Children and Cell Phones
The world use to be a much simpler place. There weren't all these electronic gadgets that you had to worry about when it came to protecting your kids. Kids grow up fast enough as it is and with unlimited phone plans and internet there is way too much information out there that can steal away their childhood.
It's hard to resist a child's insistence that, everyone else has a cell phone so why can't I, argument. This is the same kind of reasoning that children have used throughout all generations. What you should tell them is that they can have a phone when they are old enough to have one. A good time to give a child a phone is when they start to drive or date around the age of 16. Even then restrictions need to be put on their use. I would even be hesitant about giving them texting privileges. There is enough to worry about when a teenager is driving. Do they really need the distraction of texting?
It's getting tougher and tougher for parents to maintain discipline. There is a time and place for everything. There could be a possibility where a younger child might need a phone. An example would be if it's important to be able to contact a parent because they need to be picked up or in case of an emergency. Other than that, there should be strict rules on usage of the cell phone and their use should be under the supervision of the parent. The circumstances under which a cell phone can be carried outside the home should be clearly defined.
What makes it more difficult is now cell phone companies are marketing phones for younger children. Who wouldn't want one when they look like a cool electronic toy? Even though there are cheap unlimited plans doesn't mean that a child should have unlimited use of the cell phone. They should not be available to their friends 24 hours a day.
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/15/your-money/15shortcuts.html
Published by Pat Bartels
Previously employed in the Human Resources field, Pat enjoys traveling and tweaking computers when she is not writing articles for Associated Content and Factoidz. She is fascinated with personal finance, th... View profile
Synchronica: A Stolen Cell Phone that Screams for HelpIn Italy, if someone steals a cell phone, it's just a matter of quickly opening up the back of the cell phone and removing the chip and quickly swapping it out with their own.- Cell Phones in Schools: Do They Affect the Grades?In many high schools, the use of cell phones has been banned. In some schools, the mere possession of a cell phone can result in trouble for teens, including losing whole grades, and the teachers obtaining possession...
Cell Phones: A Problem or a Solution?We need to figure out what is most important, and that's not your cell phones. It's your lives. It's your family. Don't be have a conscious impairment.- Children and Cell Phones: Good or Bad Call on Parenting?Your child may already be pressuring you for her own cell phone, but how do you know if your child really needs one?
- Report: Cancer and Cell PhonesFrom time to time, the general public hears about the connection between brain cancer and cell phones. But how true is this connection remains questionable with most of the public?
- MetroPCS - $40 Unlimited Cell Phone Service?
- Make Your Own Cell Phone Cover
- Laws Regulating Cell Phone Use While Driving Will Help Prevent Car Accidents, Deaths
- Buyers Guide to Family Cell Phone Plan
- Cell Phone Accessories
- Must-Have Cell Phone Accessories
- Cell Phones Aren't Toys and Calling 911 Isn't a Game
22 Comments
Post a CommentI personally think that kids are ready for limited access to cell phone by the time they get to middle school. I got my son a NET10 prepaid phone last year for 5th grade graduation and told him that he was totally responsible for managing his minutes and his monthly expense. So, I pretty much pay $15 a month and he gets 150 minutes. I know it doesn't sound like much but somehow he has really learned to manage it well. He only calls when absolutely necessary and can't get anyone else in the family to use their cell. At 10 cents a minute and 3 cents a text, he really gets his money's worth. I guess that's why I decided to get him the prepaid. It's a great way to give him the responsibility of budgeting while keeping him happy, cause now he too has a phone, and keeping my sanity knowing that he's just a phone call away.
Lots of my grandkids' friends have their own cell phones at age 8.
I know a 13 year old girl who started allowing a 28-year-old man she met on the Net to contact her over her cell and her mother didn't even realize for a long time. Luckily the girl is fine, but it goes to show the irresponsibility teens have. Many argue that they give their children phones in case they are in some emergency, but the chances of cyberbullying/ phone harassment, sexting and giving the number out over the Internet are way more than the chances of such an accident. I think, unless there is a safe option phone that only allows pre=programed numbers and 911 to be called, teenagers should not be trusted with a device that gives everyone access to them all the time. Great article!
Bravo! I couldn't agree with you more. This has always been a pet peeve of mine.
Many good points raised in this article for not giving kids a cell phone.
I agree. Unless for safety reasons, kids don't need cell phones. And on the safety thing, cell phones also are not babysitters. I am talking teens when I say that kids need these. Kids younger than teens should not be in a situation where no adult is around and they actually need a cell phone.
I agree. I teach preschool and they bring them to play with, I put them away. It's very distracting.
I agree. I don't even have a cell up to MY ear all that often. I have one. I use it, but that's it. I just use it like any phone when I'm away from home.
Is it just me or does it seem like children are more in control of things than when I was growing up? I agree completely! I think a lot of adults shouldn't have them either, until they learn manners.
Right on, Pat. We held off as long as possible, until there was a strong communication need.