Answer (from Center for Generational Kinetics): 13 According to young people in the Generation Z cohort (born after 1995)

I became aware of this Gen Z research from the Center for Generational Kinetics at the JumpStart conference in DC this past weekend (thank you JumpStart for an awesome conference!). The engaging speaker, Alicia Rainwater, described generational differences in life philosophy, communications, technology and attitudes toward work and money. She then laid out strategies to help teachers effectively bridge these generational differences in the classroom.

Questions:

• Why do you think that older generations think you should be getting a smartphone at age 18 and not 13? 
• At what age did you get a smartphone? 
• Describe the conversation/negotiation that you had with your parents about the right age to get a smartphone? What was your argument for getting a phone?
• Do you know the components of your smartphone bill and what the monthly cost is?
• What ideas do you have about how you could save money on your bill?

Here's the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

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Looking for more smartphone related activities to engage your students? Check out this NGPF Activity, RESEARCH: Who Has The Best Wireless Cell Phone Plan? 

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NGPF has just started a new service: The Daily QuoD (that's Question of the Day in NGPF-speak!). Subscribe to our blog (right hand side of NGPF Blog homepage) and you will receive a new QuoD every weekday during the school ready to use in your classroom. Enjoy!

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.