Children With Cell Phones
What is with 10 year olds kids with cellphones?
I have to admit this has been a very irritating concept to me. Especially when most of the time the kids don't even talk on their cell phone, they just send text messages. Can someone tell me why a 10 year old kid needs a cell phone?
I know a lady that bought her 12 year old girl a mobile phone for her birthday and evidently didn't understand the plan she paid for. To make a long story short, the daughter ran up a $1200 bill due to the massive amount of text messages sent. She couldn't pay the bill and had to go to another provider. I don't think that a 12 year old can really comprehend a $1200 cell phone bill for one month.
Up until now, I have been in the "no cell phone for kids" camp. BUT then I got to thinking after talking to several people. Here are some of their opinions on the subject.
- "A cell phone is the greatest leash I can have on my child. If I am calling they better answer and if they don't, it gets taken away."
- "In this day and age, I feel good that my child has a cell phone and can get in touch with me if they are in trouble."
- "My son is involved in a lot of school activities, he can call me when they are ready to come home or let me know what they are doing at any time."
However, the one thing that I still can't get past is kids having the phones in school. I have a couple of friends that are teachers. They say that it is pretty disruptive AND some industrious individuals have been caught texting the answers to tests. According the people that I have spoke with, most schools have rules regarding cell phone use on school property, yet it continues to be a problem. The last thing that our kids need are more distractions in school. Educators have a tough enough job teaching our children and we need to do everything in our power to help them with their jobs. This includes backing up the school when they enforce policy and take away cell phones.
So what's your thoughts on kids with cellphones? Do your kids have phones? What age do you think it is appropriate for children to venture into wonderful world of mobile madness?
Labels: opinion, rants, technology
posted by Big Pappa @ 8:34 AM
6 Comments
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6 Comments:
I just purchased a cell phone for my 10 year old daughter. I had a hard time deciding to do this, but after I received a note home from school stating that they were irritated with parents calling to leave a message for their child and will be charging for use of the office phone, I decided it was a good choice. The cell phone that I purchased for my daughter is a pay as you go phone which means I purchase a 30 minute card,that I got at Target along with the phone, and she is only allowed to use that amount of minutes purchased. Once she has used up those minutes the phone can not be used until more minutes have been purchase so she is unable to rack up a huge cell phone bill. I have also blocked her texting capabilities which I did online with the parental control options. All the phone is used for is a way for me to reach her after school or if she needs to reach me, while I am at work. She really doesn't use it otherwise and she knows when I call she is to answer. We also went over some rules such as not talking on the cell phone while crossing the street or using it during school hours. It has been a great way for me to keep track of her and it also teaches her responsibility; she has to earn the minutes and I take it away when she is disrespectful or abuses the priviledge. I figure it is a cheap phone that works and if she loses it, I am only out $30 plus I won't purchase one again until she learns to be more responsibile. I can't speak for others, but has been a positive experience for me and my daughter.
@Stacy - This is a great scenario which I totally agree with. Thanks for the comment stacy!
Oh man, you really hit one of my pet peeves. The length parents will go to so they can become friends with their children is mind-boggling.
I was in Wal-mart earlier this year in the electronics section. I overheard a father explaining to the clerk that he was looking for a phone to buy his SIX-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER for her birthday!!!
It was all I could do to keep from going over to the guy and telling him (in a polite way) that he was a moron. If there's a true need for a child to have a cell phone, that's when they should get them one. But if there's a need to get a 6-year old a cell phone, then there are other larger concerns to attend to and getting them a phone is not going to solve them.
Whew, okay...I'm okay now. :)
Hi, At the outset I was really hesitant to have cellphones for my kids. By the way, all my 8 kids aged 25, 22, 17, 16, 14, 13, 11, 10
have cellphones. The younger ones started using cellphones as early as 8 years old. I agree with some parents approval for security reasons. However, we must always monitor and control its usage.
@Mark - Yeah I probably would have been in the same frame of mind had I witnessed that.
@enncrave - HOLY CRAP!!! 8 Cell phones and I am assuming 2 for you and hubby? That makes 10, good grief, that is more than most small corporate plans provide. Do you pay for them all or do you make the 25, 22, 17, and 16 year olds pay for them?
Well, my ex went behind my back and got a cell phone for my 12 year old. Once I got over the pure irritation of the matter, I am actually seeing some advantages. 1) He always stays in touch when out with friends, 2) His phone has a built in GPS Tracker (or something) for 911 emergencies, or if he is missing 3)It is a great incentive for him to stay on his best behavior. 4) He can text me from his bedroom and tell me to ask his brothers to shut the he** up...
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