The mobile phone dilemma

The right age at which to give your child a mobile phone is a tough call to make.

Research has shown that most American children aged eight plus had a mobile phone of their own, and in the UK a mobile phone was developed specifically for four- to eight-year-olds.

In New Zealand, 13-year-olds could legally operate phone banking through their personal mobile, but children even younger could do so with parental approval.

Pluses and minuses exist for children having mobile phones. Some research has warned there could be health impacts for young children using mobile phones, although evidence was not conclusive. On the other hand, a mobile could be a lifeline for a child in a time of emergency.

Whatever age you chose to give your child a mobile, the important thing would be to define clear guidelines for its usage, i.e. for emergency only, limited texting to approved numbers, or whatever parameters are determined necessary.

Parents should also consider that mobile phones could have unforeseen consequences for their children. Although they can be a tool for friendship, all too commonly they become a tool for bullying. Here are some tips on text bullying from www.teamup.co.nz.

Text bullying

Text bullying has become a common form of bullying and is a growing problem among youth.
All bullying is serious, but bullying texts can be sent fast and anonymously by lots of people, so it is especially serious.

Why text bullying is serious

Text bullies often use extreme language, because they feel anonymous and safe and their victim is out of sight. It can be very upsetting to be text bullied because texts can be sent after school, at night, and even on weekends.

There are special risks attached to text bullying:

•    Research has shown that some New Zealand children have access to mobile phones without their parents knowing

•    The bullying doesn’t stop when school is finished. Parents report children receiving texts during school holidays, at weekends and late at night

•    Because the victim is out of sight, the language and content of the texts can be more extreme, and so even more harmful

•    The anonymous nature of text bullying can encourage bullies to feel safe – thinking they won’t get caught – but the victim can feel even more intimidated

•    Many children don’t tell their parents if they receive bullying texts in case the mobile phone is taken off them

What can parents do?

Tell your child to:

•    tell you every time they are text bullied

•    keep the messages, but don’t respond

How you can help:

•    Ask the mobile phone provider to change your child’s mobile phone number or have the bully’s number blocked

•    See www.netsafe.org  for more ideas

•    If the school bans mobile phones, make sure your child leaves theirs at home

•    Talk to your child about acceptable and unacceptable ways to use a phone