Kids and Cellphones

Kids and Cellphones: At what age should you give a child a cell phone?

Is your child ready for a cell phone?

Often parents buy cell phones for their children and then wonder if they have made a mistake. Is it actually instilling wrong values? After all, kids can live without cell phones. There is a definite debate on the age of the child when a cell phone should be provided. With many cell phones offering text messaging, MMS, photos and Internet services, the child may be exposed to more than he needs at a young age.

Statistics on cell phone usage

According to a 2008 PEW study on U.S. teen cell phone use, the number of teens owning cell phones had increased to 71 percent, compared to 77 percent of adults. According to the New York Times, 17.5 million young people between the ages of 13 and 17 own cell phones. A higher percentage of users in the 13-24 year-old group use their phones for services like messaging. An International Telecommunication Union report states that six in ten people around the world have cell phone subscriptions; developing countries account for about two-thirds of cell phones in use.

The unsupported reasoning of kids wanting a cell phone

Most of us lived without cell phones throughout our school years. So why is it that all of a sudden, youths must have cell phones? Do some parents just wish to shirk the responsibility or wish themselves and their kids to look cool, or it is just peer pressure where "my friend" or "all the children in my class" have cell phones? If a child has a disability and needs to be tracked 24/7, a cell phone may be necessary. Kids also reason that in case of an emergency, they can use the phone to contact their parents. Usually this logic is bought by many parents.

Dangers of cell phones

 According to a study of Japanese teenagers, 37% of males and 30% of females had used their cell phones to access dating sites, leading to them having sexual relations and receiving unwanted cell phone messages from other children. In a British study, 16% of youngsters had received threatening text messages from their peers, and another 7% had been stalked in chat rooms. Four percent of these youngsters had been tormented via their cell phone. Seven percent of the British students also stated that they had lost jobs or relationships due to the usage of their cell phone. All these studies point to the problems that can evolve from children having cell phones.

So, are cell phones really required? When is your child ready for a cell phone?

Most youths are ready by their teens, but before you buy your child a cell phone, consider these points:

• Your child should know how to use a cell phone. He should understand that it is not a toy, and that useless calls and wasting money will not be allowed.
• Children should understand that in case of emergency they should be accessible by the parents; they cannot spend all of their time talking to friends.
• Your child should be mature enough to not make crank calls or send inappropriate text messages and should follow the rules made by the parents on the usage of cell phones.
• Children who often lose things should not be given a cell phone.
• If your child is heavily into extra-curricular activities and comes home late after school, then you might want to give him a cell phone for convenience and security, and to be able to keep in touch on a regular basis.

Weigh the pros and cons before giving your child a cell phone. When choosing a cell phone, consider whether you can afford the cell phone bill and look for a plan that limits the minutes your child can use on the cell phone. Get a cell phone with a GPS system so that you can track your child regularly.

Remember that a cell phone is only a form of communication, not a requirement.