When I was 12, all I wanted was the newest David Cassidy record. Lately my 12-year-old daughter has been begging me for her first cell phone. Her mantra is that it will "make her safer." After giving this some thought, I decided to research the safety aspect of getting her this luxury item, a cell phone.
The most practical aspect of buying a cell phone for my daughter was her ability to contact me in case of an emergency. This does not include running out of money at the shopping mall. This sense of security allows me to give her more freedom, within our set boundaries, and assures me that she can reach me at any time, for any reason. But several questions remained.
First of all, who was going to pay for the mobile phone? Would she use allowance money or money from babysitting and her potential summertime job? Cell phone use can become quite expensive if it is not monitored frequently.
How was the cell phone going to be used? I know that cell phones are now used for bullying fellow classmates, cheating on exams and organizing the overthrow of small third-world governments. Should I ask her to use this only for emergency purposes or put a limit on the friends she can call?
We need to discuss her use of the mobile device at school. Many schools now have strict policies on the use of cell phones on campus. Ringing cell phones are disruptive during class and texting teens are probably not paying much attention to the math lesson.
A big fear I had was text messaging. I've heard recently about some of risque text messages that teens are sending and receiving. I was sure an adult conversation would be needed to explain to her why this was inappropriate behavior. A study found that one in five teens had sent or posted a naked picture of themselves. My daughter would need a reminder that these photos remain forever and may come back to haunt her in a college school application or future job search unless she plans on a "Girls Gone Wild" career.
One of the merits of getting her the cell phone was my ability to track her whereabouts using the GPS feature on the phone. So now when she calls me to tell me she's home, I can actually check from work to see that she has arrived safely.
After listening to numerous educators, kids and parents, The Wireless Foundation, CTIA-The Wireless Association and its members have developed the "Be Smart. Be Fair. Be Safe: Responsible Wireless Use" campaign ( ). They offer simple tips to assist parents begin a conversation with their kids about mobile phone use.
Since this was a pretty big-ticket expense, I want to make sure her cell phone is securely protected from damage. We all remember how her tape recorder ended up in the bathtub. After a quick online search at , we found a delightfully cool cell phone cover in the shape of a pink dog. My daughter was able to clip the plush cell phone accessory to her backpack using the heavy duty key-clip attachment. Now her phone is secure from drops and dings and will hopefully last awhile.
At least until the conversation about driving occurs.
