The inclination of parents to buy cell phones for their children and teenagers is understandable. The underlying reason is to ensure that their children remain connected to them. By having a phone, children have the convenience of contacting their parents at any given time, whether it is to arrange for a pick-up from school or to seek immediate assistance in case of an emergency where their parents’ presence is needed.
Nonetheless, it is important to be aware of certain matters that come with buying a cell phone for your child. These matters hold significant importance and should be recognized by numerous parents, as they involve not only the potential risks associated with cell phone use but also behavioral issues. Prior to giving your child a mobile phone, it is crucial to observe their behavior diligently.
Addiction is problematic
The captivating technological features of cell phones easily entice children and teenagers, leading them towards addiction. Whether it’s the constant texting, browsing social media, or engaging in non-stop conversations with friends, these activities consume their time and attention. Disturbingly, the prevalence of cell phone addiction is on the rise, exacerbating the situation.
The detrimental effects of excessive cell phone usage can lead individuals to disregard their educational obligations and other crucial aspects of life. This is evident as students persistently utilize their phones to access social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, engaging in conversations rather than prioritizing their studies and other course-related activities.
Misconduct
The worst part about cell phones for kids is that many of them can engage in extremely inappropriate and potentially dangerous behaviors. Questions about bullying and how easily it spreads online have persisted for years. With mobile devices, people can easily be bullied. Children and teenagers can send each other angry messages non-stop. They may even make it harder for other children to enjoy their lives, or they may even ruin their own lives.
Additionally, children may send inappropriate images and text to others. They may send or receive dirty and possibly sexually explicit messages. They may not know how inappropriate these things are.
The pictures children take of themselves can also be quite disturbing. Children may take photos of themselves without clothes and send them to others. This can be harmful because children expose their bodies to others who want to see them. This is a serious threat and not many children realize what they may sometimes encounter.
How teens and parents can deal with screen time and device distractions
54% of U.S. teens say they spend too much time on their phones, and two-thirds of parents are concerned about their children’s screen time.
Parents are also concerned about the impact of screen time on their children, a separate survey showed. About two-thirds of parents said they were concerned about their children spending too much time in front of screens, and 57% reported setting screen time limits for their children in some way.
Meanwhile, some parents of teens admit they too struggle with the lure of screens: 36% say they themselves spend too much time on their phones. 51% of teens said they often or sometimes find their phones distracting them when trying to talk to their parents or caregivers.
With the rapid development of mobile communication technology and the popularization of smart devices such as smartphones and tablets, students’ use of smartphones has reached the level of one for every student. In the past two years, due to the epidemic, students’ use of smartphones has also increased. Come more and more. It is impossible to learn school class knowledge through online classes on mobile phones. Although the school has repeatedly banned students from bringing mobile phones to campus, some students still bring mobile phones to campus. Schools face many challenges in managing smartphones:
- Students use mobile phones to play games and chat online, and even adolescent children browse unhealthy content online, which seriously affects physical and mental health;
- Students do not sleep at night after school, cannot concentrate in class the next day, and easily fall asleep in class, etc., resulting in serious deterioration in academic performance;
- Use mobile phones and other devices to cheat in exams, etc.
Based on the current situation, what we can do is:
Parents should increase the time for interaction and communication with their children, pay more attention to their children’s life and study, and take their children for outdoor sports. This will reduce the time children spend playing at home when they have nothing to do, and will also help cultivate parent-child relationships.
- Guide children to play some educational games or learning software to make education interesting and emphasize that the Internet is a learning tool, not a toy.
- Control the time children play games: Use a cell phone jammer to properly control the Wi-Fi network signal of the mobile phone so that students’ mobile phones cannot play online games within a certain period of time. Reduce conflicts between children and parents during the communication process.
- Jamming mobile phones can be installed in school classrooms. Mobile phone wifi jammer can be turned on during class to block mobile phone signals in the classroom, and mobile phone signals can be restored during breaks.
- The dormitory can be equipped with a mobile phone signal jammer. After turning off the lights at night, turn on the mobile phone signal jammer to restore the mobile phone signal late at night. Use cell phone signal jammer wisely.
