Cell Phones, Yeh or Ney
" Should children be allowed to have cell phones? And if yes at what age? "
70% said yes and 30% disagreed and said no.
I don't think there is a simple yes or no answer. Each child is an individual and should be approached as such. There are pros and cons to each side. The majority of the yes votes reported that it was a safety issue. Their kids said they felt safer with a cell phone on them. They could get a hold of someone in case they were in a situation where they didn't feel safe.
I think the question should be asked whether or not their kids were emotionally mature enough to handle the responsibility of having a cell phone. Do they need it or do they want it just because the majority of their friends have one. " Maturity and the ability to be responsible are more important than a child's numerical age" Caroline Knorr states.
A study done in 2010 by the Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that 31% of kids 8-10 had cell phones, 69% of kids 11-14 had cells, and 85% of teens 14-17 had cell phone. Here in 2017 the number is sure to be higher.
At the start, it's going to be a financial burden on the parents. Kids can rack up a bill in no time flat with texting , so until the kids are working and can afford to pay for their own phone themselves restriction should be put on them. Kids don't need to be texting all the time. The phones can be put away at bed time and dinner times.
The FDA website states that cell phones seem to be picking away at our kids academic skills, their reading, spelling and grammar. Kids don't spell properly and their grammar is atrocious. Texting adds to a big part of the problem. They are not learning the skills they need to interact with their peers and adults. Face to face communication is becoming a thing of the past for them. They are becoming anti-social, spending all their time texting, playing games and checking out youtube. Social media has no emotion, so our children aren't learning a core value we as humans should have. They aren't learning empathy.
28% of all vehicle accidents involving teens are due to cell phones.
There is some controversy as to whether the radiation emitted from cell phones is capable of causing cancers ( brain tumours ) Joel Moskowitz, director of the centre for family and community health at UC Berkeley's school of public health say's "It will take several decades to get conclusive evidence on this".
I think the answer is education. This is their world and they need to keep up with technologe or get left behind, but they need to do it properly.
Recent Comments
36
It is a dilemma Ann. I am concerned with the communication abilities, but understand the safety issue. I think the key is the maturity of the child. I am a strong believer is rewarding the child has he or she shows they can handle responsibilities.
Hi, Harvey, thanks for taking the time to check out the post. I think you're right. I think it all comes down to the child and how they will handle it. All the best.
Ann
Hi, Gautam, I go along with you. Thanks for taking the time to read the post and comment. All the best.
Ann
statistics show that when someone is so used to texting as a way of communicating that when they're sitting at a table they'll text each other instead of talk to each other
Hi, Davida, isn't it crazy. I've seen them do it. Thanks so much for your comments. I appreciate them. All the best.
Ann
I think it can be a good thing however not for the young ones, think 12 and above with some sort of supervision would be fine and you can always have pay as you go and these days can have tracking to, a lot will come down to parents and level of responsibility with the child in question
Hi, Catherine, thanks for stopping to read the post and your comments. I agree with you. All the best.
Ann
Hi, Sandra, I'm glad you stopped by to read the post. Thanks for your comment. All the best.
Ann
Many of the parents say that the cell phone is for safety. If that is the case just give the child a stupid to when needed in case of emergency. The cell companies promote to children in order to increase their sales. That is why Americans on average are $12,000 in credit card debt.
Hi, Stephen, it comes down to the all mighty dollar. Thanks for your comments. I remember my youngest son coming home with a cell phone that they gave him. He was 14. His first bill was over $400. Definitely not mature enough. I would have made him take the phone back but I wanted to be able to call him when he was out at night. You live and learn. All the best.
Ann
I always say yes, the technology is there for us to use and our children. We never had them we were young and life would have been so much easier.
As a parent it adds a little ease to your mind knowing if they are ok and that you can reach them.
When we was young I cant imagine what my parents went through. We leave the house they have no way to keep in touch snd they had to hope we were ok and would come back when we said we would.
Hi, Graham, it's going to be the world they live in. They need to be taught to be responsible with it, though. Thanks for your thoughts. I appreciate them. All the best.
Ann
My opinion is YES. Children can have their own cellphone.
But if the child is so young, we can start by limiting the hours per a day they can use the phone.
Also we always can download/add some parent control applications, age appropriate games and applications which have educational benefit.
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Hi there,
my guess is that the jurys out on this one im afraid,
Its hard to know what t do
we are dammed if we do and dammed if we dont
Cheers
PB
Hi, Philip, It's a tough call. I think it all comes down to the individual child. Thanks for reading and commenting. All the best.
Ann