Children And Cell Phones Do Not Mix
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 some cases, children have been known to take explicit photos of themselves and send them around to friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, or even post them on the internet. This type of phone activity is commonly referred to as “sexting” which simply signifies “sex texting”. What you should be concerned about is not only the personal effect this will have on your child, but the legal implications as well. Your child could be charged with child pornography offenses, could go to jail, and could have to register as a sex offender. This simple little act could effect them for the rest of 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.
If they want one so badly, then it would be best to inform them that they need to go out and find a job so that they can pay for it, because cellular phones are part of an adult world, and if they are so eager to become a part of that world, then they need to fill out applications and maybe have some business cards printed up for themselves; after all there are some sites offering free business cards these days!
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 easy it is to give in, remember that you are the parent and you are responsible for your own child!