I realize that there are situations where it’s convenient for kids to have cell phones but we must remember that with this convenience comes responsibility. Does the convenience of having a cell phone positively out weigh the risks that phones expose these kids to?
“When you hand kids phones today, you’re giving them powerful communications and production tools. They can create text, images, and videos that can be widely distributed and uploaded to Web sites. They can broadcast their status and their location. They can download just about everything in the world. If you think your children’s technological savvy is greater than their ability to use it wisely, pay attention to the gap. Times may have changed, but parenting hasn’t. We’re still the parents. And it’s our job to say “no, not yet.” (Source: https://www.commonsensemedia.org.)
I do think it’s important to ask what the phone is being used for – if it is to have contact with a handful of people then are you limiting the airtime per month, and checking their internet access? If it’s going to be used as a gaming platform then certainly limit airtime and make it known that the phone is meant as a gaming platform and nothing else. There’s no taking back the experience when your 11 year old is exposed to completely unsuitable adult content via his phone, so whatever the reason, make sure these rules are adhered to and that you are comfortable enough with the handset so that you can monitor the activity on the phone on a regular basis.
Speaking of Adult Content Management – did you know that Facebook has an age limit of 13 years? According to recent SA research, 50% of the Generation Y that were interviewed (average age of 18) use Facebook as a search engine. What you use Facebook for and what your 13 year old use it for could be two different scenarios.
Which leads me onto the next question – perhaps the question isn’t whether your kids are ready for the responsibility that being exposed to the internet brings, but more importantly is how are you teaching your children to interact in this space? What responsibility are you, the parent, taking on? Yes, at times it seems that technology is part of these kids DNA and it’s hard to believe you can teach them new stuff in this space, but just as you would teach your children how to interact on a social level, not to speak to strangers, etc, you should also be teaching kids the same principles in the online space.
Connect with your kids here, teach them, get comfortable in their space. Beat them at their own games, and hopefully with more knowledge and information sharing between families the technology and content that is out there won’t be so scary for all of us.
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4 Responses
I bought my brother a cellphone when he was only 4 years of age and he learned the basics of a cellphone, then he played games then knew how to call the important people via speed dialing eg. To call mommy, press 1, daddy,press 2 and so on, then every after 4 years he got an upgrade, he's now 11 and just got a nokia c-not a smart phone yet, we haave different phones at home and he can use any kind, he is so technology wise now.
The rules should certainly stay the same Greg, it’s just the playing field that is changing. Parents need to embrace this online space rather than be scared of it – how else are we going to feel confident enough to guide and teach our children here. Thanks for your feedback on the article.
Parents must be careful to only look for the negative in technology as everything in life has both sides of positive and negative. Have a balanced perspective of children and cell phones and use the cell phone you give your child, obviously once your child can take responsibility to look after a cell phone, as a powerful tool to teach and share the ups and downs, the convenience and dangers, the responsible and irresponsible uses of cell phones. Role model that you are the boss of your cell phone and not only the slave and empower your child with responsible and wise use of their cell phones.
In your second last paragraph you make the point that “just as you would teach your children how to interact on a social level … you should also be teaching kids the same principles in the online space”. One of the biggest mistakes many people make in the online social networking space is treating it differently to face-to-face networking. Children learn social skills from the family environment first off and they need to be encouraged to take these same skills into the online space. There is still etiquette and danger online, just like there is when dealing with people in the flesh. So, I couldn’t agree more with you: prepare your children to interact online as you do otherwise, even though this space may be foreign to you. You are still dealing with people when you are online, so the rules should stay the same.