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Prepaid Cell Phones for Kids

Ashwini Kulkarni Sule
Prepaid cell phone plans are the best option if you are determined to get your child a cell phone. Read on to know more about their advantages.
Kids are always fascinated by the gadgets and gizmos that elders use. Whenever they find a cell phone, a laptop, or an MP3 player lying around, they immediately begin exploring its features.
Operating advanced gadgets comes naturally to kids. In fact, most kids can use these gadgets better than their parents. Cell phone, though not a recent arrival in the market, is still tremendously popular with kids.
Earlier, only teens would want to flaunt this shiny gadget, but these days even younger children cannot wait to have one. You might actually consider getting your tween one for safety and convenience purposes. In that, prepaid cell phones for kids is something you can rely upon, without a cause of worry.

Advantages

Cell phones can be extremely useful for kids as they can communicate with you at any point of time and you can keep a tab on their activities. They are particularly useful for children who engage in a lot of after-school activities. Change in the schedule of school, class, etc., can be notified easily and it can come in handy during cases of emergency. 
In short, the facility of reaching your child whenever you wish can be extremely relieving for the parents. You no more have to worry about the long hours your child spends away from you. Prepaid cell phones provide you all the above facilities without having to bother about a hefty bill at the end of the month.

Parental Control

Prepaid plans allow you to keep a control on the number of minutes your child spends on the phone. Most kid's cell phones allow the calls to be made only to a few selected authorized numbers. This way, you have the choice to decide which numbers your child can call.
You can also control the incoming calls by providing the access to only a certain numbers. You may only feed the contacts of close relatives and friends along with some emergency contacts, so as to ensure that your child uses the phone only for valid purposes.
With a prepaid credit, you have a control over the time and money your child spends on every call. When the credit runs out, you may simply top it up so that your child has enough credit to make calls. Even in case of no credit, you can still reach your child, as most prepaid cell phone plans have either no expiry or have one that is too far off.

Choosing Best Prepaid Cell Phone for Your Kid

Finding a good prepaid plan may not be an easy task, as you have to assess the features and services provided by every service company. Look out for any hidden charges that may not be covered in the plan. Prepaid plans are usually expensive than the standard ones and you may have to shell extra dollars for every text or call that your child makes. 
But the upside is that there is no credit check, activation charges, or termination fees. While choosing a prepaid credit plan for kids, always settle for one that gives you the maximum number of minutes, has a far off expiry, and allows you to control the incoming and outgoings calls through your kid's cell phone.
Prepaid cell phones are effective in teaching your child how to budget his/her credit wisely. Handling the phone on his/her own will also make your kid more responsible. However, make sure you explain to him/her that the credit is an allowance given to him and he should earn it by his good behavior.