Internet & cellphones to kids..yes or no?

Question

Kids are exposed to everything they shouldn't be through these 2 mediums. I cant blame the parents entirely cos the invention of these 2 devices dont accommodate for the safety of our children in the first place. Kids are totally messed up nowdays & I think its simply too late to re-design cellular communication & the internet as they both also form part of business & income for basically everybody.

Answer 1

I completely agree. With wesites like MySpace invading the minds of kids and teens telling them its okay to post personal information about themselves on the web so that any maniac can see, the Internet is totally unsafe. Parents should definitely know what sites their kids are going on at all times, and sit with their child at the computer until they get to an old enough age to be responsible for themselves and know Internet safety backwards and forwards.

As for cell phones, they can be a great device if used with the proper precautions. I think little kids in elementary school definitely do not need cell phones for any reason, but I do believe that teens that go out and do things with their friends without parental supervision should have simple cell phones, without picture taking or text/instant messaging capabilities, in case of emergency.

Answer 2

Well like most things in our society there have been laws established to protect children from these devices, Quebec, Canada has even placed legal limitations on the ability of companies that advertise to children. However, there are always ways around laws. This brings us back to the children them selves, why do some kill while others help? It is up to the parent to explain in detail why they should not go into different cites and not talk to older people on the net. Just like we teach them not to get a ride from strangers everyone on the net is a stranger to them but the lack of physical appearance makes it easier for the child to trust people. the internet should be treated the same as a fire arm teach them young and make sure that there is a strong base of knowledge and the chances of something happening will decrease. Hope that helps some.

Answer 3

Like everything, these two tools get abused. The internet is almost essential now to a student, for research, group projects and much more...but it can also be dangerous, its a pedophile's playground. But there are systems and programs, i.e. Internet Nanny etc...that can block bad sites, or only make certain ones available to kids. The key here is parental control...too often technology is used as a babysitter, parents need to monitor what their kids are doing.
Also cell phones can be very handy. How many have heard horror stories of children being kidnapped on their way to a friends house two blocks from home?? Or who has experienced miscommunication with with kids on who's house they are going to after school, or where they are going to be at a certain time? new phones are out now that doesn't let the kid abuse his/her privilege, and only call a few pre-entered numbers (mom & dad's work, home etc..) and 911. Also parents can set up restrictions on their kid's phones by getting plans that during certain hours they can only call and recieve calls from home, mom/dad etc.., but always 911.
So there is a safe way to allow kids to use these potentially dangerous technologies, but it is all up to the parents.

Answer 4

Cellphones maybe, internet no and certainly not unsupervised.

I had no idea the extent of the problem before I started participating on this message board. I've flagged more people than I can count (on Yahoo Answers, of all places!) for attempting to solicit contact information from teenage and pre-teen girls.

Further, the children themselves often post questions or invitations for chat without knowing the kind of people who might answer - something a parent should find very, very scary.

Quite frankly, I think that the rules of the game should state that email, chat, and community forums should not be available to younger people, for their own protection. It may sound draconian, but if a child does not know a person IN PERSON, they should not be talking with them.

Answer 5

Why would you say that kids are totally messed up? I would like to hope that is just your opinion.

I don't think that people should blame the cell phone and internet for the "downfall" of kids. The blame lies with the parents. Parents should control what the kids get into.

Answer 6

I have seen a cellphone that has only 4 programable numbers that can be used, also it has a satalite tracking device fited to it so young children can be safe with these and the paents know where they are.
http://www.techdigest.tv/2005/12/track_your_kids.html

The internet can be tamed with the use of parental control software, I have put this on my 13 year old daughters PC and it blocks all nkown unsuitable sites, not 100% I doubt but it makes me feel a bit better.

Answer 7

I think it is not all that good for parents to allow their kids to be exposed to bot Internet and cell phones because of the sexy nature of them. Internet is a sexy environment in the sense that it can be used for all sort things and can be curruptive in nature too. On the other hand, the cell phones have the same character with Internet and as such, are not advisable for kids to use. I can say that Internet and cell phones are not kids friendly and that they should not be allowed to use them.

Answer 8

My daughter has access to both but she also has a life and theres nothing even slightly messed up about her.
Parents need their kids to have mobile phones so we're not freaking out that some pervert has got our kids when they're not home at the right time!!
The internet is great fun for kids and very informative and educational, you just need to make sure they cant access dodgy sites.

Answer 9

kIds under 15 do not need cell phone and once they get a cell phone it should be for comunication with parents and emergencys only until they start paying thier own bills. And inter net for kids should be adult supervised and on only approved sites like nick.com for older kids internet time should also be closly monitored but i dont think they should be without it it is part of our way of life now

Answer 10

My daughter is only 3 but I will allow her access to internet and cell phones when she is older. I don't think it is just kids that are totally messed up its the parents that made them that way. I believe that with limitations both cell phone and internet can be beneficial to the child