The Cell Phone Debate: Deciding If You Should You Give Your Kid One or Not
Cell phones have become a standard of functioning in our everyday lives… much different from when we were coming up. When we were kids, comic books, sports, and television were a few of the many joys we looked forward to, but in this day and age, cell phones are all the rage.
As a parent, you’re going back and forth in your mind on the subject because your kid isn’t a little kid anymore but they’re also not a big kid either, so you question your judgment on whether or not you should get them a cell phone. Well, to answer your question and stop the madness going on in your head, yes, your child needs a cell phone… and they need it before high school.
There… do you feel better? Probably not because now you need reasons as to why your child needs a cell phone, and that’s perfectly understandable.
In the Mind of Parents…
In your mind, for one, a cell phone is just another thing that your kid is going to nag you about until they get one. Secondly, cell phones are expensive and you are not about to pay all that money for a phone that your child is only going to lose in a couple of months…
Would you like to hear the solution to those thoughts? First, by getting your child a cell phone, you’re preventing the nagging from happening. According to verywellfamily.com, upon giving your child a cell phone, you have every right to list any rules and stipulations that come with it and if they don’t follow your rules, there will be consequences.
Secondly, who said that you have to “spend all that money” on a phone? No one. Yes, cell phones are expensive but that doesn’t mean you have to pay the expensive price tag. There are used phones perfect for tweens and teens but are more than half the price of new phones… they have all the same functions and features of new phones, just less expensive. So if you’re that worried about price, shop pre-owned phones.
In the Mind of Tweens…
In the mind of your tween, having a cell phone is a major step towards independence and real responsibility… plus it’s a step up in their social status among their friends, and you can’t have your tween not looking cool among friends, right?
Why Your Kid Needs a Cell Phone
In all honesty, you’re the parent and only you know if your child is ready for a cell phone or not but you also need to be very aware that we live in a digital era and by not giving your child a cell phone, you’re doing a major disservice to them and ultimately setting them up to be disadvantaged in several areas of their life.
So, instead of being the parent who says “and that’s why I would never let my child have a cell phone,” take a look at why your child having a cell phone will not only be beneficial to the but also very beneficial to you as well.
Reason 1: Staying Connected
As a parent, you worry about your kids and giving them a cell phone is going to be your peace of mind. Maybe your kid is involved in sports and they have an away game you can’t make. One of your rules can be for them to let you know when they leave to and from the schools… that’s going to give you a sigh of relief to know they’re okay, and you’ll know if they won the game or not!
Reason 2: Safety
Safety is a major concern among parents and cell phones are one of the biggest ways that parents can make sure their kids are safe or not. Just think about it… kids go through things every day and as a parent, you do your best to help them through the tough times but sometimes, that doesn’t always work and when it doesn’t work, that’s what leads to school shootings.
Within the past two to three decades, school shooting have been happening more than ever. If you notice, with those school shootings, so many students sent their parents text messages alerting them of what was going on, saying “goodbye” and “I love you” messages…
It’s truly sad that tragedies like that happen as often as they do but that’s the reality we live in and that reason alone is why it’s so important for your child to have a cell phone.
Reason 3: Responsibility
A cell phone is your kid’s first real taste of responsibility. Yes, your kids had a goldfish when they were eight but you ended up having to flush Mr. Wiggles down the toilet because your daughter kept forgetting to feed him but now that she has a cell phone and knows the importance of taking care of it, she feels a different type of responsibility than she did with the fish.
The phone is her line of communication with the world and losing it could mean that she won’t get another one for a while, per your consequences discussion, so give your kid a shot and see how it goes… how else will they learn responsibility if they’re not given the opportunity to explore it?
Photo by Daria Nepriakhina