By Barrett Newkirk
July 26, 2008 09:27 pm
—
Mornessa Adams considers cell phones a family necessity, but she knows her children shouldn’t have all the calling freedoms of adults.
Three years ago she gave her daughter Heather, then 9, a pre-paid cell phone. Three weeks ago, Heather graduated to the same plan as her mom.
“I was trying to teach her how to use the phone,” said Adams, an Anderson resident. “She can’t just use it all the time. It’s not a play thing.”
Heather’s pre-pay phone limited her calling minutes and had no text-messaging capabilities until earlier this year. On the new plan, Heather has unlimited texting, but she can only call and text her parents and some friends. Her mother said she uses parental controls on the phone to restrict when her daughter makes calls and to check what she’s texting.
Adams has taken the right approach, according to experts.
A parent who is either considering giving a phone to their child for the first time or wants to prevent a child from abusing the device should first and foremost talk to their children about the responsibility that comes with having their own phones, said Greg Travis, assistant director at Indiana University’s Pervasive Technology Labs’ Advanced Network Management Lab where he leads research on technology use in everyday life.
Travis said that cell phones have become so advanced that parents should think of them as small computers with all the advantages and pitfalls of easy networking access.
“A young person’s privacy has always been an issue, ever since young people began keeping diaries,” Travis said. “What’s different now is the amount of information that can be stored and the ease at which that information can be transmitted to people.”
It may be wise, therefore, for parents to give teenagers phones without Internet access or talk to them about being cautious with how the technology is used and who uses the phone. If the phone has a camera, parents should make sure their children know not to use it to take potentially embarrassing snapshots, Travis recommends.
And while incriminating photos that get shared between phones or make it on to the Internet can certainly shock parents, so can monthly cell phone bills.
“The overage fees tend to be what kill you,” Travis said.
Parents should let their children know what their cell plan includes for minutes, text messages, and Web data, and they should be reviewing their monthly bills to ensure the phone’s user isn’t going over their allotted minutes or extra features. If overuse is a problem, either adjust the plan or talk to the child about cutting back on calls and text messages.
Another basic precaution is making sure any child with a cell phone knows the policy regarding phone use at their school.
At Anderson Community Schools, for example, students must keep their phones hidden during school hours and only use them in emergencies.
Larry Quarles, principal at Anderson High School, said students generally abide by the school’s cell phone rules, which are becoming more important now that more phones have easy-to-use cameras and Internet browsers.
“It’s definitely a valuable tool to have, but it can create distractions within the building,” he said.
Quarles couldn’t estimate how many students at the school have cell phones, but he said it was a clear majority and the number of students with phones has increased dramatically in recent years.
Heather Adams said just about all of her friends have phones. Her mother said she knows parents who keep a close watch on their children’s phone use and others who instill few limitations.
“I think parents should definitely be aware of what their children are doing with electronics,” Mornessa Adams said. “Whether it’s a cell phone or a home phone, it’s for their own protection.”
-----------
Things to consider before buying your child a cell phone:
• If you are uncomfortable with giving your child full access to online content, choose a phone plan that does not include Internet access or a phone that does not include a Web browser.
• Make sure kids understand how to use good judgment when deciding what to share with their phone, especially pictures taken from its camera. Kids shouldn’t take or share any pictures that they wouldn’t want to be seen by you, their teachers or the world.
• Keep it private. Today’s cell phones store a lot of personal data, including e-mail and text messages that your kids may not want others to read. Unsecured e-mail and text accounts can also be used by others posing as the phone’s owner. Kids should not lend their phones to friends. Also, make sure the phone you choose includes a self-locking feature that requires a PIN. And know how to contact your cell provider promptly if the phone is lost. Your company may be able to erase and disable the phone, no matter where it is.
• Know the plan. Don’t get caught off guard by budget-crushing cell phone bills. Make sure you and your child understand what’s included in your plan, such as the number of text messages, phone minutes and any included Internet access. Watch your monthly bills closely. If you are getting lots of charges outside the plan, you may want to upgrade your plan or downgrade the phone.
Source: Greg Travis, Indiana University
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.