In today’s digital age, having a mobile phone is indeed a necessity. Not only that it helps people contact you faster, it also helps to reach you anytime, anywhere especially in cases of emergency. I remember in the early ‘90s, only the rich and famous have new cellular phones and having one gives you such pride and joy. But today, everyone has cell phones and we can’t even count how many models are out there to entice us from buying one. Every year, mobile phone makers release high-tech models that have unique features that we can only imagine, but the real question is, since adults are almost required to have one, do we also need get our kiddies their own cellular phones?
This is perhaps the argument that most parents have in their minds whether they should give their kids a new cellular phone or not. Some say they won’t know how to use them, while others feel like they might abuse the use of it and it would reflect on them in the future. But let’s slowly take it one step at a time and see the pros and cons of getting your kiddies a mobile phone:
Pro – Letting your kid have one is like putting a walkie-talkie around them and knowing exactly that you can contact them anytime, anywhere.
Con – Kids like to feel the freedom when they start to learn new things and as much as possible, they want to step away from their parents and discover new things on their own.
Pro – When your kids have their own cell phones, they can easily call you in cases of emergencies.
Con – When kids try to use these gadgets to explore adult stuff that we don’t want them to see.
Pro – Texting is a great way to bond with your kids where you can send silly jokes to one another and at the same time, stay in constant communication with them.
Con – Wrong use of cellular phone plans such as bullying another kid or harassment could lead them off track and be misguided is they use their mobiles incorrectly.
Technology is indeed confusing sometimes but it doesn’t have to be as long as you everyone is well informed about its pros and cons. Both parents and kiddies can benefit from it if equipped with proper handling and information. Giving your kids a new cellular phone is not a bad idea, in fact, it helps family ties stronger. It also teaches our kids about responsibility. For us parents, we should always remember that we are our children’s first teacher and everything they need to know in their early mental development should come from us. Handing them cellular phone plans should come with rules and limitations they need to follow. It shows that we trust them and we expect that they obey our policies in using these communication devices.
Letting your kiddies have a cell phone is a tough decision. First you have to know if they are mature enough to handle one or if they are too young to even know how to use them. Now, your question might be: what is the right age to give your kid his or her own cell phone? There’s no right age on when you can entrust your kiddies with this gadget because every child is different and their mental development always vary. But weighing to give your kiddies their own mobiles would depend on how much they would insist or how much they are separated from you may it be for school or other occasions. Letting them own one would mean constant communication with you and tracking them using the GPS system would let you worry less knowing that you are aware on their whereabouts. Entrusting them with these gadgets would also show them that you are letting go of their leashes and letting them be responsible with their call usage and text restrictions.
If you’re worried or thinking twice about giving you kiddies a new cellular phone because they might overuse their mobile plans or they might go running around the city, there are ways you can do to keep them from a total misuse. Telecom companies have different plans that you can choose from and some of which are customizable depending on your needs. You can apply for the most suitable cellular phone plans for your kiddies and explain to them their limitations and restrictions. Also, when picking the right mobile phone for them, make sure you get those models that can be installed with useful applications such as LIFE360 where you can track your kid’s location anywhere anytime via GPS, Google Latitude where the whole family is traced on a map and you can instantly see where everyone is, MobileKids where you can monitor your kids’ phone usage whether they are texting or calling someone at night, MamaBear is also a great app that detects your kid’s social media feeds if there’s any bullying or crude language that is not appropriate and a lot more. There are so many applications available today to keep your kids safe in the online community.
So giving your kiddies their new cellular phone is really up to you whether you think they are responsible enough or they might really need it for emergency purposes. Just keep in mind the pros and cons of having one and you need to make sure that you explain it all to your kids until they fully grasp the information. For more tips about parenting in the digital world, CLICK HERE.
DigiParenthood 