Kids will give you any number of reasons why they need a cell phone, but odds are you want them to have one for emergencies and to keep in touch with you. Prepaid cell phones are a terrific option for your children’s first phones. It allows you to have complete control over the number of minutes being used, as well as the money spent on the service.
Adding your child to your existing plan and hoping for the best is a recipe for disaster. Most kids simply don’t have the restraint to stay within the verbally allotted minutes. You could end up incurring additional costs without the proper supervision.
Prepaid cell phones give the parent complete control over phone usage. You can start your kids off with a minute tally that you are comfortable with. If they show you they are responsible, you can always add additional minutes the following month. There is no worry that you will get a bill for $400 because your child was talking to a friend in another time zone. They simply will not be able to accrue additional charges.
A prepaid phone in your name not only allows you to control costs, but you will receive the usage information for the phone. You can see who they call or text and how often. It can be nice to have the bill available should a strange number repeatedly surface on the call log.
Knowing when to give your children their first phone is a decision only you can make. With a prepaid phone, the power is in your hands to control the time they spend using the device.