Would you let your elementary-aged child run free in a busy mall? Are you certain? More parents than ever before are giving young children cell phones with access to the Internet because it can distract and quiet them. In fact, 21% of children 8 years or younger have a cell phone, according to Growing Wireless. I believe that children, especially those under the age of 10, should not have a cell phone for 5 reasons which I am going to discuss next.
First of all, when young children overuse phones, they miss opportunities to develop social skills because they are often more comfortable playing on their phones than talking with people. My 4-year-old cousin played on his phone when he was with us for the first time in almost a year because that was where he was comfortable. He missed an opportunity to socialize with family in a new situation for him, which could have prepared him for future situations. Because children in recent years have been socializing less, young adults are reported to often lack basic communication skills in the workplace, according to a survey on the BBC News website. When I realized that I couldn’t begin or even join a phone call a few years ago, I forced myself to pick up the phone until I was comfortable. My Life/Work Planning teacher was aware of my generation’s lack of phone skills and felt that it was necessary to ask us to practice answering the phone to prepare for a mock interview set-up call. It can be harmful for a child to miss opportunities to develop social skills, and most children haven’t fully developed responsibility skills, which would otherwise help to keep them safe.
Moreover, most elementary-age children haven’t fully developed their responsibility skills, which can put more than one person in danger when they use their phones. Children often post unflattering pictures of others without permission. This can easily harm or ruin relationships. When I was in 3rd grade, I posted an unflattering video of my family without their knowledge. When they did find out, they lost a lot of respect for me.
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One more problem is phones that are connected to credit cards. Unsupervised children often purchase game upgrades or items from the Internet because they don’t understand the concept of credit cards and money. Babygaga warned young parents about a child who had spent $6,000 on a game on his phone, telling parents to supervise children or add restrictions to their phones.
Another modern dilemma with children and phones is that they have access to social media and often post before thinking. When a person posts insults or controversial statements, they may come up when an employer puts their name into a search engine years later; as is the case with many young adults today. The people who were older children (7-13) when Facebook became big sometimes posted immature content and insults that now affect their job interviews and scholarship applications.
The last and most important reason why cell phones are not for children is due to their danger. The Internet is full of hazards that can be especially harmful to young minds. The biggest fear for most parents is predators. Most adults are aware of predators, which are people looking to exploit and manipulate others, but few children are because parents don’t want to scare them. Too often, a predator gets a hold of a child’s name, home address, and even photos of a child. When my sister and I were in elementary school, a predator sent her, along with dozens of other girls, pictures of his private area through social media. He would then send a message asking for photos of the girls in return. Thankfully, this man was arrested. Another menace for young children is intense public arguments and threats on social media. People often use vulgar language in arguments that everyone, including young children, can see. Video game chats can be the worst for this because people are often frustrated or angry because they failed. Also, there are many threats on social media. Momo, for example, was a disfigured human made up by unknown users on YouTube who terrified children into harming or killing themselves. Lastly, there’s mature content such as Grand Theft Auto V information web pages that talk about money and weapons in the video game, as well as the game's murder missions, drug businesses, and even drug use. Because cell phones give people access to all kinds of information, both good and bad, it is important to supervise young children while they use cell phones.
I believe that elementary-aged children should not be given cell phones for the reasons discussed. It’s fine to disagree with me, but I urge every parent to think about what I’ve said and to do what they feel is best for their child. Cell phones can open up a world of kindness and respect, but also one of predators and hatred, so we always need to be careful, no matter our age, to never leave our personal information on the Internet. The Internet is like a large mall. It has all kinds of people, some kind and well-intentioned, and some not. It has people trying to get money from others, and people who are paid to make you feel safe. So I ask you again, would you let your elementary-aged child run free in a busy mall?
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