I had the same experience as many of the above. Boy scout knife whilst in cubscouts at about age 8. I got my oldest daughter a nice Benchmade Griptillian folder at age 13 - she really wasn't interested until then. I think my other 3 kids are pretty solid people and I will have no hesitation getting and teaching them about a pocket knife when they reach age 7-8. But, like their older sister, I would get them a LOCKING folder rather than that lockless finger guillotine that was all that was available in 1974.