Mobile phones for children: Do we want them?

BrianWed 16 August, 2006 9:38pm

I was talking about that the other day with a friend of mine, im 17 and I think I got my first 'movable' cell phone at the age of 15, before that I had a motorola Tango that I was too ashamed to go out with. But seriously, this is just ridiculous. Theres absolutly no need for a cell phone for kids below 12, at that age, you don't have the enough independency to need one. But on top of the kids just asking for cell-phones its really the parents that need to wake up and say 'hey, you don't really need one, I don't care if your friends have one, its useless' unless of course you wanna raise up a brat. And in that case I will send my son to hit your son for being stupid.

BrainsWed 16 August, 2006 10:22pm

I've got a 7 year old at home who's been pestering us for nearly a year to get him a cell phone. When pressed for who he'd call, the typical responses are there - grandma/grandpa, aunts/uncles, etc. Then comes the unexpected response -- his friends at school. Turns out, there's SEVERAL of his classmates that had their own phones last year in 1st grade!! That didn't make the *NO* answer any easier for him, but it also didn't change our minds on whether or NOT to get him one.

As a parent, I don't feel technology can substitute for our interaction with the boy. If you (parents) "need" GPS-enabled mobile phones to "keep track" of your kids, you've lost touch with them and need to be slapped about the head and neck with a large trout.

feichaiThu 17 August, 2006 9:05am

Considering the fact of the article that the age of kids having phones are now 5 years old. Here's what I think would happen in 2-3 yrs to come. Private hospitals will ride on that bandwagon and when your baby is upside down, crying his lungs out for the 1st breath of air, the doctors would ask you whether you would want a GSM/UMTS module in your kid? What more, bluetooth in his ears?

I know it's a little space-age, techie freak. But, when engineers start knowing how to extract food as energy in our bodies, 3.3V of batter to power the GSM module would again - be a thing of the past!

GriffinSat 1 December, 2007 4:36pm

I'm 12 and i have a cell phone for safety reasons. i walk home from school everyday so i need one.

AnonymousWed 16 August, 2006 10:20pm

Speaking as a father who has given his 6 & 8 year olds phones, the reasoning is that it gives them a way to call for a ride when cheerleading/soccer/etc practice ends early, a way to get un-lost at disney world, and so forth. They really do come in handy. Mind you, you don't want to give little kids full-function phones; just the kind that have a "mom" and "dad" button, and a list of emergency contacts.

AnonymousThu 17 August, 2006 4:29am

Speaking as a camp director seeing the increasing number of kids coming to camp with phones, I have to say that I am amazed at the disposable income these parents must have. You are handing an electronic device costing somewhere between $20 and $50 to a child who hasn't yet mastered the mysterious art of tying his/her own shoes. They will lose it. Guaranteed. I've seen it countless times. To say nothing of the fact, that really, how often are your children somewhere where there is no supervision whom you can contact? Honestly?

chrisThu 17 August, 2006 6:42am

In response to the anonymous camp director above.

Child's mobile phone: 50$
Monthly service for calling parents: 15$ / mo.
Losing your child forever in a bottomless pit: Priceless

AnonymousThu 17 August, 2006 10:21am

Sir William Stewart recommended that mobiles phones should _never_ be used by children under 8, and that older children should _only_ use them in emergencies.

If there is a health issue with mobile phones, children will undoubtedly be affected more than adults because the radiation penetrates far further into hte brain due to a thinner skull. See http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/news/images/20051128_absorb.jpg for an example.

AnonymousThu 17 August, 2006 1:37pm

Contrary to what the Disney advertisement wants you to believe, to keep track of your children I predict that parents get more stressed out, freaked out and put more pressure on the already busy authoroties/governments. just as 9 out of 10 911 calls are fake or not really an emergency you will see that empty batteries, lost phones, the kids rebellion to answer the phone etc.. will cause a stream of panic, stress and phonecalls to police for no reason at all and will have parents more worried than they on average should be. More so then the other way around. I grew up learning to observe, ask questions and walk away if something wasn't right.

fuchsiaThu 17 August, 2006 3:08pm

Eight is way too young. It's not some kind of roaming baby-alarm, you know.
They need to know how to use it, how not to lose it, how the money runs out (*before* they spend all their credit - all your money). At 8, there isn't anyone they can't phone from your landline ... except for people you don't want them to phone (non-custodial parent, maybe?). And, probably most importantly, at that age they should be in the care of a responsible adult 24/7 and that adult should be the one to get them un-lost etc etc...
If the very rare scenario of abduction is on your mind, the first thing an abductor is going to do is take the phone off them anyway and fighting to keep it might put them in even more danger. More realistically, they're likely to get mugged by bigger kids if they've got a phone.

AnonymousMon 4 September, 2006 10:09am

Children are anyways using their parents' mobile for games or to make calls. Then why not give them something which would guide them towards using these alluring electronic gadgets for better purposes. And what do you do when your child has gone to a faraway school and there is a red alert in the city due to rain or earthquake? How many people are you going to inquire to ensure your kid's safety?

KristinaSat 23 September, 2006 11:11am

I'm almost 12, and I got a mobile 2 months ago, because I am starting high school and I walk home and back. Five year olds and eight year olds with mobile phones is absoulutely ridiculous.

Also now I'm older I go out more with friends and I would say that age 11 - 15 is a sensible time to get a mobile phone.

MarilynTue 26 December, 2006 5:43am

How old do you want to be when facing medical issues relating to yourself and loved ones with the radiation exposure that all the electro magnetic fields around all of this technology? We had to --- when our son was just 8 years old! A neurologist I know said they are seeing brain tumors in the shape of the persons cell phone. Do you know that brain tumors are the #1 leading cause of solid tumor cancer deaths in children under the age of 10, and is among the top 5 leading cancer causes for adults 20-29? Besides cancer, research shows ADD, leukemia, depression, dementia and DNA damage related to this emf exposure.

Of course, cell phones are probably here to stay but did you know you can protect yourself with a small harmonizer chip on your phone? Check out: www.emfhealth solutions.com or www.mybiopro.com/abetterlife. Why not protect yourself and those you love? Much of this field was quickly hushed up by the cell phone companies when they were looking for research to tell us all how safe cell phones are. I now look at who's paying for the research when conflicting reports come out. Thank you for sharing this important information.

NeikoTue 16 October, 2007 2:24am

Well I've asked my mom countless times to get me a cell phone, and she said no every time. She says shes going to get me a cell phone in april of 2009, the end of my eighth grade year. That way, I can have it over the summer and it will come in handy for high school. (And of course she wont have to listen to me whine all the time) And parents, if you want your kids to have a cell phone to call 911 in an emergency, get an old cell phone you used to use, take out the sim card, and deactivate it. It will still be able to call 911 without any charge of phone bills.

AnonymousSun 16 December, 2007 2:29am

I love this IDEA!!!!!i love it bc i am a kid!!!!!!!!!!

AnonymousThu 31 January, 2008 11:36am

I Love It...Leave Them Alone!!!

AnonymousSat 2 February, 2008 12:25pm

i think it is silly for children under 12 to own a phone. they shouldnt even need it for safety reason as children at a young age should have an adult with them anyway! also children can get bullied over not having a good phone or a way bullies can contact them!

AnonymousTue 5 February, 2008 6:29pm

i love the idea.i what a phone so much.plesa do it

AnonymousTue 5 February, 2008 8:17pm

Phones have there good and bads e.g i got lost i phoned my mum and i wasnt lost.

112darrenWed 6 February, 2008 6:26pm

adam:
i rel what a phone.plesa disign this prodcuct

AnonymousSun 10 February, 2008 6:45pm

I think this is totally ridiculous.... What is an 8 yr old do with a phone.. part from waste ridiculous amount of cred.... hu ever buys a phone for sum1 under the age of 11 must be out of their mind.

AnonymousThu 14 February, 2008 11:09am

That is something weird..
I know a kid that is 6 and he has a mobile phone

AnonymousThu 21 February, 2008 8:39pm

i think kids should have a phone when they are 11 or 12 and certainly not when they are under that age.

AnonymousFri 22 February, 2008 1:33am

Yo,You need to put how much this is because I want it.

AnonymousTue 4 March, 2008 8:53am

A phone at 7/8?
Im 87 and i dont even have one. :(!

AnonymousMon 10 March, 2008 9:06pm

Well i think this is a really bad idea. But i am doing research on this ( whether children under the age of 10 should have mobile phones) for a English speaking and listening exam i have in the next few days and theres enough evidence on how it shouldn't be carried out. Children have a bigger risk of Brain Cancers and Ear Cancers.
I personally think this is a bad idea, making them all pretty like they're starting to do is a bad way of life!

AnonymousFri 28 March, 2008 2:30pm

Hahaa, thats ridiculous. Kids should not have a phone at 5 or even at 8. 5 year olds wouldn't even remember their phone number. This is a stupid suggestion.

AnonymousMon 31 March, 2008 11:13am

hunni how old are u ?????

AnonymousMon 31 March, 2008 11:15am

i think that phones for their young are good as they know where the child is so they dont need to panik if they cant see them :)

AnonymousMon 31 March, 2008 11:16am

adam/112darren how old are you?

AnonymousMon 31 March, 2008 3:05pm

mobile are bad for are brins

AnonymousWed 16 April, 2008 3:28pm

i yhink 5 is way to young to be having cellular devices

AnonymousThu 24 April, 2008 5:50pm

phones are great for children what if they got kidnaped then you would be saying i should of got him/her a phone

AnonymousWed 28 May, 2008 3:24pm

I am 13 and i got my 1st phone at 11 because my mom was never home and i was always out with my friends. Also if i get kiddnaped like the disney phones my mom can track me. So i think kids can have phones but not when they are 5 or 6. Wait until they are responsible enough to handle it. Let them use your phone for a couple of hours see what happens.

AnonymousWed 4 June, 2008 11:42am

well my name is demi,, and i debating this in english.
im 15 and think mobile phone is both good and bad, i think it becomes good when you pass and certain age and your mature enough to have one and make the right decissons with it, but its bad when you buy it for young children because i thinki if we give them mible phones in this generation as toys just because the insist in getting one it really does get me thhinking about what our children maybe even what my children would want in the next generation.

AnonymousThu 19 June, 2008 8:59am

I've tried your links for harmonizers and can't get anything from either of them. Any other suggestions? Thanks

AnonymousFri 27 June, 2008 7:38am

If you say we should ban handphones from children u should also ban them from playing computer game .They will also learn how to say gr8 to you know .Put yourself into the parents shoe ,a lot of parents work full time, and they cant keep on calling the school office when your child has some after school activities the handphone would really help them.F.Y.I im from Singapore and i am doing a debate about : should children be allowed to use and own handphones .

AnonymousSun 29 June, 2008 9:20pm

Yeah, I totally agree. I'm 11 and I'm getting a phone for my 12th birthday, probably. After reading some of these comments: I can't believe you can get brain cancer. What is a harmonizer chip? What?!? The average age of a cellphone holder is 5! That means kids under 5 have it too! Weird...

AnonymousMon 30 June, 2008 2:49pm

I am 13, nearly 14 so of course i need one, but i don't see what parents have against giving us kids phones. i didn't get mine till' i was 11!!!

AnonymousWed 2 July, 2008 2:11pm

Yehhh Matee

AnonymousMon 21 July, 2008 12:46am

maaaaaaammmmeeeeeeeeee......... give me that momel

AnonymousMon 28 July, 2008 11:36pm

I am 17 , i don't have a cell phone. but i am planning having one when i turn 18.
I think it is ridiculous kids having cellphones.

AnonymousThu 31 July, 2008 3:25am

your all stupid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hahahahaha shhhhh u bums

AnonymousThu 31 July, 2008 3:27am

BRO!!!!!
GET A LIFE!!!!
U UGWIIEE!
(DA 17 YEAR OLD DIP S***!)

AnonymousSun 10 August, 2008 11:22am

Thats so crazy, i once saw like a 3 year old with a motorola razr2 V9. honestly, i'm 14 and i don't even have a phone (i can afford one, but i have better things to do with my money), nor does my brother, who is like 16, and i find it slack how parents have to pay for they kids phones (yea, really individual there, let your parents pay for you).

AnonymousSun 10 August, 2008 11:28am

phone are bad brain for kid thin skull not full grown yet age 5 way to old to get first phone.

But seriously, why are we so dependant on phones now? just because they have internet, omg i want one with internet

AnonymousMon 25 August, 2008 11:20pm

I have a 3 year old boy who loves to play with my phone. He knows what number to push to dial a certain person. Since I am divorced, I have bought him a phone so I can program my number into the phone. He pushes the number for speed dial and he reaches me anytime he wants. The phone also has a GPS. This gives me the peace of mind so he can reach me anytime he wants. In my divorce papers, the phone goes with him anywhere he goes.

AnonymousTue 30 September, 2008 5:05pm

how can a 3 year old use a phone any way these toy ones are pink what boy wants a pink phone. but still why are you telling us this?

AnonymousSat 4 October, 2008 12:57pm

i think dat kids usin mobiles will eventually get spoit wif a phone even though i have one but its not worth risking your health for a phone cause u might eventually die god forid.so the positive side is dat if u are in any danger den try ur bestto always be prepared wheneva u go outside i dont mean dat u alwayz go outside with weapons i just mean prepare urself sensiblyyyey bye =]