Ah cellphones and the love-hate relationship we have with them. Every person I know who’s parents are somewhat tech savvy have received at least one (or ten since the forward button equates to unconventional nagging in this day and age) email on the social (go out meet real friends!), economical (everyday waste money on the phone!) and physical damages (phone so hot will burn your ear off!) of excessive mobile phone usage. The age of cellphone users are getting younger and younger with each passing year. Five year kids are now proud albeit bratty owners of touchscreen smart phones, a privilege most of us attain today through years of schooling and hard work.
When is the right age to get your kid a mobile phone? Five? Ten? Seventeen? Whether its them asking for it because everyone at school has one, or you giving them one for your convenience in contacting them, do you actually know what rules that should go with the phones? Well probably not because at that age, you probably weren’t allowed one.
With mobile phones, its easier than ever to stay connected and in touch at all times. As a parent, it will put your heart at great ease knowing that your child is safe and secure at all times because help is only a phone call away. Giving a mobile phone to your child also indicates that you trust them and are giving them a responsibility which they should take on with pride and caution. While being on a family plan can be a cost saver (or even free at times for calls between family members), make your kids pay part of the bill so that they know their limits and will not misuse this privilege given to them.
On a downside, a phone can also be a bad thing because of several factors the first being safety. Children are highly susceptible to theft so advise them not to use their phones in public places especially when in lonely areas or while crossing streets. Be aware of their surroundings. Smartphones also give the child unlimited access to the world wide web so you may want to monitor and block sites that are not ‘children-friendly” before handing them the phone.
Children being children are not aware of the amount of money required to spend hours chatting on the phone with their friends as they do not know the value of money or the phone plan you’ve subscribed for them. Web browsing and downloading ringtones can cost a lot if not controlled which can come up to the thousands if not monitored. Also make them aware of the dangers of images shot using mobile phones and the consequences of such image being uploaded publicly.
Sit down prior to giving them the phone and explain to them the rules which you wish for them to adhere. Tell them that you will review their use after a few months before deciding if they should be allowed to continue keeping a phone. Don’t blame your child for everything, after all, it was you who decided that they should be allowed to have a phone in the first place. A mobile phone should bring you and your kids closer together but sometimes, this is not the case and can eventually drive families apart because of addiction to mobile phone usage so always be aware of your childrens’ activities because prevention is always better than cure though the occasional mistake can prevent it from happening again.
