June 2, 2012 (Powerhomebiz.com) When guardians ard parents hand cellphones and mobiles to their children, they are already giving away a powerful communication tool and media gadget. With phones they can text, call, amuse themselves with videos and photos, etc. But not only just that, with what’s happening around with technology and the rising risks of teenagers getting more tangled up with cyber mess and miscommunication, you should teach your children to be responsible when using a gadget such as the cellphone. You should tell whether giving them the phone is the right thing to do or not.
Mobiles for elementary school children:
Ask yourself as a parent: Do your kids need a phone?
If “yes”- Decide what kind of phone you want to give to them. For younger children, it’s best to choose a phone that enables fast dialing, and where you can enter a few important numbers that they can reach. For older elementary school kids, choose a phone that would allow them to make calls but not text or do IMs, you can have at least some control over calls but not in texts.
What you should discuss: Set some rules before giving them the phone. Make sure that you have programmed the phone so that all the important numbers are there. Also, tell them ahead that if they see an unknown number on a call, do not answer it. If they were able to answer the call or text then tell them to contact you as soon as possible. Set time on the minutes spent on talking on the phone. Tell them what the phone is phone and set a time for when they should turn it on or off. You can also check the time of calls to make sure that the calls your children make are within the boundaries.
Mobiles for pre-teens and teens:
Ask yourself: Is my child responsible enough to have a mobile phone of their own?
If “yes”- Make sure that you choose the right cellphone plan for calls or texts. Get a phone plan that will suit their needs and that it is within your range and budget. Choose a texting plan since unlimited texting is more cheaper than both calls and texts. Make them aware that cellphones are tad expensive and that the load that comes with it costs a lot, so that they will be more aware on how to consume it.
Tell them that they can get charged for any downloads, like tones and games and that they could also get charged from using the net. Set rules and be firm on it on how they would use their phones: no phones during class and always turn the phone off when studying or doing homework, turn off the phone at night or during meal times, etc.
Also, they should pick up the phone when the call is from you, some teens deem calls from their parents as a nuisance. But as long as you are paying their phone bills, tell them that they should pick up the call or else.
Set rules and and the punishments that will be implemented when they violate those rules. Make sure that when you are making rules and setting the consequences that you are serious and mean it. Make sure that they use the phones appropriately, that means that they are not allowed to use dirty texts, sexy languages or snap and record embarrassing photos or videos.
It’s not wrong to monitor the texts and calls that your child gets though they might consider this annoying. Explain to them about cyberbullying and aggressive or sexual talk or texts and that is not allowed and can create a bad image or ruin their reputation.
Cellphones are like an essential part of a teenager’s life and so make sure that they abide to your rules. Make them understand the consequences when they fail to meet them. Be reasonable on the terms with the phone and help your children to be more responsible individuals, guide them on how to use it correctly and appropriately.
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