Does Your Child Really Need A Cell Phone?
What is the appropriate age for a child to have a cell phone
? Ask anyone and you will get as many answers as there are people. An adult will give you a different answer than a teen, a tween will give you a different answer than a teen, and a child will give you an even different answer. If you exclude the adult, the teen will say all teens need a phone, a tween will say they need a phone, and a child will say they need one. The only real answer is the parents.Why do kids under 16 need a phone? Most kids will play the safety and convenience card. They figure if they can convince their parents that it is for their own personal safety the parents will give in. And it is true; the biggest reason to buy their child a phone is for safety. They want to be able to reach their child at any time.
The New York Times just published an article by Stefanie Olsen that said about 75 percent of 12 to 17 year olds in the United States own a mobile phone. This figure is up from 45 percent in 2004. Children are getting phones at younger ages. This same article stated The Pew study found that 58 percent of 12 year olds now own a cell phone, up from 18 percent in 2004. It may be the safety reasons that get the child a phone, but for them it's all about social life and impressing their peers.
Safety aside, what are the other reasons a parent would buy their child a cell phone? There is the convenience of getting in touch if school is getting out early and you were not previously informed. Or if a practice is either going to be let out early, or extend longer than expected. Depending on the phone plan you have, your child could be entertained in the car after you pick them up. (Personally I do not think of this as a benefit, as this is time I consider to be my own time with my kid, but felt it needed to be added for those who do.) More immediate notification if your child is hurt or in trouble. And if, God forbid, there is a real emergency, such as a school shooting or terrorist attack, a cell phone can be a life safer.
So basically you have four benefits
1. Safety
2. Emergency
3. Convenience
4. Entertainment
Safety and emergency reasons are considered legitimate by most people. Convenience may be a consideration. Long before cell phones, parents were able to keep track of where their children were without too much trouble. Entertainment is not really a reason to have a cell phone.
Depending on who you ask, cell phones for kids under 16 might be considered a necessity, a luxury, or totally unnecessary. The reasons why a child should have a cell phone are as varied as the people responding to the question.
Children having cell phones is a relatively recent phenomenon. Because of this there is not much data available to help us determine at what age a child should have a cell phone. So for now parents will need to base their decisions on whether they are confident their child is ready for or really need a cell phone. The extra sense of safety and security that a cell phone gives a parent will be the driving factor of whether you want to buy a cell phone for your child.
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