Parent of 15-year-old refuses to buy her cell phone, offers her pay-phone quarters instead: 'She says it's affecting her social life'

How old were you when you got your first cell phone? For many of us, this was a rite of passage. First, you'd notice as your friends started showing off their phones. They could snap photos, text, and talk for hours. You'd have to wait until you got home to use your landline phone, and as for "texting," you'd have to settle for instant messaging your friends on the computer. So you'd go to your parents, sit them down, and start begging. You'd have to give them many reasons why you should have a phone, too. "Everyone has them! It'll make me safer! I just really want one!" you'd explain. Then, your parents would deliberate. And finally, if you were lucky enough to have cool parents, then you would get a phone. 

Each parent feels differently about the age at which their child should have a phone, though. Today's iPhones are way more powerful than the flip phones of yore. Instead of just snapping grainy photos, you're giving your kiddo access to Instagram, Snapchat, FaceTiming, and endless texting. I think some parents have trouble grasping how important these things are while growing up in a constantly-online environment, and a lot of commenters told this person that they should allow their kid to have a phone for exactly that reason. 

Up next, read about this couple who were confronted by an unhappy waiter over their decision not to tip on a $30 bill.