Children, mobile phones and parental differences.

Mutter_2

Agree with all the Op says. What kills me is to witness a group of girls all talking on their mobiles to other people. Or maybe they're talking to each other!!

bestpud

Zazen999 wrote: »

I agree, esp as their little brains are still developing........goodness knows what damage they are doing to themselves. I used to be able to sense my phone just about to ring so I stopped using it and try to keep useage to a minimum now.

I've never sensed it about to ring but I can't talk on a mobile phone as they make my ear red hot and the side of my head/face ache, within a couple of minutes at most! If I carry on with it, the whole side of my face goes numb and very hot to touch - it's a horrible feeling!

I can (and do! ) talk for a good while on my landline with no ill effect, but I only really text on my mobile.

Does anyone else have that happen?

This was the reason my older two had one much later than all their friends!

Spendless

No reason for my own 9yo to have one yet. The only places he's allowed are to the shops, running errands for me, straight there and back. To the local play-park a stone's throw away from me and I can and do check up on him every so often. My rule is if he's asked to go anywhere away from the park he is to come home and ask me first, and he's occassionally visited my parents who live in same village and me and mum have a so many rings to the house-phone to indicate he's set off from my house and arrived at her and vice versa.

There are children in his year with them but mainly they are kids who are allowed far further afield than my ds is. Not sure when I'll introduce one tbh. AFAIK they aren't allowed at the local secondary school.

looby75

my ds is 8 and I gave him one of my old phones and a t mobile sim about a year ago. He gets a £5 top up whenever he needs it BUT it comes out of his pocket money, so he uses it pretty sparingly as he realises it means less money for doctor Who mags and dvds lol

He doesn't take it to school, he texts his dad a few times a week, and texts me at the weekends he's staying at his dads. He takes it out with him when he goes to the local park, and the fact he has it is the main reason I allow him to go to the park with his friends. It's a really old phone and has very little value so I'm not worried about him losing it or someone trying to steal it off him.

I don't personally think it's a problem children that age having a phone as long as its use is monitored.

Lunar_Eclipse

looby75 wrote: »

I don't personally think it's a problem children that age having a phone

Well at least your actions fit with your gut instincts. Whilst I'm choosing not to give my children mobiles for as long as possible (even though we also have old ones in the house), what I completely don't understand is why any child of that age would have a need for their own phone (mobile or otherwise, unless they were a latch key kid perhaps.)

I'm guessing it's purely for parental convenience and because it is so very easily affordable for those who have them.

I know my 9 year old would use one if she had one, but she's happy enough to use the landline or e-mail so it's not a big issue currently. And I agree with a previous poster who mentioned long term health risks; they could be the next cigarettes for all we know (frightening thought!)

Savvy_Sue

Spendless wrote: »

AFAIK they aren't allowed at the local secondary school.

I would be gob-smacked if in this day and age any secondary school could enforce a "no mobile phones to be brought to school" rule.

Certainly my boys have had a "no mobile phones to be used during the school day" rule strictly enforced, BUT with the distances many of them are travelling, with no 'school bus' service, mine had one from day one to ensure I could find out where they were if they were late home!

However, not before then in this household either!

looby75

Lunar_Eclipse wrote: »

Well at least your actions fit with your gut instincts. Whilst I'm choosing not to give my children mobiles for as long as possible (even though we also have old ones in the house), what I completely don't understand is why any child of that age would have a need for their own phone (mobile or otherwise, unless they were a latch key kid perhaps.)

I'm guessing it's purely for parental convenience and because it is so very easily affordable for those who have them.

I know my 9 year old would use one if she had one, but she's happy enough to use the landline or e-mail so it's not a big issue currently. And I agree with a previous poster who mentioned long term health risks; they could be the next cigarettes for all we know (frightening thought!)

Sorry I don't quite understand what you mean

DS uses the land line/email and MSN too (to keep in touch with close friends and family)

My ds isn't a latchkey kid but I like the idea that I can ring him and he can ring me when he's out and about. It means that I feel a little more comfortable letting him go out to play with his friends.

Its his own phone in the sense that he takes it out with him and he pays for the credit out of his pocket money, if I even thought, never mind found out, that he was misusing it then I would confiscate it without a seconds thought.

bestpud

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

I would be gob-smacked if in this day and age any secondary school could enforce a "no mobile phones to be brought to school" rule.

Certainly my boys have had a "no mobile phones to be used during the school day" rule strictly enforced, BUT with the distances many of them are travelling, with no 'school bus' service, mine had one from day one to ensure I could find out where they were if they were late home!

However, not before then in this household either!

I agree with what you are saying, and know I'd do the same.

However, does anyone else reading this thread wonder how people managed before they could give their child a mobile phone to carry with them?

I'm sure children still travelled long distances to school, still went out to play (probably much further than they do now), still found their bus service cancelled last minute, still missed buses/trains, still got into scrapes...

And, why do people think 'chatting' online is any better than texting?

I can see how a proper conversation over a landline (or mobile I guess) is better than electronic chatting, as it involves more interaction, but I'm not so sure chatting online is 'better'.

Good thread aliasojo! :beer:

aliasojo

bestpud wrote: »

However, does anyone else reading this thread wonder how people managed before they could give their child a mobile phone to carry with them?

I'm sure children still travelled long distances to school, still went out to play (probably much further than they do now), still found their bus service cancelled last minute, still missed buses/trains, still got into scrapes...

I've often wondered if my son in particular might have been better without a phone. When I was growing up, if anything happened whilst I was out, I had to cope and deal with whatever it was. I think it made me independent and responsible. If anything happened to my son, he'd automatically reach for his mobile and phone me for help (even now...and he's 20).

Now whilst a big part of me is glad about that and the fact I could/can help him, a part of me thinks his phone gave him the opportunity to be less self reliant. I think it's often the case with people that they think they can't do something until they are in the situation where they have no choice....then they just get on with it and cope, usually very well. It's character building.

Of course there are times these days where my mobile runs out of battery power and the house phone has accidentally been unplugged so unfortunately he's unable to get me. :whistle:

On the whole, mobiles are great things but I do hate the way they've intruded so much into children's lives and become such a part of them from such an early age.

ailuro2

bestpud wrote: »

The timer is a good idea! I like the sound of that!

I wrote the comment about the wrist device with tongue in cheek - it's called a watch.;)

If kids are old enough to be out playing out of earshot of the house, then imho they should be old enough to tell the time and come home at the time they've been given.:D

when anyone needed to phone home they used to use payphones - it was part of the stuff you needed to have in your pocket at Brownies - a 2p piece for the phone.(I'm showing my age now - hard to believe you would ever be able to use a two pence piece for anything essential!)

Of course, some people used to go to the phone box to make a call because they didn't have a house phone...