How young is too young for cell phones?
CLEARWATER (FOX 13) - It's a question parents have debated for over a decade: At what age should a child have their own cell phone?
A 2012 study by Telecommunications and Fraud at the National Consumers League found nearly 60 percent of parents said they offered cell phones to their kids between the ages of 10 and 11.
Since then, the average age of cell phone users has gotten younger and younger.
Some carriers are marketing cell phones to kids as young as five.
So the question today is, how young is too young?
Consumer experts recommend a case-by-case approach. Only you know if your child is responsible enough to have a cell phone.
"I don't think you can stamp an age on it," said Joe Cruz, the Best Buy Supervisor in Clearwater. "With all the restrictions that a parent can place on a device, it can limit the amount of content a child can see."
Cruz also said apps allow parents to supervise a child's phone usage.
Children are doing a lot of activities outside the home. Things like sports practices, after school activities, going over to friends’ houses- the list goes on and on, and it's a lot easier to give them a phone to stay in touch, but be careful.
"Set strong passwords and limitations with your carrier or phone so that your child doesn't have access to unwanted content."