Phones For All!

Gone are the days where only adults used mobile phones. Today, seeing a child without a mobile phone is quite rare, especially in the urban areas. In fact, children as young as 8 years old today have their own mobile phones at their disposal. That said, it may come as no surprise that you may soon find your children pestering you for their own mobile phones soon (if they do not have one already).

Should Junior Get a Phone?

Consider the following issues to help you make a decision on whether or not to get your child his own mobile phone:

  • It is convenient. Parents can afford to relax a little when their child is not home, knowing that both parents and child are only a phone call away. The mobile phone also provides an immediate contact to family members, and also to the police, ambulance and fire department.
  • Teaching responsibility. Your child has to learn how to take care of his own phone, and be responsible for the calls, messages, photos or downloads made.
  • Risk exposing children to vices. Your child may experience incidences like phone bullying and in more serious cases, paedophilia, now that they are easily contacted.
  • Deterioration of social skills. Using the mobile phone as a tool to communicate with others may contribute to their child’s lack of opportunity to socialise with both friends and family.

Phone Safety

There’s no telling the possible dangers that comes along with phone usage. Nevertheless, there are ways in which you, as a parent, can teach your child to control and minimise the risks.

  • Discuss and set rules with your child. Let him know under what conditions can he use the phone, how often he will be able to use it and how much money should be allocated for the phone usage.
  • Purchase an appropriate phone. Don’t spoil him with the fanciest one with all the unnecessary functions that a child does not need. This may leave you very little control over what he does with the phone.
  • Remind him to be focused and remember his phone manners. Avoid sending SMS while walking as he may trip, or eat while fidgeting with the phone.
  • Privacy protection. Teach him not to simply give out personal information, his own or yours that might compromise your family’s safety. This includes names, phone numbers, addresses and pictures. It is safest to not respond to unknown numbers, strangers or spams – both calls or SMS.
  • Don’t fall victim to scams. Teach your child to be wary of offers they might receive through their phones. For example, premium rates to enter competitions, to purchase ringtones and games and to enter social networks. Charges may quickly mount up, even if your child is not responsible for it.
  • Talk to him about phone bullying. Let him know that he should not respond to any rude or nasty messages. Instead, ask him to save the offensive messages and to notify you immediately.

Will Their Brains Explode?

There are many allegations regarding the use of mobile phones among children and the increased risk of brain cancer. Purportedly, the radio waves emitted by mobile phones are more easily absorbed by children’s brains as they have thinner skulls, resulting in damage to the developing nervous system.

However, these allegations were refuted by various international professional bodies who have extensively reviewed the available evidence. The expert panels include the World Health Organization (WHO), International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), Health Protection Agency (UK) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The general statement provided by these organisations state that there are no health-based reasons to limit the use of mobile phones among children based on scientific evidence.

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