Children and Mobile Phone Ownership
Technology is everywhere, and parenting is changing significantly in recent years. Children born during the era of technology are become hard to deal with, especially when parents decide to bring them up according to the traditional ways. One of the most contentious issues coming up in parenting is whether or not to allow children to own mobile phones. Some parents have allowed their children to own phones as early as when they are nine or fewer years old. Some schools have also allowed children to use mobile phones during breaks between classes to communicate with their parents. However, other parents and schools have held the position that phones should not be availed to children. Allowing children at the age of nine to own phones may be risky on their behavior and also is expensive, although it may be viewed as a security measure.
A nine-year-old child is not in a position to make informed decisions safe for a few children who attain maturity at an early age. Mobile phones allow children to be at risk of being targets of irresponsible behaviors passed online, and thus letting children own mobile phones is a threat to their character. Besides, parents are accepting an extra burden of having to follow up their children’s activities on the phone to keep them safe. Therefore, a parent should be responsible enough to follow up on the activities of their child before choosing to buy a phone for their nine-year-old child. Moreover, purchasing a phone for a nine-year-old child is expensive.
Phones are expensive gadgets that need to be handled safely. A nine-year child does not have the required knowledge to take good care of a mobile phone device. Besides, a child will view a mobile device as a toy and will destroy it most of the time. Unless a parent is ready for the losses that may come with a lost or destroyed phone, then trusting a child with a mobile phone is not a wise decision. Also, the purchase of a new phone involves the inclusion of more expenses as the child will always need to have their devices loaded with airtime if the device is used for communication purposes. However, some advocates of allowing children to own mobile phones have cited security as a key reason why children should be allowed to own mobile phones.
Parents have expressed their desire to stay in touch with their children through mobile phones. The security that comes with the knowledge of the activities happening around a child makes most parents to choose mobile phones for their children (Moyse, 2011). However, mobile phones should be used in the presence of an adult to ensure the safety of the child. Children at the age of nine years should not be allowed to have total ownership of mobile phones.
In sum, children at the age of nine should not be allowed to own phone since it may be risky on their behavior and also is expensive, although it may be viewed as a security measure. A nine-year-old child is not in a position to make informed decisions safe for a few children who attain maturity at an early age. Also, a nine-year child does not have the required knowledge to take good care of a mobile phone device. However, some advocates of allowing children to own mobile phones have cited security as a key reason why children should be allowed to own mobile phones.