What is the best cell phone for your child?

Cell phones are not just for teens and adults anymore. A new survey finds that 20 percent of 8 to 10-year-olds now have a cell phone, and that number is jumping every year.

So if you have a young one, or a tween, who wants a phone, we have some good and safe suggestions.

More Parents are saying "Yes"

Every kid now wants a phone, and moms like Nicole Ferguson are breaking down and buying them. Ferguson, who lives in Cincinnati's Western Hills area, told me her children are 12 and 7, and each has their own phone.

But she has concerns, as did a Westwood mom when she bought her first phones for her children two years ago.

"They would be on the phone with their friends anytime, anywhere," said Maria Thacker.

Cell Phone Companies Respond to Parents

Cell phone companies rolled out phones like the Migo and the original Firefly, with specific buttons for calling mom, dad or grandma. The only problem? Most kids older than kindergartners didn't want them.

So wireless companies have switched gears for 2010, and now offer full service phones, with keypads, music, and videos. The difference now is parents can limit calls, texting, and hours of use.

Laura Merrit of Verizon Wireless said, "some parents may want to see what their child is doing, and they can access the website and see exactly what their kid is doing."

She says it's now ok to give a tween a full feature phone, if you sign up for a parental control package.

What the Companies Offer

The non profit website Get Parental Controls.org (click here)  gives its highest marks to Verizon's program.

• Verizon offers a plan called "Family Locator," formerly called Chaperone,  that actually shows where your child's phone is via GPS When we tested it, the system sent an alert when our "child" left an approved area. In addition, it lets you set all sorts of limits on talk, texting, premium texting, and web access.
• AT&T's "Smart Limits" program also gets high marks from Get Parental Controls.org.  Like Verizon it lets you restrict certain phone numbers, limit texting and web browsing, and finally lets you see what websites your child visited.
• Sprint has a "Family Locator" plan, that also uses GPS to monitor a child's whereabouts.
• T-mobile offers "Kid Connect," which sets limits.
• Cincinnati Bell Wireless offers a "Parental Controls" plan.

For those who want a specific plan for kids, Firefly Wireless and Kajee t have phones and plans geared for the under 12 set, and give you the option of pre-paying.

And while Verizon is often top rated, it's important to know that it is not one of the cheaper cell phone plans. If money is you most important concern, you may want to look at the other options.

Inexpensive Phones for Kids

Most parents don't want to buy a child a $300 iPhone, that they could lose at any time.  So the independent website ConsumerSearch.com (click here) recommends several inexpensive phones that still offer keypads and most smartphone features.  Among them:

• Samsung Smooth
  
• Samsung Magnet
  
• LG Rumor
  
• LG Scoop
  
• Sanyo Katana

Finally, before you send a younger child to school with a cell phone, find out if and where students are allowed to have them.  Most elementary schools do not have lockers, so a cell phone left in a cubby could disappear without warning.

Plan accordingly so you don't waste your money.

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