Off DC Kids And Cell Phones

[laundrymom]

btw I really dont think that she needs a cell phone at all and would really like her to have one when she can earn it and afford it..

My own daughter was approached 100 feet from my door in broad daylight at age 9 you can be dang sure she got a phone as soon as she was in afterschool activities and was out of sight for any reason.

[daycare]

My own daughter was approached 100 feet from my door in broad daylight at age 9 you can be dang sure she got a phone as soon as she was in afterschool activities and was out of sight for any reason.

I understand where you are coming from with this, but I thought about it. If she was approached by someone and needed to call for help, she would have to stop, get her phone out of her bag and then run to a safe place, unlock her phone and then call me. I think that she would be better off running to a house knocking on doors and yelling for help to get attention than she would have success with a cell phone.
I don't mind the cell phone so much, if it were one that was meant for emergency situations, but not an iphone.

[SilverSabre25]

I totally agree with taking it away; that's totally innappropriate to have been texting and making videos during class.

If it's that important to her dad that she have a cell phone, I agree that one of the pre-paid cheapy types is the way to go. I would handle the iPhone like any other electronic toy (Nintendo DS, etc)--she can have it after school and on the weekends and other than that it's kept put away.

[SilverSabre25]

If she was approached by someone and needed to call for help, she would have to stop, get her phone out of her bag and then run to a safe place, unlock her phone and then call me. I think that she would be better off running to a house knocking on doors and yelling for help to get attention than she would have success with a cell phone.

This too. I was thinking it and forgot to add it to my other post. If someone grabs her from behind, or shoves her into a car, or a rabid dog corners her, or whatever else "could" happen in half a mile through what I assume is a fairly safe area, the phone is either going to be useless, impossible to use, or too cumbersome to use.

Until she's driving or unless she's going out with friends and might find herself in need of a ride, I'm really not sure what help a cell phone would be in most situations.

[TTOTS]

If dad demanded she has the phone back because of her walking to school and home and you do not want her to have a phone at her age, then why not have dad to just buy her a simple phone that will NOT text or do video's. Then she would only have a phone that makes calls

Exactly! My children didn't have a phone that fancy until they turned 16. They had a simple phone for emergency calls only at age 13. There is nothing that is that important to text about in school. Education should be first and foremost. If by chance she is recording the teacher then she needs a tape recorder.

[Unregistered]

limiting technology access is not teaching responsibility

If the use of the phone during class is not breaking a school rule...I am not sure you have an argument, but now is the time to be teaching (from a unified front) the responsible and SAFE use of technology. A person, walking alone, should have the phone in hand, unlocked, and be ready to call/photograph/video an attacker, stalker or someone 'approaching' them.

Let Dad teach her the right things to do - take pictures, make a journal, keep a schedule.

Its an adult and useful tool and these are the children of the digital age. They will lead us. There is no reason to keep her away from technology, but its important to keep her safe in all applicable ways.

Maybe she can check it in at school?

[Michael]

I also have a 12 year old daughter that has the iPhone4.
She loves it but we also homeschool which allows us to monitor her usage all the time. I wonder if there is an App that will give you parental control over certain functions that you can turn on and off as needed.

[daycare]

If the use of the phone during class is not breaking a school rule...I am not sure you have an argument, but now is the time to be teaching (from a unified front) the responsible and SAFE use of technology. A person, walking alone, should have the phone in hand, unlocked, and be ready to call/photograph/video an attacker, stalker or someone 'approaching' them.

Let Dad teach her the right things to do - take pictures, make a journal, keep a schedule.

Its an adult and useful tool and these are the children of the digital age. They will lead us. There is no reason to keep her away from technology, but its important to keep her safe in all applicable ways.

Maybe she can check it in at school?

I agree that these are children of the digital age and they will lead us, however, I feel that the phone is more of a distraction than it is a useful tool to her. Do you really think that a 12 year old little girl is going to be able to react properly to conduct such a task of video taping someone while they are attacking her? I know I could not even do that. Sad part is that people think that the cell phone is going to keep them safe. In all reality, if someone is going to get attacked, robbed, beat up or etc a cell phone is NOT going to save them, it's not going to stop the person that is attacking them either.

It may play a role only in the end to inform whoever: police, mom , dad and etc after the crime has been comitted. My child would be better off running the opposite direction and yelling for help. Just like we were taught when we were growing up.

I was personally attacked one morning when i was about 18 in my school parking lot. I had pepper spray and was working at the police department at the time. Guess what even though it was in my reach, there was no way for me to get to it to properly use it. I got robbed and that was that. there was nothing that I was going to do to stop it.

As for the school, school policy states that the children are not to have the phone on during school hours and there is no way that the school could allow for cell phone check in for every child.... unless there is something that I don't know....

[daycare]

I also have a 12 year old daughter that has the iPhone4.
She loves it but we also homeschool which allows us to monitor her usage all the time. I wonder if there is an App that will give you parental control over certain functions that you can turn on and off as needed.

My ex- did say that there is a parental control that you can set on it through at&t that will allow you to turn the phone off at certain times, limit the useage, limit who she can call after certain hours and so on, however, he has yet to follow through with this...

[Michael]

You can always set the password code to turn off access to the device. It still allows you to dial 911 or another emergency number. That might be the simplest solution.