Is it right for kids to have cell phones? Often, parents have always tried to cope with the problems of having their kids involved in various activities, not knowing how to handle the required communication snag that accompanies it – e.g. where and at what time to pick up the kids. However, cell phone can be a useful tool in organizing schedules. Now the question – is it a good idea to get phones for kids?
In the past, you could only track your kids’ movement by finding out where they would be and who they will be with and when they are likely to come home. However, the trend is different these days – parents employ a new technique in keeping tabs for their children – Cell Phone is the newest tactic.
Taking advantage of this technology is effective for a number of families, especially for those who spell out the conditions of use clearly. On the other hand, some families have a conflicting opinion – that cell phones are not necessary when it comes to tracking kids.
Which Age Is Right?
At what age should a child be entrusted with cell phone? There’s actually no age specification. Well, cell phones are not merely free handheld devices with contacts loaded into them; the monthly costs on them can mount up if the kids abuse them by exploring features not included in the payment plan. So, get a cell phone for your kid only when he or she is ready to take the required responsibility.
Some kids can take responsibility for cell phones with ease; on the other hand, some kids need to be a little older to do similar things. Like a mom friend of mine who shared her experience: “my daughter showed readiness to take responsibility of cell phone immediately after her fourth-grade; on the other hand, there’s no sign of the same level of responsibility with my son, who is already in fifth grade. The first iPod we bought for him rarely lasted for two months”.
Cell Phones – Not for All
Some parents have refused to join the band wagon of families who are using cell phones to stay connected with their family. Another mom – who is also a popular blogger said that her daughter lost her cell phone three weeks after purchase. She concluded that cell phone wasn’t just necessary for her, so I needed the cell phone to track her movements – but she was too young to handle it. I even realized she was better off without the device, and I really did not need it to track her”.
Level of Comfort
On the part of other moms, allowing kids to have a phone could result to comfort. Initially, they felt it wasn’t right for their kids to have a cell phone; but afterwards, they realized being comfortable with it, since they could easily find out where the kids are and whom the kids with when they are away from home. However, there were strict rules to the freedom.
What do you think about a child having a cell phone? We want to know your opinion!
Image: by Pink Sherbet
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About Calleigh
Cellphones are a modern day gadget that can help us tremendously. However, in the hands of young people who are still gullible, they can also be an instrument for harm. Many young girls in the Philippines were abused by their chat mates during their eyeballing (personal meeting). Many criminal minds have wrought mayhem to gullible girls who were lured with phony names and faces. Cellphones must be thoroughly regulated by parents for the protection of their kids. Thanks for the post. God bless you always.
The title of the article is exactly right – sometimes you really need to take stock of the user and the needs before you just randomly tie yourself to a contract and another bill. When my mom got me my first cell phone in high school, it was a prepaid cell phone with Tracfone with barely 200 minutes loaded on it, but it was something and it let me have freedom I didn’t have before. When I started college 3 years ago, I stayed with prepaid since the freedom of it worked for me and I didn’t need the higher end phone options. I actually stayed with Tracfone before moving to Straight Talk on the Verizon network – I saw it at Walmart it seemed like a really affordable option. I finally have unlimited service and it costs me less than $50 a month and its an option that I have control of.