It is a bad habit for young kids to be addicted to phones than to building physical relationships with friends of their age while growing. However, I think that is the way technology has affected us in such a way that you hardly see any kid that doesn't want to belong to the latest happening around the environment. I think parents should take good proper care of their kids and teach them the need to play with other kids while at that young age instead of looking for a mobile gadget to handle. Also, I noticed that the interest kids have to meddle with phones has affected the way they focus on their studies in the sesne that many of them now prefer to press the phone all day instead of using some time to do their homework or study their books for examinations and this has affected eduction in a bad way. The more these kids are gicent that fredom to meddle with phones, the worse in seeing this generation getting There is need to guard the way those kids handle the mobile device to avoid issues of not relating with others well when they have grown up to adulthood.
Besides playing games, they might start going on social media sites too. One of my son's friends who is just 9 years old, just got a smart phone from his dad. He went to the park almost everyday but now he stays at home and plays with his smart phone. He handed a small note to my son some time ago, and asked him to subscribe to his YouTube channel. When I checked out his YouTube videos, well, there aren't really anything wrong, but he just exposes his daily life, video shooting his house, room and friends. But I don't think I'd like to show these videos to my son.
My 10 year old granddaughter has a smartphone and although she was obsessed with it when she first got it she really doesn't bother so much now. It's like all things with kids, it becomes a craze but they quickly get fed up. I find it invaluable for knowing where she is and getting her home on time, if she remembers to take it with her! She has friends and goes out to play so I've never worried about her becoming too addicted. I think it all sorts itself out in the end.
For me, the appropriate age for a child to have a cell-phone is from age 13. It is quite shocking to see so many young children from age 8 with their own cell-phones. There is nothing a child needs a phone for at this age and it does more harm than good. And its often difficult to closely monitor what they do on their phone. If you constantly check every day, you will create animosity and friction between you and that child, with the child accusing you of invasion of privacy or lack of trust. So its better to allow children have a phone at an age they can understand how to use it properly.
Every new technology has it's own downside and good side. You just have to know when to stop and how to stop when things gets a little uneasy and undesirable. Just month's ago, news about a certain young girl of about 6 years old was having a seizure because of a prolonged exposure and usage of a tablet was circulating the headlines. There was even a debate as to whether the electronic gadget was really the main culprit for the child had no symptoms of seizure prior to the usage of the said device. You can search the web to know more of the details, but as for me I have already hardened my resolved on this. I will never let a child do something that could endanger her/his life and much more so get addicted to it.
You're right, depending on the age of the child... Social media sites can be a real addiction for them. By the way, this is something even worse than video games because they involve other very negative aspects. The parents need to always be attentive.
I agree I saw how my son that has 11 years plays on its phone most of the time. He made me regret that I have bought him the phone, and I don't know how to make him to stop playing and to spend more time outside with the other kids playing football or some other games.
Yes, I think when kids are exposed to social media sites, the parents really have to be more careful and also guide them how to use those sites properly. I have recently come across this site -Log In. It encourages the parents to wait until a kid is at grade 8 then only give him or her a smart phone. The site also explains why this is better.
Well that's not surprising, because it's the digital age already, so kids don't even play outside anymore, or even touch board games. All they do is to linger in social media or play video games. I guess that's where the parents should step in and set some boundaries.
I I agree, and i believe that this trend will only continue if not grow, this age technology has been in every part of our lives, so it's pretty hard.
I don't believe there is a right age for this because children often show diferente speeds of development. Parental supervision is still the best remedy to avoid possible problems.
Yes, I agree with you. I think it depends on the real usage and also the maturity of the kid. Some kids can have good self discipline and they know what they want to do with the phone, it might be fine for them to use it. When talking about parental supervision, I remember it was once mentioning we have to supervise our children when they are using computers. I think it's easier to supervise the computers, as compared to the smart phones.
@Zero, That is actually true. I noticed that it is the parents themselves that promote such a sedentary lifestyle on their kids by buying them a tablet to keep them busy and preoccupied. My nephew that's only in pre-school has an iPhone so that he can play games with it, so the parents are also to blame why children don't socialize that much anymore.
Yeah, I agree with you. In the end it ends up being an issue totally focused on a care that has to come from the parentes (although many of them do not agree 100% with this).
I avoid handing over the phone to them. But it's not always possible. Often you can avoid those stuff. And it may end up exhausting you a lot. I think for each one of us it'd not be that easy. You just have to work on things a bit on that side. You can't always make sure that the phone may work out for you. But yes it's possible to keep them away to some extent.
I don't think any kid who is below middle school age needs a phone. At the ages of 12 or 13 they are more independent with more time away from their family and their family can easily check up on them with a phone. Kids younger than that really don't need to have a phone in my opinion as they should be developing their minds. It saves money not giving younger kids phones anyway.
I think that when it comes to phones a parent has to be a parent and set rules and guidelines for their child/children as to how the child should use a phone if they are given one. That being said, some parents find that they don't have very good relationships with their children, and therefore find it hard to set firm, yet fair boundaries. In this day and age, with all that goes on in this world, I find that having a phone is not a luxury, but a necessity, with the parent giving firm laws when it comes to when and how that phone is used. My son graduated from high school a couple of years ago, I got him his first phone when he was very young. He was probably about 9 years old. I found the phone to be an invaluable tool in helping us to communicate with each other whenever it was necessary, when he was away from me at school. If he was that young now, in 2017, there is just no way I would send him to school without a phone. No way.
I agree, they have absolutely no reason to use a phone nor will they use it to it's full potential, better to let them explore the outer world.
I am dead against children using phones for other than emergency voice use at least up to the age of 12. But the fact is that most children I know above 5-6 have been using their parents' phones for as long as they can since parents are too busy in their own activities and they want to keep their children engaged. I am also not in favor of allowing children a long screen time of any kind be it tablet, phone or TV but for a limited time.
I agree with you totally. Gadgets are not meant for kids at all. The kids need to play outdoors with kids of their own age, explore the world, read books and do stuff appropriate for their ages. I guess it is all a matter of what example their parents make before the kids. If the parents themselves are too engrossed in phones and tabs, the kids will think it is alright for them do it too. Their should be a timeout session in each family where the phones are switched off and off limits for everyone, including parents and use this time to read books, tell stories or do art and craft stuff etc.
