Does your teenager have a data plan?

[West Jersey Detecting]

My son turned 15 and is bugging me to upgrade his cell service to a data plan so he can use Facebook, etc on his phone. I tried to explain to him that it is a non-essential luxury and it is not necessary.

Of course he says all his friends have data plans.

What are your thoughts?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Minelab PRO-FIND 35 Waterproof Pinpointer Metal Detector for Experts with Tone ID & Adjustable Sensitivity - Grab it through Amazon!

[jeff of pa]

15 he's not Driving yet.

I'd say get it for him but explain
the data plan & Texting get dropped
the day he gets his learners permit,
unless he can prove to me he
(and his Friends who may be contacting him,
while he's driving) is not
addicted to punching buttons,
& looking at a tiny screen instead
of Life around him.

Personally I don't see where Facebook, etc.
is so important they can't go home to use it,
but just my opinion.

Of course I Don't have kids, so
I have non to spoil

 

[spartacus53]

Well get ready to dig deeper in your pockets just to keep the phones you have now.. Cell prices will be increasing in the very near future as there is not enough bandwidth to support talk, text, web....

How do I know My good old Magic '8' Ball

Oh, unlimited talk plans.. A thing of the past like the horse and buggy

And don't say I didn't warn you either

 

[werleibr]

change him to a non contract phone if you can with limited minutes. I personally have unlimited everything except voice which is 300 min a month.. I pay $35... for $55 i could have unlimited everything. Carriers to look into if available, cricket, boost,virgin mobile.

 

[Twisted One]

Well get ready to dig deeper in your pockets just to keep the phones you have now.. Cell prices will be increasing in the very near future as there is not enough bandwidth to support talk, text, web....

How do I know My good old Magic '8' Ball

Oh, unlimited talk plans.. A thing of the past like the horse and buggy

And don't say I didn't warn you either

There is no such thing as not enough bandwidth. There is as much bandwidth as they are willing to provide. It is true that some companies are concerned about reaching the limits of their current equipment, but at the same time these companies are slowly replacing their equipment.
In the same idea, the companies that make that equipment are constantly improving their design, and constant lower the cost of the equipment. So more and more companies are buying, and replacing their equipment as they go.

The average cell phone company is increasing charges, and making limited data plans for the same reason cable companies have started doing so. Because it gives them an excuse to charge more.
I use a lot of bandwidth on my home cable connection, and here is what the cable company recently told me. They called me and told me that I have exceeded my monthly allotment of bandwidth, I asked them what they were talking about, because when I signed my contract with them it mentioned nothing about bandwidth limitations.
They said they amended all contract <didn't know that was legal without notifying me, but whatever> so now if you have a 12mb Internet line you are limited to 100GB a month, a 30MB line is limited to 250GB a month, and the 100MB line is limited to 500GB a month.
I have a 30mb line. She told me to scan my computers for viruses because they can use bandwidth, she then asked me if I have Netflix, I said yes, she said oh, well a standard definition movie uses about 2GB of bandwidth, and a high definition movie can use about 8GB of bandwidth.
She then starts the sales pitch...however! if you bought movies through us, it does not count on your bandwidth usage. And then she starts another sales pitch, also, if you pay only another $40 a month we can get you the 100mb line to give you more bandwidth usage.

I asked her how much past my 250gb limit I went. She said I was over 800gb's....I said so I would still be over my limit with the 100mb line.... She mumbled, umm, yes.

So I asked her what happens if I continue to exceed the limits, she said if you get these calls three times in a six month period then you will have your service suspended. I said, so more or less if I get two more calls before six months are up, you will kill my contract for me early, and I can switch service providers?
She said, let me talk to my manager. I hung up. That was four months ago, I have yet to get another call from them, and I know I have been exceeding my limits by far every month.

Moral of my long winded story. It is a sham, they make these claims to over charge you, at the same time it allows them to take their time to replace the equipment saving more money, and further more allows them to use over usage as an excuse for when equipment fails, or bottle necks.

This is what we get when we have limited choices in providers.

 

[Frank1960]

I don't believe in kids having a cell phone to begin with. IF they should get one they need to make one that has 3 numbers on it 911, mom and dads number. If they want a cell phone then they can get a job and pay for it themselves this having kids with cell phones is for the birds.

 

[Twisted One]

I don't believe in kids having a cell phone to begin with. IF they should get one they need to make one that has 3 numbers on it 911, mom and dads number. If they want a cell phone then they can get a job and pay for it themselves this having kids with cell phones is for the birds.

They do have those, sadly they were designed for elementary school children.

 

[The Beep Goes On]

We all do, but I've told them that when the contract is up, phones turn back into plain phones.

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

I don't believe in kids having a cell phone to begin with. IF they should get one they need to make one that has 3 numbers on it 911, mom and dads number. If they want a cell phone then they can get a job and pay for it themselves this having kids with cell phones is for the birds.

They do have those, sadly they were designed for elementary school children.

And senior citizens :P

 

[jeff of pa]

Well get ready to dig deeper in your pockets just to keep the phones you have now.. Cell prices will be increasing in the very near future as there is not enough bandwidth to support talk, text, web....

How do I know My good old Magic '8' Ball

Oh, unlimited talk plans.. A thing of the past like the horse and buggy

And don't say I didn't warn you either

I don't think this will happen for a Long tme either.
They are now starting free plans, for Low income
& the Retired. The Phone Companies are going to need
to compete with free.
I Also see there are now Plans without a Contract
that are getting competative.
My guess to up prices they are going to have to add
some pretty Enticing options, Like Vulcan mind-meld,
or phone & Computer the size of an
ear plug, you can stick in your ear, that makes you see a screen
just be wanting to.

or have everyone implanted with a phone at Birth
with an automatic Must have by law, Contract

 

[spartacus53]

Jeff, my magic '8' ball has yet to be wrong.... It will happen soon

 

[Frank1960]

I don't believe in kids having a cell phone to begin with. IF they should get one they need to make one that has 3 numbers on it 911, mom and dads number. If they want a cell phone then they can get a job and pay for it themselves this having kids with cell phones is for the birds.

They do have those, sadly they were designed for elementary school children.

Then that is what the high schoolers get also until they can afford to pay for it themselves kids are way to spoiled these days

 

[Twisted One]

I don't believe in kids having a cell phone to begin with. IF they should get one they need to make one that has 3 numbers on it 911, mom and dads number. If they want a cell phone then they can get a job and pay for it themselves this having kids with cell phones is for the birds.

They do have those, sadly they were designed for elementary school children.

Then that is what the high schoolers get also until they can afford to pay for it themselves kids are way to spoiled these days

My 16 year old daughter has a pretty nice cell phone that we got for free when she was added to out phone plan a year ago. Not only did I not put unlimited data on it, but I asked Verizon to block Internet activity on it, so that she can't hit the web browser by "mistake" and run up the bill.
She has unlimited texting, and calling. But the whole reason she has that phone, is so I know where she is. The wonders of todays technology can even exceed a teenagers understandings at some point. She is not a tech guru like some teenagers are these days. So she still hasn't figured out how with the stroke a few keys I have murdered her Internet privileges on the our home network. Or how I know she was at her friend Matts house this afternoon and not at Stacys house like she said.

 

[packerbacker]

One of my grandsons was at my house a while back. He was sitting on the couch "texting" a friend. I asked him what he was doing and he said, "Oh, just texting a friend". I asked him if he knew his friend's phone number and he told me that, yes, he did know it. I asked if his friend was home and again the response was, yes. Then I asked, "Why don't you just pick up the phone and call him?" He didn't want to do that; I guess actually conversing with someone is old fashioned. How bad will it get I wonder
I also would like to add texting others while having a conversation with me to the "RUDE" list. If you are texting while talking to me I will not respond so either, don't bother me or hang up!!

 

[Twisted One]

One of my grandsons was at my house a while back. He was sitting on the couch "texting" a friend. I asked him what he was doing and he said, "Oh, just texting a friend". I asked him if he knew his friend's phone number and he told me that, yes, he did know it. I asked if his friend was home and again the response was, yes. Then I asked, "Why don't you just pick up the phone and call him?" He didn't want to do that; I guess actually conversing with someone is old fashioned. How bad will it get I wonder
I also would like to add texting others while having a conversation with me to the "RUDE" list. If you are texting while talking to me I will not respond so either, don't bother me or hang up!!

You ever listen to a teenager on a phone with another teenager, especially of the opposite sex? Texting gets rid of all the awkward silence.

 

[packerbacker]

Yeah, I know

Girl: What are you doin'?
Boy: Nothing, what are you doing?
Girl: Nothing.............talkin' to you
Boy: Oh.............................

Phone companies are getting rich on useless conversation and texting. Folks now pay more for their phone than people in the 60's paid for rent!!

 

[Twisted One]

Yeah, I know

Girl: What are you doin'?
Boy: Nothing, what are you doing?
Girl: Nothing.............talkin' to you
Boy: Oh.............................

Phone companies are getting rich on useless conversation and texting. Folks now pay more for their phone than people in the 60's paid for rent!!

Reminds me of the recent commercial on TV, where the teenage boy starts singing some awful song he made it up, and his dad has that "shoot me now" look on his face.

 

[jerseyben]

Neil: I would suggest he try to get a job and use the money to pay for the data plan himself. I believe it is around $30/month for data. I know I had a job at 15 and I rode my bike to work. Good luck!

 

[Twisted One]

Current insurance standards will not allow the average company to higher a person under the age of 16. Some states force a 16 year old to get a form from the principle of their school in order to get a work permit to find a job.
I know a lot of older, more experienced, more educated people at this time looking for work. Who is going to hire a high school kid? You can't even get a paper route anymore, they are handled by older people these days. Short mowing lawns for a couple bucks a pop, washing cars, etc.. good luck.
And when it comes to that, who is going to pay the neighbor kid to wash their car for $5 bucks? People are not spending money right not for things like that, most people are barely making enough to pay their bills, if that.

 

[jibb]

My 17 yearold daughter has a 20$ a month data plan and my 15 yearold son has a 10$ a month data plan. I don't like paying it and my daughter will be paying her own as agreed as soon as she starts her afterschool job. But I look at it like this...This is 2012 and they are great kids and do ALOT of daily chores around the house which they are not paid for. It is important to them and they told me that, not demanding but asked for it and told me why which made sense to me. (The usual reasons you would expect there friends had them.)And before I know it they will be out of the house and I will look back and probably wish I spoiled them more.