What would your mother say….about kids and cell phones?

It’s Wednesday, aka Moms Council Day! Here is the question of the week and my answer below. If you want to read the setup, as well as what the rest of the Peanut Gallery had to say, here’s the link. Hit or miss, I’d love to hear what you think….

http://orlandpark.patch.com/articles/babes-of-the-cell-phone-age-momtalk-qa

Question: At what age should a child be allowed to carry a cell phone? And why? What parameters should be established for its use and how do you enforce them?

My Answer: Junior high school seems to be the right time for kids to carry a cell phone, at least that’s the case in our household. It made sense since our sons were involved in school activities and extracurricular sports programs that made it easier to organize pick-up times and location. At that age, they also started going out with friends, so it made it very convenient to contact or check up on them via the cell phone. Our fourth grade daughter, on the other hand, is already salivating for one but for no other reason than many of her friends already have cell phones. Regardless, my husband and I are holding strong to our junior high cutoff. While this rule is fine for our family, it may not be so for others. Some families I know choose to give cell phones to their much younger children who attend summer camps or after school day care. It gives them better access to their children as well as a sense of assurance. More important than the age requirement, parents should consider implementing strong parameters on cell phone use. Limitations on texting and photo or video access should be set, as well as explained. If kids really want the extra services, or have their sights on a smart phone, then they should be asked to contribute financially to the phone plan or perhaps be given extra household chores. We’ve taught our sons that owning a cell phone is a privilege that can easily be taken away due to misuse, poor grades or bad attitudes. From our experience, the threat of taking away a cell phone trumps any form of disciplinary action.

Add a comment March 16, 2011