Wednesday we talked about Family and the Media. A little bit was about cell phones. I got my first cell phone when I was 15 because I was in a million extra-curricular activities and my parents were not always home for me to call them to pick me up when I was done, so the cell phone allowed me to call long-distance which the school phone couldn't. My first phone was a "dumb" phone (don't think smartphones existed quite yet...if they did it was just the iPhone which was brand new). I thought it was the coolest phone ever. I loved it (it was the Motorola Razr--that was THE phone to have). I didn't get my first smartphone until last year (and I LOVE it!).
Anyway, my husband and I don't have kids, but we sometimes talk about what type of standards/rules we would like to set for when we do have them someday. One thing we've talked about is the appropriate time to let them have a phone. We think 15 is a good age, if they are in extra-curricular activities, maybe a little bit later if not in extra-curricular activities. If "dumb" phones still exist as we know them today, that is the type of phone we would like to give them. Seeing as that'll probably be 16+ years until we have a 15 year old, our smartphones of today will probably be the "dumb" phones of that time (it's pretty hard to find "dumb" phones today even).
I think it's weird seeing people under 12 with cell phones, especially a 6-year-old. I don't know what they would use it for, since most 6 year olds are not in a lot of activities and if they are, usually a parent or someone else is there with them. Maybe they have some good reason for a phone at that age, but I don't know. This is just my thoughts.
I agree. The thought of putting a cellphone, especially a smartphone, in the hands of a young kid seems crazy/scary. That is awesome you are already considering how you want to handle that issue!
ReplyDeleteThese are good things for future parents to talk over. My 15 year old has a regular ole' dumb phone, which she only uses to text me when a need arises. She also has a iPod touch that has internet capabilities, which of course, she needs wifi to use it. Her social media contact with her friends is through Instagram or Twitter.
ReplyDeleteI have 2 issues with cell phones. One is that they seem to have turned into toys for adolescents. Second is the cost. A data plan is a monthly payment that indulgent parents pay for because......uh, well, every other parent out there is doing it.
Just saying.
They still make "dumb" phones for this exact purpose, actually. They also make phones for kids that can only dial say...4 pre programmed numbers. I think this is a really good introduction to today's excessive phone use. That said, some things have changed in the last decade. My oldest sister got her first phone when she went to college, and before that, we sort of used my mom's cell as the family cell phone--she'd lend it to us when we went places so we could call home when we were ready to be picked up. I got my first phone at 16 and thought I'd really worked the system to get it so fast. My brother probably got his at 15 (although my parents wouldn't give him data use), and that happened because of one day when things were particularly bad, and his early morning seminary teacher had to cancel class... but showed up anyway to let Grant know AT THE CHURCH that it was cancelled because he knew he didn't have a cell phone, and therefore no way of conveying the information. My mom felt so bad!!! My littlest sister got an iPod touch with a texting ap and then her first real phone this Christmas (14). Times change. I think about this issue a lot, but it's a hard line between over sheltering kids to the point of hurting them, and enabling irresponsible behavior.
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