays and a few hours after college.

A lot of 13/14 year olds these days have jobs. If you want something bad enough, you'll get a job.

One bad side about getting a job at a young age is your parents want rent. :(
 
At launch day at the AT&T store, there was a woman in line who was buying everyone in her family one (her, spouse, and 2 kids). The kids looked like they were only 13 and 15...

What worries me is that at a school I was at the kids were allowed to have electronics during lunch and they had their iPods with video and when I tried to see what they were watching on it - they kinda hid it....

Assumption was porn, violent gangster stuff, etc...
 
gkarris said:
At launch day at the AT&T store, there was a woman in line who was buying everyone in her family one (her, spouse, and 2 kids). The kids looked like they were only 13 and 15...

What worries me is that at a school I was at the kids were allowed to have electronics during lunch and they had their iPods with video and when I tried to see what they were watching on it - they kinda hid it....

Assumption was porn, violent gangster stuff, etc...
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Why cant I bring my iPod to school? Its not allowed at my school (almost everyone brings there phones anyway) AND what people watch on there own devices it their choice.
 
bluedoggiant said:
does this make sense?
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I think Johnny Cochrane said it best:

Johnny Cochrane said:
chewbacca.jpg
Ladies and gentlemen of the supposed jury, I have one final thing I want you to consider: this is Chewbacca. Chewbacca is a Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk, but Chewbacca lives on the planet Endor. Now, think about that. That does not make sense!

Why would a Wookiee -- an eight foot tall Wookiee -- want to live on Endor with a bunch of two foot tall Ewoks? That does not make sense!

But more importantly, you have to ask yourself: what does that have to do with this case? Nothing. Ladies and gentlemen, it has nothing to do with this case! It does not make sense!

Look at me, I'm a lawyer who was asked about buying an adolescent an expensive cell phone when free ones exist, and I'm talkin' about Chewbacca. Does that make sense? Ladies and gentlemen, I am not making any sense. None of this makes sense.

And so you have to remember, when you're in that jury room deliberating and conjugating the Emancipation Proclamation... does it make sense? No! Ladies and gentlemen of this supposed jury, it does not make sense.

If Chewbacca lives on Endor, you must acquit! The defense rests.
Click to expand...
 
yellow said:
In my experience, teenagers tend to be rather forgetful and unable to think some things through fully.
Like leaving an expensive phone in an unlocked locker during gym. OMG! Mah iPod wuz stoled!!1!!!
Click to expand...

This was what I was thinking. While there may be a number of highly responsible kids (apparently some on this forum), there are just as many out thered will lose or have one stolen then turn around and cry that some evil person out there is picking on them or that their mommies and daddies should replace said device just because. Just call me cynical.
 
a 14yo is old enough to have a cell phone but i would not give my nephews or nieces any cell phone much less an iphone. i would wait until they turn 16 or graduate from high school. I say 16 because that's when they start driving and once they start doing that, they need to be tracked down.

But the OP must have started this thread because a NYT reporter mentioned that her 14yo daughter had an iphone that got bricked after the 1.1.1 update. The mom was accused of hacking the iphone but it was eventually replaced by a genius.
 
I was at the :apple:store in the summer, and when i walked out a freaking 10 year old ( or less ) kid comes out with an iphone, couldn't believe it.
 
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