The Influence Of Cell Phones On Children

Recently there has been a lot of debate on what age is appropriate for a child to have a cell phone. Some parents give their children a cell phone as young as seven years old. Personally, I believe that it is far too young to have a cell phone at the age of seven. I was leery of giving my thirteen year old daughter a cell phone because I thought that it was too young, until I realized, as a parent, that it would be beneficial for her to have a cell phone because it would be a secure way of keeping in contact with her during her multiple extracurricular activities. As a parent it was hard to come to that realization. Then I had to ask myself, “Is she mature enough to understand the concept of a cell phone?” And, “Is she going to be using twenty-four …show more content…
They need to help pay for the cell phone usage. Of course you have the pre-paid phones that once you run out of minutes then you have no phone. Those cell phones can be alright at times if you’re older and mature enough for them. You then understand you’re not in contract with a carrier and once you’ve run out of the minutes and haven’t gotten another card then no phone. Kids think at earlier age when they get the cell phone that it’s like a free toy for them. In reality it’s not, the parents are paying for the usage, data overage of minutes and so on. If your phone breaks then you also have the bill of paying for the damages. I was lucky my daughter is mature enough to know that if she breaks her phone that is it. In fact she cracked her screen on her phone and most kids would be having a hissy fit unlike her she knows what she did. She also helps pay for her part of cell phone bill. She’s ok with having her phone turned off if the bill isn’t paid, she understands that she won’t always have a cellphone to rely on. While many parents might see that giving a young child a cellphone is okay, I do not see it that way. I do not believe that a young child that doesn’t have a good understanding of what responsibility is should have something as influential as a cellphone. Once a child gets older and is more independent, then I feel as though it is okay for them to get a cellphone. I believe that parents need to think of how such a simple electronic device can really impact their child in the