Kids and Cell phones

They Don’t Need One

Kids do not need cell phones. Some as young as six and seven carry a cellular phone with them. Who are they calling? Is there internet on this phone? If so, who is monitoring their time? Do the parents realize what can happen to a child with internet access? 

Chat Rooms

Getting into chat rooms, chatting with who they think is another kid, but in reality, could be a forty-year-old male. The thought sickens me. Girls especially are so naive. Particularly if they have insecurities about their bodies. Who didn’t when they were a kid? Any kind of attention from the opposite sex is flattering. That in itself is scary. Girls get caught up in the intrigue and soon find themselves promising to meet up with someone they have met online. The ending is never good if something like this is allowed to happen. Do you know how many kids disappear yearly? Approximately 840,000. Do not let your child become a statistic. Every 40 seconds a child goes missing. 460,000 go missing permanently, they are never found. Try living with that as a parent. I cannot imagine the struggle to get through one day, let alone the rest of your life wondering what happened to your child-the thought is horrific.

The World Is Not Safe

Where did the days go when kids played outside until dark? Those days are gone, too many kids disappear without a trace. This world is not in a good place. I worry about my grandkids. What will the world be like when they are adults? 

I say let kids be kids. They do not need to stare into the screen of a cell phone. They have plenty of time to do that as an adult. Let them ride their bikes, play basketball, baseball, or go to a water park. 

Latchkey Kids

Kids are forced to grow up too fast. Many of them are left alone for periods of time when both parents are at work. Instructed never to answer the door, the kids are given a cell phone for emergency calling. Bored with being at home alone the internet calls their name. No supervision, no one watching over their shoulder, so they explore. The world wide web is an exciting place, especially for the young. Who wouldn’t want to find out what’s hiding around the corner. Leading to all kinds of trouble their fingers fly across the phone. You tube, TikTok, Snapchat, kids now are obsessed with them all. Many of them are on Facebook, as young as 9 years old. When I was nine years old, I played outside. Cell phones weren’t thought of. A much easier, simpler, uncomplicated time. 

Learn About Your Child

We all need to take time out to talk to our kids, grandkids. Find out what’s going on in their lives. Keep them on the straight and narrow. It is a dangerous world out there. Let them be young and carefree. No phones, no troubles. It’s as simple as that. As far as I’m concerned, they can have a cell phone as they reach adulthood. Let them be kids. Watch them as they run, play, discover, and grow. Do not burden them or tie them down with a cell phone. Whether they think they need one or not. They do not need one. It is not their choice, it’s the parents. Make the right choice. Don’t let their pleas and begging sway you. Stick to your guns. They will thank you later in life, or maybe they won’t. Either way a child without a cell phone is a safer child. In today's world that’s not easy to say. To say the world is a dangerous place, especially for kids, is a huge understatement. The dark web is a scary place. Once your child enters it’s hard to get them out. So keep them out, keep them close. Listen to them when they speak. Don’t be too busy to stop, sit down and hear them out. We all get busy, life flies by in a millisecond. None of us gets a redo. Let that sink in for a moment

‍

Cell phones put them where they belong. At the bottom of a lake. At least for kids. Mine, well, I'm going to keep it.

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍