This is a partnered guest post.
Image by SavvyParentSafeKids
Cellular phone companies have a huge teen and pre-teen army of users. Nowadays almost every kid owns a mobile phone; the device can be used for communication, entertainment or for the unhealthy activities. Parents should be really vigilant these days and it is crucial to know what their kids are up to.
Thousands of apps and internet access makes life easier but there is also a chance that it can be used for potentially dangerous activities. Parents should update their knowledge about smart phones to be able to monitor the mobile phone activities and not to be fooled by their kids.
First of all, it’s better to think it over whether your pre-teen kid really needs a cell phone. If your children have to take a really long walk to school or they are being bullied or have medical conditions or any other similar reasons then it is necessary to stay in touch with them all day long. Otherwise, options are available and not giving a cell phone to your underage child can be a sign of smart parenting.
If you are about to buy a cell phone for your children, it’s worth to talk to them about the rules and rights of cell phone usage. It is very important to explain your children that accessing violent and obscene websites, excessive social gaming, late night calls and text messaging can really harm them. Kids really need to know that it is obligatory to put their cell phones on silent or vibration mode when they are at a social gathering as the sounds can be really annoying for other people.
Strictly instruct kids not to use the cell phone in school premises if they are underage as it can be confiscated. It is your right to restrict your children in their use but be ready to explain all the consequences that the irresponsible use of mobile devices can have.
Smart phones with a variety of apps and internet access are like a town which has good streets and bad streets. You should know that bad streets exist but avoid them at all times. Kids and teens are impressionable so they do a lot of things out of curiosity and peer pressure. Make sure your kids are mentally mature so they don’t get involved in unhealthy or dangerous activities via their cell phones.
Kids and teens are prone to making thoughtless decisions and end up in trouble. There are mobile monitoring and tracking tools like mSpy which are really helpful to keep an eye on your kid. Install this user friendly and affordable app on your kid’s mobile phone and you’ll know all the cellular phone activities of your child. Call log, MMS, SMS and internet browsing history of the target phone is uploaded to your account so you’ll know what your kid is up to. The in-built GPS also helps you track the location of your kids and you will be able to ensure their safety.
Post by Linda Waters. Blogger, marketing executive at http://www.mspy.com/iphone_spy.html, writes about cell phone software and mobile applications that help people.
My daughter will be 17 in 10 days and she only has a prepaid cell phone for emergency purposes. If she wants it for anything more than that….she can pay for one herself 🙂
It’ll be a while before my 9 year old gets one.
I still don’t know what the right age is for one
I think it depends. Still, most parents think that the 10 to 12 age range is good. As for me, I would be more strict – 14 years and older:)
These are great guidelines. My son is only three but I have a teenage brother so I totally relate. He never puts it on silent & it’s super annoying when he’s sitting there texting repeatedly!
Thank you! It is very difficult for teens to restrain themselves and follow the rules, so parents need to do a constant supervision. Anyhow, discussing the purpose of cell phone use is important too.
My husband and I totally disagree about cell phones and kids. He has two nephews that are 13 years old, and they’ve both had iphones for the past 2 or 3 years. I personally think kids that young have no need for a cell phone, let alone an iPhone.