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February 2006
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Straight talk on cell phones for children

Child using a cell phone.
HI, MOM Cell phones with parental controls, such as the Firefly, may seem like a fine idea, but some groups are concerned about privacy and safety.
Now that more than one-third of 11- to 14-year-olds have their own cell phones, marketers are targeting younger kids with phones that lack a keypad but have speed-dial buttons for parents and 911. Parents preset who their child can call and who can call in (kids scroll through names on a screen), and they control costs through prepaid, or pay-as-you-go, plans.

Companies say that the phones help parents keep tabs on kids, but some child advocates object. In July 2005, Commercial Alert, a nonprofit consumer group, led 30 health, education, and privacy advocates in asking Congress to regulate how cell phones are marketed to kids. Gary Ruskin, the group’s executive director, cites concerns about kids’ safety and privacy as the phones become more advanced, including, perhaps, access to external content.

To help you decide if a kids’ phone is right for your family, we tested the Firefly, which is sold at www.fireflymobile.com , Target, Wal-Mart, Limited Too, and Toys “R” Us, and through Cingular and smaller carriers. The results:

• Voice quality was about as good as with an average cell phone but worse than usual in some noisy situations.

• The battery permitted more than seven hours of talk between charges.

• To activate the phone, parents just call 800-Firefly (800-347-3359). But entering the approved phone numbers is tedious.

• Features include flashing lights, sounds, and animation. But the Firefly lacks a key lock to prevent unintended outgoing calls.

We tried to test the LeapFrog TicTalk, another kids’ phone. It comes with five educational games, and it lets children receive and reply to text messages from their parents. But we found bugs in this new system: We were unable to activate the two TicTalks we bought.

If you’re thinking about buying any kids’ cell phone, consider:

Age. Kids need to be mature enough to use the phone responsibly.

Cost. The Firefly sells for about $100, including a travel charger. Cingular and regional carriers have various contract-billing plans, which may offer a discount on the phone cost. But we recommend that you go with a prepaid plan. They are available directly from Firefly Mobile or participating retailers. The prepaid plans come with 30 minutes of airtime. You buy additional time from Firefly Mobile or Target in blocks of 25 cents a minute, which expire after 90 days. Don’t buy more than the child is likely to use.

Health concerns. Studies looking for a link between cell phones held close to the head and tumors are inconclusive, but if a link is found, kids could be especially vulnerable. Have them use a headset.

Other options. Consider a regular cell phone with prepaid minutes and without expensive features.