Every member of the Ozawa family has an iPhone — even kids Katie, 15, Zac, 10, and Alex, 8, who got theirs as hand-me-downs whenever dad Ryan Ozawa upgraded his mobile devices.
But of the children, only Katie has service. The others may use the household Wi-Fi to play games, text via iMessage or go on FaceTime for video calls, but phones are not allowed at the dinner table, said Ozawa, a self-professed "geek dad" and social media and communications specialist.
Still, his youngest son has been sharing data plan comparisons with his father every day in an effort to change his mind.
Like many parents in today’s increasingly tech-savvy world, Ozawa has had to grapple with the question of how old is old enough for children to have their own cellphones.
It’s something even Microsoft co-founder and father of three Bill Gates has had to ponder, recently saying that he feels 13 is the appropriate age.
Cellphone ownership has been trending younger, according to marketing firm C&R Research. In a survey conducted by C&R last year, 64 percent of parents with children in fifth to eighth grade said their offspring had their own cellphones.
Thirty-nine percent said their child had gotten a phone at the age of 8, while 30 percent said 11.
Most parents surveyed said they felt safer knowing their child could contact them at any time. Some also listed after-school activities as a reason for providing a cellphone to their child.
Ozawa decided to stick with middle school as an appropriate time to equip his kids with the devices.
Even if they aren’t texting their playmates or using FaceTime with Tutu, toddlers are becoming accustomed to being surrounded by mobile devices.
Christy Cowser said she lets daughter Amanda, 5, use an old iPhone 3 to take pictures or play games as a reward for good behavior.
Son Gabriel, almost 2, sometimes requests the "Elmo app" on her phone, and Cowser finds the device comes in handy to occupy the little ones at restaurants when she just needs to get a bite in.
Hotel public relations director and Star-Advertiser blogger Diane Ako said she has already received a request for a smartphone from her kindergartner, Olivia.
The girl has been playing with her dad’s phone since she was 2. She recently downloaded the "Angry Birds" app and got on to Netflix on Ako’s phone without her mother’s knowledge. Now she must ask for permission.
Despite concerns over how much time very young children should spend with smartphones (or tablets), or whether they should be spending time with them at all, there is a growing number of apps designed just for toddlers and preschoolers, offering everything from songs and animated storybooks to puzzles, interactive games and virtual coloring books.
"There’s no one magic age for all children to get a cellphone," said Wendi Hirsch, child psychologist at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children. "I think a lot of it depends on the individual child’s maturity level."
Though many 5-year-olds like Olivia are adept at using a smartphone, Hirsch considers the age "way too young" for a child to have one.
"I don’t think a 5-year-old has the social maturity to keep a cellphone and use it in a way that would be appropriate," she said.
Parents should not let peer pressure — including "but all my friends have one" — be a reason to cave in to the cellphone request, she said.
Hirsch also has concerns about children spending more time tuned in to their phones than to the people sitting across from them.
"I think it’s concerning that the trends are getting younger," she said. "I worry that it’s taking the place of normal, appropriate social development, like having real conversations and learning those social skills you need throughout your life."
Parents who let their children have cellphones should set limits, Hirsch said, with clear "off and on" times. For example, they should not be allowed at the dinner table when it’s family time or when face-to-face interaction is required.
Hirsch said parents should always have access to their children’s phones and passwords, citing concerns about cyberbullying and sexting.
A discussion about proper etiquette also is required so young phone users will recognize when communication should be done in person or via a phone conversation instead of through texting.
Cellphones can also cause problems in the classroom, and use of the devices generally is not allowed during class time in public schools, according to state Department of Education spokeswoman Donalyn Dela Cruz, though it’s up to individual schools to set their own rules.
To restrict use, parents can provide younger children with "dumbphones" designed only to make calls — not for text messages or Internet use — while iPhone users can enable parental controls.
Holly Hadsell of Honolulu gave her eldest son a cellphone with just the basics at the age of 10 so he could call when he needed to be picked up from sailing practice.
Her son, now 12, has graduated to a smartphone, which happened after Hadsell upgraded her own phone in December.
She thinks that sometime between the ages of 10 and 12 is a good time to give your child a phone, with proper monitoring.
Likewise, Jenny Fremgen of Honolulu bought her daughter, Claire, her first prepaid phone in fourth grade during a summer program when she had to take a bus.
"We felt she needed a way to contact us if there was anything out of the ordinary," said Fremgen.
Claire, 11, now has a Consumer Cellular, which is a basic phone to make calls for a low monthly fee. Though her daughter complains about being the only one in her circle without her own smartphone, Fremgen says her child will have to wait until she can pay for the monthly fees herself.
"I don’t want her to be texting everybody and running up a huge bill," she said.
Family psychologist John Rosemond, whose syndicated column runs Saturdays in the Star-Advertiser, draws a stricter line.
"My general policy on the subject is, when a child can afford his own cellphone and pay the monthly bill, he can get a cellphone," he said. "I just don’t think cellphones for children are necessary."
Rosemond says he thinks the devices are creating more problems than the convenience is worth, whether as a distraction from social interaction or as a safety concern — particularly with teens who text while driving.
"People in our generation managed to have reasonably healthy — probably more healthy — childhoods without cellphones," he said.
