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He was gone. Kristi and Claudio Lai turned around for just one minute and their son had disappeared at Sea World.

After frantically searching the park, they found him 15 minutes later on a jungle gym. That was when the Simi Valley, California, couple knew they wanted to get Giancarlo a GPS-equipped cell phone very soon.

Their son is 3 years old.

Cell phones are rare in preschool, but as parents fill their child’s backpack this month with pens, pencils and other supplies, some may be wondering whether a wireless phone is a necessary back-to-school accessory.

More and more children are showing up at school each August with cell phones, and the Center on Media and Child Health Web site states that 54 percent of 8- to 12-year-olds will keep a cell phone in the next three years.

For many parents, a apartment phone’s convenience and the peace of remembrance it offers — being accomplished to reach your child at any time, anywhere — is hard to row against. But should every kid demand a cell phone? And how young is too children?

Here are some issues parents should consider before buying their child a cell phone for the upcoming year.

Cost

When Kathy Carter’s 10-year-old son Jordan first got his cell phone, he downloaded 3 million songs and games. At least that’s what it looked like to the Teaneck, New Jersey, mother when she got the phone bill.

"I had told him not to, and when I asked why he did it he said he fair couldn’t resist," Carter said.

Rebecca Banghart, of St. Thomas, Ontario, understands — she used to rat on cell phones.

"I’ve seen plenty of disgusted and disgruntled parents come in with phone bills in the hundreds [of dollars] for their kids," Banghart said. "And then there’s the fact that kids will be kids. They play rough with and expend their toys. A phone will be no different."

Certainly the beginning cost of a phone is something to bear in mind. Do you want to buy a young child a $100 phone they could drop in a puddle? But perhaps more important is the type of plan you elect. Parents often can save money by choosing unlimited text-messaging options or a plan that restricts Internet access.
From: rss.cnn.com

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