I have had an iphone and been with AT&T for 8 months, my wife recently joined in and got the $199 3g phone and as we went to a family plan it didnt really cost us anything other than the $199. I decided I could pay the 199 for a new phone for myself and give my 10 year old son my old phone instead of a new ipod touch which he wanted for his birthday. Then I found out he could activate it as a phone for $10 per month and would also then be eligible for a $199 upgrade as well. I am thinking of doing this and selling the old iphone which looks to be worth $350 or so on ebay. Any downsides that I am missing, seems like a good deal, like him and I getting new phones by selling my old one.
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should I give my first gen iphone to my son?
- Thread starter rwm514
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far be it for me to give you parenting tips, but I really don't think a 10 year needs a cell phone, let alone a $200 iPhone
I would use it a gift, Maybe Christmas, or Birthday, or some special occasion. It is a really great gift, I think most son would be enjoy it, as long as they are old enough to know how to use it.
10 might be a little young, but it would be great just so you can stay in contact in case of emergency.
10 might be a little young, but it would be great just so you can stay in contact in case of emergency.
I agree. Bad idea to give 10 years old an iPhone. There won't be an appropriate place for him to use it.
Perhaps as a PSP substitute.
if you give it to a 10 year old, you pretty much are throwing it away. any 10yo i know, cant keep a watch without breaking it. Theres no "he might break it" he will break it. a 10yo doenst have the common sense to take care of such a great piece of electronics.
if you do anything, sell it on ebay, put away the money till hes older, then give it to him to buy whatever phone is out in 3-4 years.
Or sell it and go get a cheap phone thats hard to break. a 10yo doesnt need an iphone at all.
if you do anything, sell it on ebay, put away the money till hes older, then give it to him to buy whatever phone is out in 3-4 years.
Or sell it and go get a cheap phone thats hard to break. a 10yo doesnt need an iphone at all.
My 4 year old loves his Iphone....
well at least the old 4GB Iphone my wife used until I upgraded and handed down my 8GB to her...
I cleaned the phone up...took the sim out and he struts around the house like he is something special...
Of course, I never let him out of the house with it b/c it would be crazy for a 4 year old to have an Iphone...
well at least the old 4GB Iphone my wife used until I upgraded and handed down my 8GB to her...
I cleaned the phone up...took the sim out and he struts around the house like he is something special...
Of course, I never let him out of the house with it b/c it would be crazy for a 4 year old to have an Iphone...
Dad! Dad! you found me!
i'm in canada now - can you ship it to me?
in all seriousness, i don't think a 10 year old should have a phone of any sort. my kid, he's 7 now, will have a 2-way radio to keep tabs on him in the neighbourhood, but that's about it. even when he has a job, i'll be keeping tabs on him if he gets a phone, which he'll pay for himself. i've heard horror stories of kids racking up huge bills or 'forgetting' to pay their parents back. what really kills me is that the majority of those phone calls and texts are just nonsense...no purpose really. just mho though :
if it were me, i'd ebay it or find a co-worker/neighbour or something else interested to help pay back your new phone.
i'm in canada now - can you ship it to me?
in all seriousness, i don't think a 10 year old should have a phone of any sort. my kid, he's 7 now, will have a 2-way radio to keep tabs on him in the neighbourhood, but that's about it. even when he has a job, i'll be keeping tabs on him if he gets a phone, which he'll pay for himself. i've heard horror stories of kids racking up huge bills or 'forgetting' to pay their parents back. what really kills me is that the majority of those phone calls and texts are just nonsense...no purpose really. just mho though :
if it were me, i'd ebay it or find a co-worker/neighbour or something else interested to help pay back your new phone.
thx for the replies!
I guess I was more thinking of getting him an ipod touch really but being able to get a new iphone for him for $199 got me thinking.
I gave him my 2gb nano a year ago and he cherishes it and takes excellent care of it. When I got my Iphone he was fascinated.
Now that the apps are out it seems like an ideal way for him to have access to music, be able to watch a movie on a long drive, play some games, take pictures etc. It just occurred to me that it might actually be cheaper to get him the iphone instead of the ipod touch with this family plan deal, $10 a month extra. I would set very strict guidelines on using it as a phone but it would be nice for him to have it because his mother (with whom I have joint custody of my son with) has no cell phone and at times it can be very hard to arrange pick ups and drop offs.
Maybe I should forget about it though, lol. I appreciate the advice.
I guess I was more thinking of getting him an ipod touch really but being able to get a new iphone for him for $199 got me thinking.
I gave him my 2gb nano a year ago and he cherishes it and takes excellent care of it. When I got my Iphone he was fascinated.
Now that the apps are out it seems like an ideal way for him to have access to music, be able to watch a movie on a long drive, play some games, take pictures etc. It just occurred to me that it might actually be cheaper to get him the iphone instead of the ipod touch with this family plan deal, $10 a month extra. I would set very strict guidelines on using it as a phone but it would be nice for him to have it because his mother (with whom I have joint custody of my son with) has no cell phone and at times it can be very hard to arrange pick ups and drop offs.
Maybe I should forget about it though, lol. I appreciate the advice.
You don't pay a monthly fee for the nano.
You do pay the monthly fee for the iPhone. Thus, it's a huge responsibility for a 10 year old to have. It doesn't matter if the iPhone is worth so and so, if he goes over on the iPhone bill, then it comes to you, which kids do very easily.
If your strict with what he can and can't do with the phone, then i think it's fine. You could just have it not activated and he can use it to play games, play music, and go on the internet via wifi.
You do pay the monthly fee for the iPhone. Thus, it's a huge responsibility for a 10 year old to have. It doesn't matter if the iPhone is worth so and so, if he goes over on the iPhone bill, then it comes to you, which kids do very easily.
If your strict with what he can and can't do with the phone, then i think it's fine. You could just have it not activated and he can use it to play games, play music, and go on the internet via wifi.
When I was 10 I had a CD player.. but I don't necessarily know if an iPhone would be the evolution of that..
I mean, ultimately you know the kid more than us, if you KNOW he will take care of it and be responsible go for it..
I'de also weigh the idea of it being stolen, because let's be honest, a 10 year old with an iPhone is bait for scumbags.
I mean, ultimately you know the kid more than us, if you KNOW he will take care of it and be responsible go for it..
I'de also weigh the idea of it being stolen, because let's be honest, a 10 year old with an iPhone is bait for scumbags.
speaking as a teacher, please don't give your child an iphone! it's a war out there with cell phones in the classroom and teachers aren't winning...you will only get your child accustomed to having it..it's a battle with texting and everything else you can do with a cell phone, wait till they are at least 18 and out of public schooling or private
I think that as long he is responsible and won't lose it, then it should be ok. Even though maybe at 10 years old, he shouldn't even have a phone, I think if you set some guidelines like you said, it may work. It would still borderline on the "no 10 year old needs a phone let alone an iPhone" idea but I think he would be fine with a new ipod nano. As I keep typing, I am really leaning away from the iPhone idea..........
So I guess I started out with a "why not" and it changed to "get him a nano and he should be thrilled with that."
So I guess I started out with a "why not" and it changed to "get him a nano and he should be thrilled with that."
it all depends on how mature the child is. You must understand that he can vist site that you may not want him watching, I doubt that parental lock blocks everything. When I was 11 I got my first phone and I am glad to say I did not break it nor lose it. If your child is prone to loosing and breaking things sell the phone and get him a shuffle.
It is really more than $10 per month. The add-a-line is $9.99 and then you have to add $20.00 for the automatic data plan. Just to make sure you are clear, if you upgrade to the iPhone 3G then your data plan will go from $20.00 to the $30.00 iPhone 3G data plan. Just another $10 ding to think about in the decision.
Sell your current iPhone, and get him an 8Gb touch. Sure, the 3G is a good idea, but unless you pay $30 a month for a data plan, he will rack up a huge amount, all he has to do is loose wifi signal, and then he's on the expensive pay per use data.
I gave mine to my 11 year old son and he takes very good care of it so far. He's just loving it!
That's really an unfair statement. I had my first laptop at 7 and first phone at 11 and you're damn right I had the "common sense" to take care of them. Some kids can handle the responsiblity and not break things like that. You can't generalize kids like that, you don't even know the kid in question.
What about buying yourself a new iPhone, then deactivating the old one and giving it to your son? It will be like having an iPod Touch but with a few extra features, like the speakers and mike.
It is $30 to add a 1st gen iPhone to a family plan, and $40 for a 3g phone... NOT $10. You HAVE to have the data plan with the iPhone, it isn't an option.
Mine is going to my 12 year old. She has had a cellphone for a year now and we love the fact that we can contact her.
It's not her fault that her father spends too much on his toys and has to upgrade every time Apple comes out with every new product.
It's not her fault that her father spends too much on his toys and has to upgrade every time Apple comes out with every new product.
get him a iPod Touch or Classic for music/videos... and a cheap prepaid phone that you can get at walmart if you think he needs calls.