No doubt, you have heard your child proclaim, at least they are convinced, this profound truth – “Everybody has one!” They could be talking about just about anything – the newest Barbie doll, a remote-control airplane, a virtual reality console, and so on. While it may annoy you, as you are highly suspicious that not everybody has one. But the stakes are much higher when your kiddo is trying to convince you that all of your friends have smartphones.
Smartphones are an entirely different animal as they can turn your child’s life (as well as yours) upside down. You have to ask yourself some serious questions – such as: Is my son or daughter ready to carry a $1000.00 device around school? Are they responsible with their chores, completing homework assignments, managing their money, getting up when the alarm goes off, taking care of pets, and any other areas of concern that you might have about their maturity level? Obviously, if the answers to these questions are “no” there may be serious doubts about your child’s readiness for a cellphone.
But as a parent, the bigger concerns might not even be around the level of responsibility of your child as much as it is potential negative consequences. According to studies, 50% of teenagers admit they are addicted to their cellphones. Along with this is the increase in mental health issues for teens. The correlation is strong. Some parents feel guilty being worried about their teen becoming addicted to cellphone use as they themselves are the poster child for addiction. But it may be time for parents to step up and set the example – break free from their own cellphone addiction, put it down and have one-on-one time with their kid. Maybe this will be a reminder of the purpose of and the reasons that we became parents. Just a thought.