My Precious Kid

Has this ever happened to you? You volunteer in your preschool child’s class, and another kid keeps flipping out his real cell phone and showing it to the other preschoolers? For real, this happens, and it has a lot of parents asking, “When is a child old enough to manage the responsibility of a cell phone?”

The reality is that more and more young children are getting cell phones. The Center on Media and Child Health Website states that nearly 54 percent of 8 to 12 year olds will have one in the next three years, according to CNN.com. The biggest reasons that parents get cells for their children are for peace of mind, communication, and safety. But how do you know if your child is ready for a cell phone.

Is Your Kid Responsible Enough for a Cell phone?
So, at what point does having a cell phone makes sense? As children get older, and we’re not talking preschool age here, they become more independent and have more activities outside of school. A cell phone allows parents and children the ability to contact each other. It keeps communication open.

A family must have rules about a cell phone and its usage and parents need to consider if their child is mature enough to respect those rules. In fact, using and having a phone should be a family privilege. When the agreed upon rules are broken the privileges should be revoked. If a child is too young to understand and follow these family rules, then they are too young for a cell phone. If you’re not sure what guidelines you should use for your child, take a look at the following website issued by the WirelessFoundation.org.

A Few Things to Consider Before Taking the Kid and Cell phone Plunge
Before, getting a cell phone for your child, you need to consider a few important things. How much money are you willing to invest in the phone? The plan? How much control will you give your child over usage? What features will the phone need? When it comes to cost, there are lots of family plans and pay as you go plans available through both local and national cell phone providers. Shop around and find a plan and phone that will work best for you and your child.

When it comes to features, you need to decide what you want your child/teen to have access too. Many professionals are saying less is better. Cell phones with cameras, internet access, and too many games, give kids fingertip access to things you might not like. Don’t give your kid an open internet line to stuff like pornography and x-rated materials through an internet phone. Be sure to set careful guidelines on who your kid can call and what is appropriate to photograph. If you don’t talk about it, your kid won’t know.

School Cell phone Policies
It’s also important to let your child know what their school’s policy on cell phones is. If they are supposed to leave phones in their backpack or locker and only use them during breaks, then you need to be sure they follow the rules.

This post was written by guest author Edwin who blogs over at Yourlocalsecurity.  You can find more home safety tips at Yourlocalsecurity.com

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