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He That Has Ears To
Hear, Let Him Hear Last Updated Thursday March 03, 2011 05:05 PM -0500 
 
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The
Child Protection Guide
Cell Phones According to a 2007 study by research firm iGR, 50 to 70 percent of 12- to 14-year-olds have their own cell phones, and the numbers are even higher among 15- to 17-year-olds (see http://news.childprotectionguide.org/c.asp?QXdIlz3AcMIv5LvHiJR+qwQJJZVI3qhTV56cR/3KVQDQ). There's even talk of a "significant percentage" of 5-to 9-year-olds who have a phone.1 According to Disney Mobile, cellular users ages 10 to17 use their phones almost four hours per day during the summer, and an hour or so less than that during the school year.2 And they don't use their phones just for talking. They access the Internet. They text message. They instant message. They play music. They play games. They shoot video and take pictures. Not surprisingly, a recent survey by OTX reported that text messaging is the favorite mobile phone activity of 72 percent of teens.3Parents who add their kids and teens to their family cell phone plans say they're doing so primarily for safety reasons.4 Teens appreciate the gesture, with 75 percent saying that a major benefit of having a cell phone is the security they feel in being able to reach their families at anytime.5 Cell phones can be a wonderful safety tool for your child. They can always call you or text you when they need your help. Some possess GPS capabilities so you can always know where your child is. Cell phones have even helped rescue kids abducted by sexual predators. (See eNewsletter Volume 4 Issue 39) But they also have received unwanted pictures and even videos of classmates engaged in sexual activity (see eNewsletter Volume 6 Issue 8). And some believe that they can become so addictive in children that Japan is proposing limiting children's use of them (see eNewsletter Volume 6 Issue 41). They have even been used by pedophiles to "groom" kids (see eNewsletter Volume 6 Issue 4). According to the National Coalition for the Protection of Families and Children, all top five cell phone companies have now developed and implemented some type of parental controls (see http://news.childprotectionguide.org/c.asp?dne0JEUJ70wSsgDKSGG6iAQJJZVI3qhTV56cR/3KVQDQ). They range from controlling the quantity of minutes and messages, to limiting purchases and web access, to filtering content, blocking usage and installing a tracking device in order for a parent to monitor the geographical location of a child's phone. These settings can be customized by calling Customer Service, or by using the wireless phone itself, or by going to the company's website and logging into one's account to establish the desired controls. Select your wireless provider for more details:
The best way to protect your child on a cell phone, just as on the internet or in most other aspects of their lives, is to arm them with information and to set clear, precise and mutually agreed upon expectations about their behavior. The National Coalition has developed a "safe use agreement" that is available online at http://news.childprotectionguide.org/c.asp?hJzpb1N5iKH8+Ps0uIbtzQQJJZVI3qhTV56cR/3KVQDQ. We would also recommend clearly establishing consequences for failing to live up the agreement. Most cell phones can have traffic to them blocked for specific periods of time. Your carrier's customer service number can give details on how to do this. The best way to know what your child is doing with his or her phone is to take a look at the text messages that they send and receive (see http://news.childprotectionguide.org/c.asp?4erZyYeNARRZN4ycO/EM4AQJJZVI3qhTV56cR/3KVQDQ). Most phones save at least the last 50 messages. The lingo (language) used to send text messages consists of many shortcuts which appear as acronyms and/or symbols that, to the uninitiated, can be incomprehensible (like f U do not undRstNd DIS sNteNc U nEd 2 Lern txt lingo). There are obvious risks here, from the potential danger or embarrassment of responding inappropriately to a message you do not fully understand to not being aware of what your child is sending or reading. It is vital that parents learn the basics of text messaging, despite the way kids cringe when they hear their parents using the latest (or what they think is the latest) "cool" youth buzzword (in fact–using "cool" or "buzzword" may be prime examples of that particular cross-generation social gaffe <g>). Wiredsafety.org's teen angels operates a free online chat translator at http://news.childprotectionguide.org/c.asp?i/svGPWK75Z/SlTvjuThdwQJJZVI3qhTV56cR/3KVQDQ. Reminder of the week: Just as you would check the history file on a computer that your child uses (see link) you should check the history on his or her cell phone as well. What pictures are on there? How about saved text messages? Who besides you are the most frequent calls? We recommend physically doing this on their cell phone (ask them for it), but text and calling history can generally be checked online as well. And while you're at it, it's time to check the internet history too (see eGuide Volume 1 Issue 1). Tip of the week: Does your child's school have a cell phone policy? Odds are that it not only does, but that there are potentially severe penalties if a child is caught with cell phone on in class. (They are often used to cheat.) Check your child's school's policy and penalties by looking in their student handbook. Other resources: http://news.childprotectionguide.org/c.asp?m1MXj1WO9KIaSfpYupSajgQJJZVI3qhTV56cR/3KVQDQ - Cell phone safety http://news.childprotectionguide.org/c.asp?9TAO/qj3XblDNUOZQim/hwQJJZVI3qhTV56cR/3KVQDQ - Talk to Your Kids About Cell Phone Use http://news.childprotectionguide.org/c.asp?es5EB1jv0rHZJwkCWkk4IAQJJZVI3qhTV56cR/3KVQDQ - Be Smart With Your Cell Phone 1 Jeff Goldman, "How
Phat is Your Phone?" *Wireless-Weblog.com (May 7, 2007).
Accessed December 9, 2007. |
