Courtney Gibson was 8 when she got her first cellphone, the prepaid kind programmed so that she could only her call mom, dad or 911.
Now 12, she carries a pink-covered iPhone. How did she get it? She sold her American Girl doll for $100 so she could upgrade to a smartphone.
Gibson said most kids in her sixth-grade class at Englewood Hills Elementary School have mobile phones.
"It's just fun," she said. "You have the ability to call and text and you have games if you get bored or anything."
A study last year by Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI) found that 20 percent of U.S. children ages 6 to 11 own a cell phone, up from nearly 12 percent in 2005. The most dramatic increase, about 81 percent, has been among 10- and 11-year-olds.
As the phones grow in popularity, schools across the Miami Valley have had to adjust their policies. Many prohibit students from using them during school hours or risk having them taken away or face punishments including detention.
That's what happens at Englewood Hills, where parents have to come in to retrieve the phones if they're taken away.
Bob Yux, assistant superintendent for business at Centerville City Schools, said the district's cellphone policy covers high school, middle school and elementary students. Electronic devices must remain off and out of sight during the school day.
Cellphones are not permitted because they can be disruptive in class. Another issue: With smartphones featuring Internet access, kids may try to seek answers via Google.
"I'm not going to say kids don't cheat, but that's certainly an opportunity to gather information," Yux said. "Those are all elements that 20 years ago we didn't have to worry about."
Anne Marie Kelly, a senior vice president for MRI, said the large increase in cellphone ownership, particularly among boys, "comes as more wireless providers are targeting parents through feature-rich, kid-friendly phones" such as Disney Mobile's LG Phone and Firefly Communications' FlyPhone.
Sarah Shumaker, a sales representative for T-Mobile at the Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek, said she's noticed more parents looking at phones for their younger children this year. Verizon sales rep Noah Benefiel also is seeing that trend.
"Some families want to make sure they know where their kids are at all times," he said, noting that they may find it a deal to add a line for $10.
April Gibson, Courtney's mother, said her daughter is a straight-A student, but it was her maturity level and responsible nature that convinced her to let Courtney upgrade to an iPhone 3 more than a year ago.
"I felt like if she was willing to pay for it then she might take care of it better," she said.
Lisa Burr of Clayton, a teacher with two children, ages 11 and 7, understands why some parents get phones for their kids. Her nephew is 11 and has one, but he gets dropped off at the bus stop, comes home alone to a house with no landline, she said.
"I see where some parents' kids do need them," she said.
She and her husband have shot down their 11-year-old son's request for one because they think he's too young.
Burr, a teacher at Germantown Christian School, has noticed that many fifth-graders now carry cellphones. Students at the school caught using them have them taken away and have to pay $5 to get them back.
One high school teacher this year started collecting phones in a basket at the start of each day. "It's worked out beautifully," Principal Rhonda Jerman said.
Jerman said parents want to stay connected with their children, some of whom have active sports schedules. She has three daughters, ages 16, 15 and 10.
"My 10-year-old is really pushing for a phone," she said. She's not getting one - yet."
In the Jerman household, the magic age is 13.
Abby Piersall, 11, of Huber Heights, didn't have to wait as long. Hers arrived as a surprise birthday gift last year. She uses it every day, especially to text friends.
"I would say she's too young, but it's come in really handy when she went to Kings Island with friends," her grandmother Karen Cramer said. "They all have them, every one of them."
Whats funny is my 7 year old told me the other day at the store.i want a cell phone for christmas.And i said why?She says cause everybody has one.guess what?My wife says she got a phone for her.great!One more phone bill!