Talk to Your Kids about Cell Phone
Use
By Larry Magid (http://www.safekids.com/cellphone.htm) |
There
has been a lot of talk about mobile phone safety, but it has largely focused on
distraction while driving as well as the possibility that cell phone use might
cause health problems.
But
now there's another reason to be concerned. Mobile phones in Japan and Europe
have been linked to harassment and sexual exploitation of both children and
adults.
Talk
to Your Kids
I'm
not suggesting you jettison your cell phone. I use one, as do my wife and two
kids. But, if you're a parent, you should talk with your children about how to
protect themselves from exploitation, bullying and invasion of privacy as well
as an out-of-control phone bill.
When
cell phones were first introduced, they were expensive status symbols, used
mostly by well-heeled business people. Now they're ubiquitous. The Yankee Group
estimates that a third of U.S. children aged 10 to 19 already have cell phones,
but their ranks will grow to two-thirds by 2005. If Japan is any indication,
that could be an understatement. Already, more than 80 percent of Japanese high
school students and 25 percent of junior high students are equipped with mobile
phones. Cell phones are also extremely popular among kids in Europe. The
majority of Britain's 7-to-16-year-olds have cell phones, as do 75 percent of
teenagers in Scandinavia.
In
2003 I participated in a conference in Tokyo on children, mobile phones and the
Internet, sponsored by U.K.-based Childnet International and the Internet
Association of Japan. The conference opened my eyes to both the possibilities
and dangers inherent with kids' use of cell phones. On a positive side, a cell
phone can be a great communications and safety tool. In addition to keeping up
with friends, kids can also use it to check in with parents, respond to
parents’ calls and phone for help in an emergency. I gave both my teenage kids
cell phones not as a privilege but because my wife and I want to be able to
reach them and them to check in with us when they're out with friends. We don't
just allow them to carry the phone -- we insist on it, especially
when they're out at night.
Putting
the World in Children's Hands
But
there are some dangers associated with this technology. When you put a cell
phone in children's hands, you're giving them access to the world and the world
access to them, including when they're away from home and parental supervision.
What's more, today's cell phones are not just mobile telephones. They're also
Web browsers, instant messengers and e-mail terminals. In other words, just
about everything you can do from an Internet-connected PC, you can also do from
a cell phone.
The
Japanese Cabinet Office surveyed teen use of mobile phones and found that 30
percent of the females and 37 percent of males under 20 had accessed "dating
sites," which, in some cases, have led girls and women into unwanted sexual
encounters with men who expected more than just a "date."
Until
recently most of the problems were related to "texting," but is changing. Most
companies now offer phones with color displays, built-in digital cameras and
the ability to instantly transmit photos from phone to phone, via e-mail or to
Web sites. There are also phones that can record moving video.
What's
more, cell phone companies are starting to roll out their higher-speed
third-generation (3G) networks, which make it practical to download graphics,
photographs and video along with sound and text. One company is even talking
about experimenting with downloading aroma, though it's not clear whether this
is something people will actually want.
A
color screen means that your child can look at the same type of graphic content
available on the "fixed" Internet from home. A built-in digital camera means
that your child can not only see inappropriate material, but can send it as
well. That's my biggest concern. Kids -- and adults, for that matter -- need to
be extremely cautious about the way they use this new technology, especially
when it comes to sharing digital photos or movies. Pushing a few telephone
buttons can send a child's image, phone number and mobile e-mail address to the
wrong person. It’s even possible to use your cell phone to instantly post
photos on the Web for all to see. Already, some gyms have banned cell phones in
the locker room because of concerns about inappropriate photographs.
I'm
also concerned by the fact that phones are phones. Predators cannot only send
kids messages, but they can also call them to arrange meetings. Because kids
can access the phone while they're away from home, they're particularly
vulnerable because they are out of their parents’ reach. It's common practice
in Europe for predators to groom a child on the Internet and then contact that
child via cell phone to arrange a face-to-face meeting, according to Childnet
International CEO Stephan Carrick Davies.
The
user of a cell phone is not necessarily anonymous. Although it can be disabled,
most cell phones have caller ID on by default. That means that when you call or
send a text message to someone, you are giving that person your phone number,
which he or she can use to make harassing calls as well as to send unwanted
instant messages and e-mail. It's not uncommon for bullies to use cell phones
to harass other kids and, tragically, it's not unheard of for children to be
contacted on their cell phone by adult predators.
Bullies
Packing Cell Phones
Bullying
by cell phone is becoming a major problem in the United Kingdom, according to
John Carr of NCH (formerly National Children's Homes), a British child-advocacy
organization. A survey conducted by that group found that "mobile phones appear
to be the most commonly abused medium with 16% of young people saying they’d
received bullying or threatening text messages, followed by 7% who had been
harassed in Internet chat-rooms and 4% via e-mail." If your child experiences
harassing phone calls or text messages, call the provider to see about getting
the number changed.
If
all that weren’t enough, there is another potential problem. The Federal
Communications Commission has mandated that phones be equipped with "geo
location" systems designed to make it possible for others to pinpoint exactly
where the phone is located. The main purpose of this system is to enable 911
operators to locate cell phone callers in case of an emergency, but there also
are planned commercial uses of this technology to allow businesses to offer
location-based products and services to cell phone users. While privacy
safeguards will be built in, they can also be defeated. As these services
become available, children and adults need to learn how to control them so that
they aren't used for the wrong purposes.
Finally,
there is the issue of cost. If they're not careful, kids can easily spend $100
or more a month on cell phone fees. Many plans have free nights and weekends,
but make sure your child knows the company’s definition of "night," which
sometimes starts as late as 9 p.m. Also, there is typically a charge for both
incoming and outgoing text messages, Web access and special features such as
downloading games, screen savers and ring tones. One way to control costs is to
get kids a pre-paid service: When they're out of money, their phone stops
working, other than to call 911. Another is to talk with your provider about
package deals -- such as a "bucket" of minutes or text messages. At the very
least, talk with your kids about using their phone responsibly.
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