With the onslaught of telecommunications technology today, people wonder if there is an area in our lives that telecoms do not dominate. Even mobile phone companies have tapped into parents’ primary concern which is their children’s safety and well being.

All of a sudden, children all across America are pleading for their very own units, much to the uncertainty of many parents. Knowing the advantages and disadvantages does help parents decide whether to buy their children their very own Cellphone.

Security

Listing down all pros of kids having Cellphone, the one the tops the list, and may be the only valid excuse in the opinion of many parents, is the fact that it does offer a degree of safety for children and an added sense of security for parents.  A Cellphone comes in handy during emergencies.  And for parents, an emergency qualifies as any situation that may pose or actually poses a threat to their children, whether real or perceived.

Keeping in Constant Touch

Mobile phones also help parents to keep tab of their children wherever they may go. With the advent of GPRS, parents may trick children into believing that they have some degree of autonomy, letting them go wherever they want to, as long as they are kept track.

Teaching Responsibility

A less significant item in the list of pros of kids having cell phones is that it trains children to be responsible for taking good care of their devices and keeping within their spending limits.  However, considering that the average age of neophyte Cellphone users across the US is dropping every year, it does pose a question on whether it makes for good training ground for building responsibility.

Other Perceived Advantages

Other perceived advantages such as letting children keep up with other tech-savvy friends as well as keeping your child from hounding the landline may be too feeble to seriously consider.

Threat to Security

Lining up the cons vis-à-vis the pros of kids having cellphones, on the other hand, can seem a much easier task.  Fancy and expensive units can potentially pose a threat to children by attracting muggers. Moreover, text messaging, and such add-ons as internet access and online chatting that many advanced units offer make children more vulnerable to external elements that are beyond parents’ control.

Addictive

In addition, given the bevy of fun and entertaining things that children can do with their mobile phone units, they can prove to be more addictive rather than a training camp for responsible maturity.  Kids might end up constantly asking for the next best Cellphone in the market.

Health Risks

Of course, there is no overlooking the fact that no study has proven beyond doubt that mobile phones absolutely do not pose any threat to health.

Ultimately, after sorting out the cons and pros of kids having cellphones, only the parents can decide for themselves whether their kids are old enough and able to carry such a considerable responsibility. GP

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