Does your middle-schooler really need a phone?

“My recommendation, based on child development and professional experience, is that parents should not even think of getting a cellphone for a child younger than 12,” said Kevin J. Roberts, Detroit-based author of “Cyber Junkie: Escape the Gaming and Internet Trap” (Hazelden, 2010) and a speaker on cellphones, the Internet and video games…

In middle school, tweens spend more time with peers and less time with adults, meaning there is often no adult readily available. It’s also the age when peer pressure begins to push hard, and kids are more likely to begin engaging in risky behavior while confiding less in Mom and Dad.

Unlike Roberts, Estes thinks cellphones can be positive for preteens.

“Providing a cellphone to your middle-schooler can provide a communication tool that will keep you in contact with your child and will allow for them to ‘fly under the radar’ with their friends if they are concerned about drawing negative attention to themselves,” said Estes.