Mobile Phones Used by Children

Mobile phones are safe for children to use – we should ignore scare stories in the media. The latest research says that mobile phones do not damage brain cells. Even those earlier studies that suggested there might be a problem thought that people would have to use a cell phone for hours a day for there to be an effect. It is true that there is no 100% proof mobile phones are safe to use, but that is true of any scientific study.

Mobile phones keep children safer, as it is easier for parents to stay in touch with their children. Through calls and texts, parents can know where their child is and be reassured that he or she is safe. And in an emergency, young people can summon help quickly.

Yes, some children carrying phones have been robbed, but thieves are always after something new. Phones now are both much more widespread and security coded, so there is little point in stealing them. If security is your concern, ban the latest personal MP3 and DVD players instead. Traffic accidents should be blamed on bad safety education rather than phones.

Children will always pressure their parents to have the latest thing; phones are only one example of this. Parents can always say “no” or set limits on what they can spend. With modern payment plans children can be given a set amount of credit for calls and texts. Learning to work within financial limits is an important part of growing up. In any case, many young people have part-time jobs so they are spending their own money, not their parents.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is now a normal part of modern life, used by everyone from toddlers to pensioners. So children need to grow up making use of technology such as mobile phones if they are to take their place in society. Such use fits them for the modern workplace with its need for tech-savvy employees with communication skills and the ability to work flexibly. In any case, children often have better phone manners than adults – they are less likely to shout into the phone, more likely to text discreetly, and more aware of text and phone etiquette.

Mobile phones are now a valuable part of student life. Because parents feel their children are safer carrying a phone, they are more likely to allow them to travel to school on their own rather then driving them. This promotes greater independence for the children, while taking traffic off the roads which is environmentally-friendly. Like many other things (girls! boys! the view out of the window!) mobiles can be distracting in class but this doesn’t mean they should be banned. Many schools allow phones to be carried providing they are turned off in lesson.

Anything can be abused, including pencils and paper. New technology always carries some risks but we should not be rushed into panic measures. Children got hold of pornography, gambled and bullied each other long before mobile phones were invented. These problems won’t go away if we ban phone use – they can only be dealt with through good parenting and moral education. In the meantime, parents can get phones which block inappropriate content, and ensure their children do not have credit cards to pay for it.