| |
| |
|
Mobile & Cell Phone Information |
|
|
|
How Young is Too Young? Buying Cell Phones for Kids
Take a random tween, age 8-12, place them in front of a rotary phone and observe at the blank stare of bewilderment. Yes, gone are the days of the landline, pushed aside by the next wave of technological advancement. Mobile phones are fast displacing landlines in many homes; accompanying this movement is the fact kids regularly use and know how to use these cell phones. The mobility of cell phones means you can be anywhere and have the necessity, or should I say the convenience, of a phone. Cellular service providers and manufacturers would enjoy nothing more than exploiting the vastly untapped tween market. However, is it necessary to provide cell phones to kids age 8-12? What makes it necessary today? Is the simple the notion of having the technology enough reason to equip younger and younger customers with phones? Where do we draw the line when it comes to tweens owning cell phones, and when should we be restricting use? The remainder of this article will discuss the pros and cons of purchasing cell phones for kids. It will discuss the social aspects, health concerns, and cost issues. Social and Cost Issues: Weighing in at a paltry 56 grams, designed with a smaller frame to accommodate smaller hands, measuring 88 x 44 x 20 mm, one of the leading cell phones targeted exclusively towards the 8-12 market, the Firefly. It offers up to 2.5 hours of talk time, and up to 100 hours of standby, basically it's your bare bones cell phone that permits parent's to limit outgoing calls to certain numbers and also sports 'mom' and 'dad' buttons for quick dialling. The Firefly is marketed with such catch phrases as "Parents of pre-teens understand that it's time to start loosening the reins and letting their kids travel unsupervised to school, the library, or friends' houses." Pro: Yes kids need a safety mechanism and having a cell phone handy does provide added protection in the form of determining whereabouts and phoning for help. Con: Big safe mechanism, however, if any parent purchases a cell phone for their kid using the catchy marketing ploy directed to parents, '...start loosening the reins and let their kids travel unsupervised,' they have the wrong perception regarding the purpose of a phone. Anybody who believes that providing a cell phone to a child automatically provides them with responsibility and ability to take care of themselves, when they were unable to do so before a cell phone, are relying too heavily on 'parenting by technology'. Be mindful of such reasoning when thinking about buying a cell phone. Con: Another item to consider, are we turning our kids into internet and mobile phone junkies? One should question whether connecting kids 24/7 to their friends via cell phone will influence their social habits. Also, cell phones are quickly becoming the norm and the fashion. Kids will demand to be hip like their buddies from school who sport the latest cell phone, or any cell phone for that matter. Parents will be pressed to give in to ignescent demands of 'everyone else has one', or 'I want to be cool like the other kids'. Sure it may be good to have your kid fit in, but since when is school primarily a popularity contest? Furthermore, when does fitting in cost so much?! The thing with cell phones is there are monthly costs attached -- not a one time sunk cost. Chances are you will pay the monthly fees. Some options are available to have 'pay-as-you-go' options, you pay for whatever minutes you purchase, however, either or, the more your kid talks on the phone, the more you pay. Don't forget too that cell phones are more than phones. Almost all (the Firefly does not) have text messaging and more complicated communication tools included that have an attached cost as well. Boy, this is starting to get expensive! Health Issues: The Firefly cell phone is designed to give the bare phone essentials. However, this phone is a candybar style, which means the antenna is located within the phone unit and does not protrude out. This means cellular frequencies are closer to the brain. The question now revolves around how early is too early for exposing kids to cellular frequencies on a regular basis? On one hand you don't want to risk your child's health, on the other hand scientific research is still inconclusive when it comes to cell phone 'radiation'. The juror is still out on this one, be your own judge regarding the health impacts. There you have it, some helpful reminders to consider before going out and dropping a couple hundred dollars and an additional twenty per month, minimum, on a cell phone for junior. One certainly cannot downplay the safety benefits, you never know when it could save a life, however, at the same time, there are many con items to consider before sending buying a a cell phone for junior. One thing is for sure, the little handset device will never replace supervision from an adult when supervision is due. Barry Nagassar is owner and operator of DiscussWireless.com. Visit DiscussWireless for useful cell phone fourms that include cell phone reviews, PDA reviews, discussion regarding manufacturers, service providers, and the latest tech news. Shop and compare cell phone and PDA prices among competitors in the SHOP section.
MORE RESOURCES:
Mobile-Cell-Phone - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Bill Payment & Cellular Services - The Wave Of The Future For Merchant Retailers! Electronic DistributionHow Electronic Distribution WorksThe Problems of Distributing Prepaid Services with Hard (Scratch) CardsIntroductionOne of the most significant developments in the prepaid telecom industry in the last few years has been the emergence of electronic distribution technologies, such as Prepaid Wireless Direct point-of-sale activaton (POSA) will completely reconstruct the way in which prepaid services are sold.How Electronic Distribution WorksPrepaid Wireless Direct electronic distribution systems enable any prepaid sevice to electronically transmit their services to virtually any retail location. Recent Cell Phone Advancements Cell phones have come a long way since the early days of the 1980s when they were the size of a brick and weighed almost as much. Today, cellular phones come with built-in cameras, polyphonic ringtones, and high-tech games. Limiting Cell Phone Use for Re-Allocation to First Responders Judging from the 9-11 hearings and many reports by first responder organizations for increased needs during major catastrophic events or INTERNATIONAL Terrorism Attacks of communications, it appears that the average citizenry with personal needs will also need their personal communication available to contact family members, make arrangements for travel, etc. If First Responders soak up all available communication lines, methods, frequencies then the people effected will not have their needed communications. Making Sense of Cellular Phone Minutes Cellular phones are different from your land-line home phone in that you'll need to determine in advance how many minutes you'll use in any given month. Deciding how many minutes you'll need and making sure you don't go over your allotted minutes is one of the trickiest parts of using a cellular phone. Choosing a Phone and Voice Mail System Phone and voice mail systems can be pretty costly, even for companies with a low number of users. Before investing in any type of phone system or voice mail system, you need to estimate how much your company is likely to expand over the next few years. Why Your Business Should Consider SMS As an organisation, the use of SMS might seem too innovative or unprofessional.So why are "forward-thinking" organisations throughout the world welcoming SMS open-heartedly. Built Camera Cell in Phone Built camera in cell phone - technology is available.The built camera in cell phone was not long ago the newest technology advance in the cellular phones field. SMS Daycare & Gaming Using the Physical World as a Game Board. This is not Kinky Day Care! SMS stands for Short Message Service. Tips for Cell Phone Batteries and Usage There are just a few tips that will help you increase the life span of your cell phone and cell phone battery.Below we are going to outline the most important tips:1. Your Company and Your Office Phone System The telephone is an extremely important piece of equipment and a good office phone system is at the centre of any smoothly run company. In today's modern corporate environment it is impossible to do business without them. Mobile Phone Unlocking In the world today, you will but a phone, and it will be locked to one single network. This is because the network providers lock the phones to only accept their SIM cards, so you don't change network. Review of Bluetooth Wireless Headsets Bluetooth headsets make up one of the fastest wireless markets here in the US and around the world. Headsets with Bluetooth wireless technology are capable of working with a variety of other Bluetooth enabled devices such as cell phones, PDAs, and digital music devices (like the iPod). Toll Free Virtual PBX Systems Level the Playing Field for Small Businesses Technology, some people fear it, some resist it, and others embrace it. As a small business owner, it could be the best thing that ever happened to your company. Wireless... Are You Connected? If you look around at any given time in public, you are likely to see people talking on a cellular phone. They are everywhere and growing. Americans Catching on to Wireless Text Messaging Once considered a teenage fad, text messaging popularity in the United States is rising dramatically. According to The Wall Street Journal, 4. The Different Cell Phone Accessories Available Where do I start? Always start with the essentials. If you intend using the cell phone in the car it is important to purchase a hands free car kit. Cellular Phone Contract Tips Choosing a cellular phone contract and choosing a cell phone for you can be very challenging. Choosing a cell phone that's right for you depends on your personal preferences and your needs. Cell Phones Safety - Are They a Risk ? Cell phones are everywhere and I believe they are here to stay. With the advent of cellular phones for public use came a whole host of issues that I don't think anyone expected, at least not in the magnitude we are seeing today. Cell Phone - Helping You Choose When the first cell phone arrived onto the market it was very basic but in those days it was classed as the best invention since electricity. Would we dispute that now? The cell phone manufacturers today are in constant battle to win over your dollars with the latest cellular phones science has to offer. Protect Yourself From Cell Phone Radiation With cell phones quickly becoming an important part of our everyday lives, it's frightening to think that the radiation from cellular phones may cause health problems. Even though claims about the dangers of cell phones are unsubstantiated, that hasn't stopped various marketers from selling cellular accessories alleging to protect consumers from harmful radiation.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
