Children And Cell Phones: A Bad Combination
In the fast paced world that we live in where almost anything can happen, parents are feeling more and more compelled to protect their children. They often do this by getting their child a cellular phone which makes it easy for their child to call them in the event of an emergency and it helps the parent to be able to communicate with the child every moment of thday. However, in many cases, having a cellular phone also makes it easy to do things that a child shouldn’t be doing.
A big problem with cell phones is that they come with so many advanced features like text messaging, camera phones, and internet access. You may be listening out for inappropriate phone conversations that your kids are having, but you may never hear one. That’s because they’re texting inappropriate conversations, and you will never know it because they can delete their messages.
In the worst case scenario, your child could actually be taking nude photos of themselves and distributing them on the internet or simply sending them to their friends, which in all likelihood will have the exact same effect. This type of messaging is commonly referred to today as sexting which is to say Sex Texting. In committing these acts, your son or daughter may be charged with child pornography charges and have to file as a sexual offender for the rest of their lives. In an even worse case, real sexual predators will gain access to these photographs and have a negative or even fatal impact on their lives.
Cellular phone related traffic accidents are steadily on the rise, so when your teenager comes to you begging for a phone, keep that little statistic in mind. It may seem like a good idea, but it is also a good idea to keep your child alive if you love them. In addition, remember that your child may over ulterior motives when asking for a cellular phone.
Your child may insist upon his or her need to get a cell phone. If this is the case, drive your child to the nearest unemployment office and have him or her begin looking for a job. You may even want to get the little tike some business cards to help him out. If your child wants to be more adult like by having a cell phone, then your child should also be more adult like by gettinga job and paying their own bills.
Still after reading this, many parents will desire to get their child a phone for security reasons. If that is the case, be sure to take with your cell phone provider to figure out the best plan to really protect your child and their future. Many phones these days come with parental controls, and you can opt to disable text messaging and camera phones.
No matter how hard it may be, be a good parent and do the right thing for you and your child!