It is now common for cell phones to allow access to the Internet and more and more kids are getting this kind of phone. Additionally, kids and teenagers are the ones that are driving the "texting" revolution and bad things can come of that too. Things have come a long way since the days when I was in school and hid a small transistor radio in my pocket so I could listen to the ball game!
Much has been in the news lately about kids bullying each other and that includes girls as well as boys. Facebook, MySpace, and other social sites are where something new called cyber-bullying has been taking place and cell phones with cameras and Internet access only make things worse. These kids can take embarrassing pictures of others and have them posted on the Internet in minutes. It is truly a confusing time for any parent who wants to keep their child safe and innocent.
At the same time, it seems an increasing number of parents are giving up control and just adding their children to their family phone plan. The national carriers have made this economical and easy to do. Rather than buy a phone meant just for kids (Kajeet has this kind of phone) that comes with extensive parental controls, parents are opting to give their kids their old unused phones whenever they upgrade. For teenagers this might be a good option but for kids under 9 or 10 it seems more suspect.
As parents become used to using new technologies they become less scared of it. Cell phones have gone from something few people had in the beginning to something almost everyone has today. But the question should always be asked: just because cell phones are right for adults does it mean they are right for your young child?
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