Behavior: Children and Cell Phones

It was bound to happen. Children are being given cell phones at younger and younger ages. Here are the pros and cons of this behavior:

Pro

*Know your child’s whereabouts. The cell phone is a great way to stay in touch with your child or tween.

Con

*Just because your child has a cell phone doesn’t mean he or she will have it turned on, have the battery charged, or take your call when you want to reach them.

Pro

*Your child can call you in case of an emergency or schedule change.

Con

*Your child can also call someone else in case of an emergency or schedule change. You might not like who they’re talking to.

Pro

*You can track your child’s calls by looking at the cell phone bill.

Con

*Your child may run up a huge bill.

Pro

*You can keep in touch with your child and enhance your relationship with them by sending photos and instant messages or e-mails to their phone.

Con

*Anyone can call your child, transmit photos, e-mails and instant messages to them.

CELL PHONES IN THE CLASSROOM:

Not a good idea. When cell phones are allowed in a classroom they:

* Disrupt the class. The ring tones can be loud, long, provocative and did I say loud?

* Destroy the school administration hierarchy. There is a protocol for parents or others wanting to reach their children when they are at school, and there is a reason for that protocol. If parents and others step outside the bounds of the school administration’s rules and regulations, the school looses it’s power and control over it’s student body and chaos is definitely possible.

* Cheating is a sure thing with cell phones. There are so, so, so many ways to cheat with access to a working cell phone.

*Impairs learning. Distractions impair learning. There are enough Ritalin bound kids with ADD or ADHD already. Why give them more obstacles, like a ringing cell phone? The answer is there is no reason to have a cell phone in the classroom.