When is it too young for a cell phone?

SYCAMORE TOWNSHIP, Ohio - Keeping students safe is one reason many parents are flocking to cell phone stores this summer. They are aiming for safety by keeping children in contact with mom and dad no matter what time of day it is.

When it comes to the appropriate age for cell phone-use, it ranges from person-to-person.

Some people may argue 12 or 10 is too young, but what about 5 years old? Mike Vanderwoude of Cincinnati Bell said that is the youngest age he is seeing children with cell phones.

"It gets younger and younger every year," Vanderwoude said. "I would say maybe two or three years ago, it was more like early teens. 12 or 13 was when it really started, but now it's moving all the way down to 5, 6, 7 years old."

"No text messaging and no Internet," 17-year-old Keilin Clim said of a few of the restrictions when his parents first gave him a cell phone at age 13.

"My sister was leaving my elementary school so they had to have some type of contact to me; so that was the only reason why they gave me a phone, and I've had one ever since," Clim said.

The Moeller senior said he's glad his parents made that decision and didn't give him a phoner any earlier than 13.

"Having the phone in the possession of a child just gives such a safety boost and gives the parent the ability to contact the child at any time. If there's situations where both parents are working, then it's extremely valuable to have the child call the parent if there's confusion around rides or anything like that," said Vanderwoude.

He pointed out that it all comes down to a balance between what the parent wants and what the child wants. But even he and his wife have their limits when it comes to their seven kids.

"We've made a decision that 12 is the age that we're going to let our kids have phones, and so my oldest is the only one who has a phone," Vanderwoude said.

There are several ways to customize the cell phone. For example, parents can block picture messages to avoid sexting.

As for Keilin, he now looks at children and cell phones in a new light. When it comes to his 6-year-old neice, he noted that she should wait 10 more years.

"I think 16 would be a better age so they actually know what they're getting into, cause it's a lot of people out here cyberbullying, sending random text messages, and they really don't understand what they're getting into," Clim said.

The best advice for parents is to check with different providers to see if their programs for kids fit with family needs.