Although there has been some controversy lately about what teenagers are doing with their cell phones, there are a lot of advantages in allowing your child to have a cell phone. Of course, the first reason a parent would allow a child to have a cell phone is for safety. If a child is observed talking on a cell phone while walking alone, that is a great deterrent to anyone with dubious intentions.
In addition, most schools do not allow children to use their phones to call their parents unless it is a dire emergency. If a child needs to call a parent to inform the parent of an unplanned after-school activity, a cell phone is great for that. If the child wants to ask a parent’s permission to spend time with a friend after school, asking by cell phone is a very handy way.
Since a child cannot always be expected to act responsibly, just because children are not, by definition, always responsible, there are certain limitations a parent can put on the phone. For example, text messaging and internet data usage can be completely blocked without limiting the actual voice use of the phone.
Many cell-phone providers also offer features to limit the number of minutes the child’s phone can use, the time of day the phone can be used, and even the numbers that can be dialed or received by the child’s phone. Be aware 911 is never blocked. Filters can also be activated to stop any adult content from being sent to the phone via internet. Although controls cannot be set on what type of picture or video messages might be sent to a child from a friend, if the picture and video messages are blocked through the phone’s provider, adult content is still effectively blocked.
Parents can set a special ringtone so they are alerted any time their child is calling them without having to look at their caller ID, and children could be allowed to choose wallpapers and ringtones for their cell phone, so they can be more than just a survival tool—even with texting, picture messaging and the internet blocked, they can still have a cell phone that is fun.
