How Young is Too Young for a Cell Phone?

The iPad 2 and iPod Touch 4 have arrived; the iPhone 5 is rumored to be released soon. No matter what new device comes out, my kids seem to have an in-born addiction/capability with them all. Each new release prompts a simple question: when is it appropriate to get a child a cell phone?

I have a pre-teen who has been begging for one for years now, and her nine-year-old sister is not far behind. The line that really gets me: "Everyone else has one but me!"

Of course, she's really not the only 12-year-old kid in the whole school who doesn't have a cell phone. But I was one of those kids who never had anything anyone else had. We didn't have cable; we didn't have Atari (I'm dating myself, I know); we didn't have lots of things that, to my child mind, everyone else had. So I finally broke down and got her an iPod Touch.

It seemed like a good compromise, because even though it has an application that allows her to text and talk, she can only do it in areas where there is WiFi—meaning she's limited, if only a little bit.

My reasons for not getting her an actual phone are many, but mainly I feel she's not responsible enough yet. Never mind the fact that I don't want to have to find another job so I can afford a freewheeling texting 12-year-old girl. But my daughter is right: lots of kids these days—both pre-teens and even younger—really do have phones.

So I ask you, parents, teachers, social workers, family therapists and child experts: When is it appropriate to get your child a cell phone? And if they do have one, what types of boundaries should we put on them? What are the responsibilities that come along with the privilege?