Does Your Child Have a Cellphone?by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 06 Nov 2008 12:55 AM According to the Center on Media and Child Health, 54 percent of 8- to 12-year-olds will have a cell phone in the next three years. So by 2011 more tweens will have cellphones than they will dictionaries, calculators or any other handheld device--electronic or otherwise. Scary. Is life really unimaginable without these handy devices? For some parents the answer is a wholehearted: "Yes!" A recent survey found that most parents who bought their kids cellphones say they did so for "convenience" and "safety" reasons. In fact, some parents revealed that the allure of GPS tracking capability inspired them to purchase cellphones for children as young as three. Said parents rationalize that the cellphone was a wise investment given that the phone could help locate their child in the event young Bobby or Sally should get lost in a crowd. Other parents maintain that doling out cellphones to their offspring allows them to keep tabs on their kids 24/7 and eliminates needless mix-ups. For example, if Sally said she would be waiting at the North entrance of the mall for a 2 p.m. pick up, but she and her friends are running late and now want you to meet them at the South entrance, a single phone call could communicate that. A cellphone also means your kids have immediate access to you or 911 assistance in case of an emergency. Conversely, giving a cellphone to an 8-year-old also has its downsides. For starters, how many 8-year-olds do you know that can go an entire week without losing something? I have a 12-year-old cousin who can't even keep track of his shoes on a daily basis. What's more, cellphones are not cheap. Ditto for cell phone plans and overage charges to cover chatty Cathy's habit of sharing every single detail of every single event that has transpired in the course of a day with her circle of friends. Let's not forget young David's expensive habit of downloading everything in sight. Then there's the nagging concern of the long-term effect cellphones' radiation waves have on developing bodies. All of this begs the question: How young is too young for a child to own a cellphone? Does your child have a cellphone? If so at what age did you get him/her one? Related Articles: Are You Talking to Your Kids About the Financial Crisis? A Mother's View from the Pool: Why are you Wearing Crocs in the Water? Would You Allow Your 15-Year-Old Daughter to Date a 20-Year-Old Guy? A Father's Touching Tribute to His Infant Son Has Becoming a Parent Made You a Better Person? Can You Miss Your Kids Too Much? Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevantparenting tags User Comments  ruthann8 (6378) 06 Nov 2008 07:25 AMMy daughter is too young yet. But my dh and I don't have cell phones. My dh says absolutely not, she will not need a cell phone. I will wait and see. I think we can get by without one. The only downside of all the cell phone use is I have a very very hard to find a pay phone when I need one. You can always teach a kid where to go if the get lost in a crowd or store. At the mall you used to be able to use a pay phone (I always carried a phone card). And my mom always said a collect call was better than no call at all. At school I always went to the principles office if I need to call my mom.  Michele Cheplic (37339) 06 Nov 2008 08:19 AMMy young daughter has 4 play cellphones b/c it's impossible to find a child's purse these days without a cellphone included in the set, including standard Fisher-Price sets, Dora, Sesame Street, you name it, they all come with cellphones even those marketed to 2 year olds, and that's not taking into account the teething cellphones they have for babies. So, why should anyone be surprised that more than half of all 8 year olds in the United States have cellphones? Thanks for the comment Ruthann!  Courtney Mroch (9169) 06 Nov 2008 08:58 AMOver half??? Wow. I was surprised to hear such a high number. I wouldn't have expected that. 10% maybe, but not over 50%. Starrlight (5255) 06 Nov 2008 11:17 AMMy DS has a cell phone. He's 16 now and we got it for him when he was a. old enough to be responsible for it (not lose it and pay for some/most of his mins) and b. when he started doing after school activities (the times aren't always set in stone). So I think he was 13, almost 14 when we got it for him. Now my DD does not have one. But again when she's old enough (in mine and DH's opinion) and starts after school activities that we aren't there with her then yes she'll get one also (again a prepaid one that she'll be responsible for some/most of the mins). Samual (11722) 06 Nov 2008 12:43 PMYou can't use mobiles where we live, so at the moment none of us have mobiles, but the children will have them when they start going into the nearest town on their own as they can get a signal there to call a landline.  Pattie Hughes |
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