Kids and Smart Phones: What Am I Missing?

[Just_A_Guy]

So, I teach 10-and-11-year-old boys in Primary. About half of them have smart phones.

Am I missing something? With all the crap on the web today, is there a pressing reason to give a kid a "smart phone" versus a "dumb phone"?

[Backroads]

I find myself doubting whether my daughter will get any kind of phone until she is a teenager.

That being said, I think dumb phones are a dying breed.

[Bini]

I think "dumb phone" are almost impossible to even find these days. Unless you resort to those GO-Phone plans. We don't.

Our household is pretty techie, at least, when it comes to gadgets. I have no doubt that our daughter will have her own iPhone soon enough. She already has and uses very well, her own iPad mini, and gets a lot of entertainment and some educational exposure from it. But my husband and I will have rules when it comes to having a cellphone, period. Don't bring it to the dinner table, and put it down when a family member is talking to you, especially mum and dad.

ETA: Our daughter is TWO!

[Suzie]

So, I teach 10-and-11-year-old boys in Primary. About half of them have smart phones.

Am I missing something? With all the crap on the web today, is there a pressing reason to give a kid a "smart phone" versus a "dumb phone"?

You are missing the fact that these phones have become instant "babysitters" and some parents are perfectly fine with that because they do not want to be bothered. Is there a need for a regular cel phone nowadays? I would say yes. A fancy one for a 10 year old? No way on earth.

Just the other day, a friend of mine was telling me that his 11 year old son eats dinner with his phone right by his side, when I asked her why she allows such a thing she told me that she "can't" take away the phone from him because he gets very upset if she does and plus "he has some school work" on his phone so he "needs" it. Yup and she believes that.

[Rice]

There was a TV show on earlier today where they were saying that current research shows that 5 year olds were given phones over the last year.

Way too young in my opinion. My 3 year old nephew already knows how to use iPhones and iPads, it's very strange to me.

[Vort]

So, I teach 10-and-11-year-old boys in Primary. About half of them have smart phones.

Am I missing something? With all the crap on the web today, is there a pressing reason to give a kid a "smart phone" versus a "dumb phone"?

Why a child that age needs ANY telephone (except in certain limited situations) is beyond me.

People are afraid of their children. They crave thier children's approval. It's astounding to me. It's also pathetic and very, very bad for the children.

[Backroads]

Just the other day, a friend of mine was telling me that his 11 year old son eats dinner with his phone right by his side, when I asked her why she allows such a thing she told me that she "can't" take away the phone from him because he gets very upset if she does

She fears the wrath of an 11-year-old?

[Backroads]

Why a child that age needs ANY telephone (except in certain limited situations) is beyond me.

I agree. Don't get me wrong, I think in many ways mobile phones are great blessings. But until my daughter is really running around independently, I can't think of many places she will be without me where a phone will not be readily available in case of an emergency. And should an exception arise, well, I'll let her borrow my phone, problem solved.

On another note, I don't quite know what to make of my 10-month-old who can barely crawl operating phones better than my grandmother.

[jerome1232]

I can see how having a device which has a gps always in my child's pocket could potentially come in very handy. It would be nice if they would gear smartphones for a multi-user environment, so that I could say, give a child a "limited" account that only has access to features allowed by my root or master account.

[NeuroTypical]

My kids both have access to iPods, which are sort of like smartphones but without the phone. They play fun games, chat with other members of our immediate family, take pictures of kittens, play songs*, create art, maybe do homework, watch minecraft fan videos, etc. They only have net access when someone is offering a signal, so not in the car.

It's a lesiure activity thing only - meaning they don't have them when there's actually something going on like church or dinner or chores or school or bedtime.

(* "play songs" doesn't do it justice. More like "communicate with one another by expressing moods through custom playlists". I must admit, I've been pulled in to being connected to music with these things too.)

Edited January 30, 2014 by Loudmouth_Mormon

[Quin]

Certain limited exceptions coming your way!

- Dual income household

- Divorce

- Afterschool sports

- homework

- calendars / day planners

- GPS tracking

- Special Needs Children (particularly ADHD & HFA, but also dyslexic, dysgraphic, deaf, SPD, etc.... Smartphones have revolutionized a lot of special needs programs in schools. To the point that many districts will subsidize or outright buy either a tablet or smartphone for special needs children)

______

Then there's also just the usefulness of them in general. Snapping photos of homework assignments to downloading books on a kindle app, music, camera, languages, etc.

Phones/tablets are being used with more & more, and younger & younger children... Not because parents are dumb/lazy. But, in my experience, because they're practical. Phones and tablets are just flat out useful.

And when you can get a previous generation iPhone for 1 penny to $25???

And all the apps are backed up in the cloud?

There not even a financial risk if it gets pulverized or stolen.

[skippy740]

With kids being exposed to sexting and with cameras, etc., I'd be very reluctant to allow my kids to have any phone that can hold child pornography.

You know who is legally responsible for any kind of child pornography in the household, right? Last I checked, it was the parents.

I may be overdoing it on my position, but the law would do the same to me.

[Roseslipper]

I have a dumb phone its simple I can call, text and take pictures. Some day I may get a smart phone. I just haven't seen the need of it. Unless u want to see what's playing in the movies that would be easier with a smart phone. I suppose comparing prices would be easier. But that's that. It is amazing the technology of the phone, who would of thought u could fax from a phone etc. But it is addicting just like the internet is. I think children under 14 maybe 15 should just have a simple phone and for one reason only (for Safety) Children are unfortunately growing up way to fast, let them stay children longer. On the other hand we want our children to keep up with the times and technology. I have no children, but My VT's who r teachers were talking to me this month teachers r not teaching kids cursive writing any more, their not learning to spell because they can use spell check, their don't have to memorize things like we did, or even do math problems because they can use electrical devices. Is this a good thing?? Children not all are not learning to use their mind cause these electronic can do it for them. I think modern tech is good we think our children are smarter because they can use these devices but what about their minds? How many people even know how to count out change with out a register or some device. I think it is very hard to be a parent and raise children today...

Edited January 30, 2014 by Roseslipper

[Roseslipper]

Education is very important learning to use your brain is very important most of us don't even use a tenth of our brain power. i might be wrong on the percentage. I guess if I wanted to be perfect I could google it . haha I did not receive a good education cause of health issues. I fell through the cracks so many of our children do it's really sad it effects their whole life. I personally know this. Also their are many who fall through many cracks, unfortunatley their are cracks in our wards, but that might not belong in this topic.

Edited January 30, 2014 by Roseslipper

[Vort]

My wife and I each have a cell phone, and we have two others on the same phone plan. All are stupid-phones. Currently, only my sixteen-year-old carries a phone. My thirteen-year-old daughter is given a phone to use on occasion (e.g. babysitting), but otherwise does not carry one.

I have been shocked to see how many people give their children cell phones, including smartphones. I remember one family in particular, an unmarried sister and her four children. All of them carried smartphones -- ALL of them. Even the youngest, who wasn't more than nine or ten. They were on government assistance, had their rent paid by the government, and (as I happened to know) received Church assistance as well. Yet somehow, they had money for cable TV and smartphones all around.

This was a good woman, someone whom I both liked and admired. But the entitlement mindset that she had and that she taught her children was appalling, and I fear destructive to all.

[Roseslipper]

I find myself doubting whether my daughter will get any kind of phone until she is a teenager.

That being said, I think dumb phones are a dying breed.

There only a dying breed because we adults let it be. If we bought more of the simple phones they wouldn't be a dying breed.

But adults are using the smart phones and giving them to their children.

Could it be a keeping up with the Jones thing ?

How much money are people wasting buy changing out their phones? Well the phone companies are happy there making money.

How intelligent are we? The truth is the old land lines are better phones, better connection, better volume. The only thing the cell phone is good again is for safety like if u car brakes down that's why I have one. And of course having one with other devices on it does get u addicted. This is my opion only.

If theres a hurricane and u don't have the car charger for your phone your out of luck. No power but those old land lines would work unless the whole power gride was down I guess.

Edited January 30, 2014 by Roseslipper

[skippy740]

I don't know about "keeping up with the Jones's" idea. That implies that we do it just for looks, or admiration of others.

I've had a "smartphone" since 2005 when the Palm Treo 650 came out. It was a GREAT brick of a phone, but I loved it. A couple of LDS applications (before they were called 'apps') too. Before that, I had Palm Vx and an M515 PDA tools. These were great tools. I didn't bother with today's "smartphones" until I could verify their PDA functionality, as that's primarily what I use it for.

These can be great productivity tools (which is primarily what I use mine for), but there are too many entertainment (games) apps that make it more of a 'gaming' or 'babysitting' device.

[Dravin]

With all the crap on the web today, is there a pressing reason to give a kid a "smart phone" versus a "dumb phone"?

No, but quite a few purchases for kids aren't limited by a prerequisite need or pressing reason. Put another way, in most circumstances, they're toys not needed tools for survival.

[Vort]

No, but quite a few purchases for kids aren't limited by a prerequisite need or pressing reason. Put another way, in most circumstances, they're toys not needed tools for survival.

True enough. But most of us do not buy our children handguns to play with, even if we only mean them to go target-shooting out in the sticks. When the "toy" has the potential to do harm, we limit the child's exposure to the toy.

[Guest]

I've gone nose-to-nose with a very strong-willed 11-year-old several times a week. It's not fun. It wears me out. But by golly, I love her too much to not do it.

People need to pull up their underoos and be parents.

[Guest]

So, I teach 10-and-11-year-old boys in Primary. About half of them have smart phones.

Am I missing something? With all the crap on the web today, is there a pressing reason to give a kid a "smart phone" versus a "dumb phone"?

Three letters. GPS.

My dad used to tell my uncles - "Why you give your children a walkman is beyond me! They can just put in any cassette tape in there! Who knows, they might be listening to AC/DC!"

Welcome to the new world.

[Guest]

Why a child that age needs ANY telephone (except in certain limited situations) is beyond me.

People are afraid of their children. They crave thier children's approval. It's astounding to me. It's also pathetic and very, very bad for the children.

Excuse me? I'm not afraid of my children. Ages 10 and 12. They've had smartphones for years. But then, you work in technology and so do we. Computers are our specialty. My kids have been using computers since they were old enough to recognize a letter. And just like everything else they know they can use it for bad things and good things. I can trust them with knives and scissors. I know with relative surety that they won't take their knife and slit their dogs' heads with it. And I check that their dogs are still alive everyday. Same goes for their computers - in all of its forms.

By the way, I just went through the Technology Middle School tour today for my 10 year old. All the middle school kids there are encouraged to bring their own electronic devices. They program on it in addition to holding their textbooks and presentations. They don't use lockers. The kids used their smartphones to run their robots and the NASA Challenger control booth during the show-and-tell. It was super duper cool. My 12 year old's Arts Middle School has a no electronic devices in school policy. They have to leave devices off and in the lockers. Which drives me insane because then I can't check if my kid made it to school okay.

Edited January 31, 2014 by anatess

[Backroads]

I'm not bothered by the notion of kids having smartphones, I'm bothered by the idea that they MUST have smartphones. Heck, I'm bothered by the idea they MUST have any phone (though I do submit that they are extremely handy for some kids.)

I read an essay by a teenager, of all beings, a few years ago that brought up a very interesting point. This author, being a teenager, loved her cell phone.

But she also felt that, by having a cell phone at all times, she was missing out on things. Going to the mall at a youngish age? Sure, she's welcome to wander off on her own because, should anything horrible happen, she and her parents will be able to reunite with the assistance of a cell phone. And yes, that is a blessing. Yet it also made the solo excursion rather pointless. Since she is only a phone call or text away, much of the independence of the event goes straight out the window. A rite of passage is lost.

Yes, in the essay it was just a mall, used in the example, but the notion stuck with me.

[Praetorian_Brow]

Always interesting to see who gets defensive on these type of concerns.

Ever since I got a cellphone, I got more stupid. I don't memorize numbers like I used, I don't plan ahead like I used to and I am worse at directions. The phone rings, I have some strange impulse to answer it, regardless of what I am doing. I also got lazy and starting texting, rather than calling people.

I got a cellphone after highschool and depend on it far too much and thought of discarding it. I can't imagine the irrational dependency people who grew up with them have. I hear reports of anxious people at the MTC because its the first time in their lives, they haven't always had a cellphone. Imagine never being disconnected, ever. No wonder some people feel entitled and impatient when they are used to getting what they want, now.

I think the points that cellphones are essential are hilarious, given that for thousands of years, we survived without them. Sure, its convenient to have aps, internet, camera, music in one package, as well as a stalker parenting ap, but man, how sad is it when the cellphone towers stop working because of loss of power. Its amazing and sad.

My kids won't have cellphones until later teenage life, but most likely, she will want them to have them, so I will lose. There is freedom in independence.

[SpiritDragon]

I will likely struggle to ever allow my kids to have a phone unless they want it bad enough to pay for it themselves... and even then I'm not sure. I'm admittedly very old fashioned but I have never had a cell phone myself and never felt I needed one. I certainly understand the concerns about what the children will have access to through a phone.

Personally I really don't like them... I find that they are supposed to help people communicate easily and be connected, but the opposite happens. I remember back in my dating days how girls would always have to be checking their phones and texting their friends back while I was trying to have a conversation and get to know them. I mean is it really so hard to leave these devices behind, or turn them off and engage some one in person.

Now my wife has to have one for work... do you think facebook ever goes away? It was bad enough before. At least she has the consideration for me to turn it off for dinner or a date night.