You're nicer than me. If I had a teenager, I wouldn't buy them a smartphone at all. In fact, as a teenager, most of my friends had cell phones, but I didn't. A

You're nicer than me. If I had a teenager, I wouldn't buy them a smartphone at all. In fact, as a teenager, most of my friends had cell phones, but I didn't. And it was completely okay. When I went to college, I purchased my own cell phone and plan, which I paid for with the job I got while going to school. My family wasn't poor, my parents just didn't think I needed a cell phone, and they were right. I'll probably get my kids a phone when they hit their teens, but it's definitely not going to be top of the line. If they want a fancy phone, they can earn it themselves. It's completely optional at that age, even if they don't think so.