Should I get my kids a cell phone?

 

How do you decide if your kids should own their own cell phones?

It seems in the past, the problem with kids owning cell phones was just a matter of racking up too many minutes talking to their friends.

High phone bills are no longer as much of an issue since most family plans include unlimited texting and minutes. As a result, more parents are giving in to persistent pleading for cell phones.

But cell phones also come with many more bells and whistles these days, giving parents more to consider.

Here are some questions to ask yourself before you go sign up for that family plan:

1. How will you pay for their phone service? Sure, special offers make purchasing additional phones easier. A family plan may not seem that much more expensive than what you're currently paying, but what about the extras? Are you willing to pay for unlimited texting or unlimited email or internet access? Are you going to make them pay for the additional charges through extra chores or allowance? If you prefer they pay for their own service, consider a pre-paid phone like Tracfone.
2. Do you want your kids to have internet access on their phones? If the answer is no, the child may not even want the phone. Kids want cell phones for all their cool features. If you don't want them texting or getting online, it may not be worth the extra monthly fee.
3. Are you prepared for your kids to text anyone, not just  you or their friends? It may seem handy to be able to text your kids while they're at a friend's house, but who else are they texting? Kids pass phone numbers of their friends to each other. Maybe just to say hi initially, or find out who likes who, but before you know it, your daughter is texting another girl's boyfriend on a regular basis. Someone you never met before. And, yes, they will have boyfriends and girlfriends before you know it.
4. Are you prepared for unsupervised conversations? Some parents read their kids' text messages. Others would consider it an invasion of privacy. Even if you agree in advance with your child that all messages should be monitored, how can you know if they're deleting messages they might not want you to see? Once you allow texting, it opens up windows for conversations which you have no control over.
5. Do you know if your kids have a social networking page? In addition to the games and music features on cell phones, which seem innocent enough, Facebook is a readily available application on most new phones. Many kids have their own Facebook and Myspace pages, with or without parental knowledge. You may have parental controls on your home computer, but how will you know what sites your child will visit on his/her phone?
6. Do you want your kids sending pictures on their phones? So the stars of High School Musical sent nude photos of each other to their phones, your kids would never do that! Perhaps not, but what are they taking pictures of? Do you want them texting any pictures of themselves or their friends to each other?

Cell phones aren't going anywhere. So whether you rebel against or embrace cell phones for your kids, be aware of what kids are doing and who they're talking to with their phones.

Agree on some ground rules before you get the phone, and don't hesitate to take the phone away if your child violates any of those rules. Having a cell phone, or any of today's technology, is a privilege, not a right. It's your job to know what your kids are doing and saying with that technology.

For more articles about kids and cell phones: 
Don't walk and talk, text
Keeping kids safe online