WHY THE FU#K DOES YOUR 10-YEAR OLD NEED A SMARTPHONE?

[Hammer Sandwich]

I'm watching "The National" as I type this....and I'm absolutely gobsmacked.
The experiment was to take cellphones away from a family for ONE WEEK.

The FU<KERS almost died!!!!

I beg of this forum, (as I appreciate the generally sincere, and no-bullshit climate I've grown used to)....please someone tell me WHY your 10 YEAR OLD CHILD NEEDS A CELL/SMARTPHONE.

Am I the only one not getting this?

P.S....I'm 31, and the only mobile phone I've ever had has been assigned, and cannot text....I get along fine..(and I'm on call 24/7).

 

[Sapplicant]

I'm watching "The National" as I type this....and I'm absolutely gobsmacked.
The experiment was to take cellphones away from a family for ONE WEEK.

The FU<KERS almost died!!!!

I beg of this forum, (as I appreciate the generally sincere, and no-bullshit climate I've grown used to)....please someone tell me WHY your 10 YEAR OLD CHILD NEEDS A CELL/SMARTPHONE.

Am I the only one not getting this?

P.S....I'm 31, and the only mobile phone I've ever had has been assigned, and cannot text....I get along fine..(and I'm on call 24/7).

This one's easy.. They don't need a smartphone. Get him/her a bike, or a canoe. Maybe a nice, oh, I don't know, football? Anything but a smartphone. Hell, even a Red Rider carbine action range model air rifle....

 

[Spanky]

I agree!  There is absolutely no reason for a 10- year old to have ANY phone let alone a smartphone.  There is no reason for any kid to have one until at least high school, and then one that doesn't text.

 

[navymich]

To add on to this, why does a 10 year old need a facebook account?  My kids were the different ones at school because they didn't get an account until they were 13.  And they STILL don't have cell phones of any kind.  Society as a whole always seems to be moaning about kids growing up so fast.  Well, society isn't helping the cause at all!  What happened to 10 year old girls wearing jeans and tshirts, running around a playground and being a kid?  Now they are wearing makeup, doing their hair, spending their life at their computer.  And because "all the other kids are doing it", my kids see hubby and I as the meanies because we won't cave.  I could rant some more.....but I'll leave it at this. 

 

[HavokFour]

I still have never owned a mobile phone, I miss the 90's.

 

[57Chevy]

What the hell is a smartphone anyway ?

 

[acooper]

A smartphone generally is a cell phone with a bunch of other schtuff included, like Internet access, a calendar, email, etc. Blackberries, Droids, etc are all smartphones. Unfortunately you do not need a smartphone to text...

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I don't have a problem with a ten year old having a cell phone.

So long as it's an emergency 911 type with very limited talk time and no other capabilities.

 

[Journeyman]

I don't have a smart phone, seldom wear a watch, wear jeans and t-shirts and run around playgrounds (although my "playgrounds" serve beer and I don't run very fast), and I've made the transition from my parents telling me to grow up to my kids telling me to grow up.

Hey, I must be a 10-year old!  :nod:

 

[Jeremy360]

I've owned an MP3 phone years ago, I ran it over with a Bobcat.  I then owned a Blackberry that I felt I required, I dropped it and it exploded.  Now, 5 years and hundreds of impact drops into the life of a Motorola V360:

Honestly, the duty phones are newer.  That said, I would NEVER give a child under 14 or so a functional phone.  There was a spot on the news a few years ago for a phone that could store three numbers and dial 9-1-1, nothing else.  My kids would get one of those and no Facebook account until well into high school.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

There was a spot on the news a few years ago for a phone that could store three numbers and dial 9-1-1, nothing else.

That's the kind I'm talking about.

 

[cphansen]

The only reason a 10 year old needs a cell phone is to siphon money from your pockets into the cell phone service provider's coffers.

During Hurricane Katarina in New Orleans. Cell phone text messages were the only way many people could communicate and get help. The main cell phone service center there was flooded and the individual cell tower sites without electricity just stopped working. Now the service providers flew in emergency towers which were powered by generators but they couldn't handle all the traffic.

Now ATT wireless also reversed the charges for text messages for the time of the emergency, but for months afterwards people were calling in to dispute their current charges because their kids were texting all their friends and downloading jokes etc.

But the thing most people forget is many area have bad or no coverage. My home has no coverage at all, it's near a river and is flat and low laying and there aren't any repeaters in a good spot to attach to.

People actually take cell phones with them into the backwoods on hunting trips etc. and get very upset when their cell phones has no coverage. Cell phones are dependent on having towers nearby and quite frankly there are many areas without coverage. Cell phones can be incredibly sophisticated versatile tools but without coverage they're absolutely useless.

Do not consider your cell phone as a piece of survival gear. The only thing a cell phone is good for in the woods is if you get two more cellfones from your buddies and some twine, you can make a bolo.

 

[Sapplicant]

People actually take cell phones with them into the backwoods on hunting trips etc. and get very upset when their cell phones has no coverage. Cell phones are dependent on having towers nearby and quite frankly there are many areas without coverage. Cell phones can be incredibly sophisticated versatile tools but without coverage they're absolutely useless.

Do not consider your cell phone as a piece of survival gear. The only thing a cell phone is good for in the woods is if you get two more cellfones from your buddies and some twine, you can make a bolo.

Agreed.

Machines are gonna fail and the system's gonna fail...then, survival. Who has the ability to survive? That's the game - survive.

Do the right thing, and get the kid a fishing rod instead.

I also agree, though, that in an urban setting, one of those phones that has mommy/daddy's number, an emergency contact, and 911 could be useful. Just make sure they know better than to prank call 911, that could be rather frustrating for all parties involved.

 

[BernDawg]

My kids would get one of those and no Facebook account until well into high school.

Ah, outside our lane I see. I get the impression you do not currently have children so don't count you eggs before they've hatched. ;-)

The truth of the matter is that this is the new reality. Our kids socialize with these devices. When we were kids we spent hours on the phone (Land line) and our parents cursed the damned things as a waste of time. Heaven forbid you called the radio station in the next town over to request a song on Saturday night cause it cost $.50 for the call. The more things change the more they stay the same.

My kids get a phone when they start High School. Why? So I can call them when I need to. When you're  a busy parent, trying to schedule a myriad of events, sports, field trips, etc. this mobile form of communication becomes a valuable tool. If the technology exists why not take advantage of it. (just for the record they do not get smart phones)

The same can be said for Facebook. Make sure your on your kids friend list and subscribe to their posts. I know what they're talking about and they're OK with that. I see the opposite every day from friends of my kids that asked to be friends of mine (I never ask them) and they say some pretty wild stuff. my kids? Not so much, cause they know I'm "in the room".  I know my kids aren't angels but at least they may appear that way on a public forum.  Facebook can also be used as a communication tool. I coached youth soccer and created a page for the team, added all the players with FB accts and any of the parents that wished to be subscribed as well. Funny thing, people that have bad habits when it comes to email check their FB acct and, lo and behold, information gets passed on.

There's my $.02 take it or leave it.

Cheers
Bern

 

[Navalsnpr]

....please someone tell me WHY your 10 YEAR OLD CHILD NEEDS A CELL/SMARTPHONE.

Were they born with it attached to them, No!  There is no need for a cell/smartphone.  There is indeed a "want" factor there. If the power goes out, you need food, you need water, you need oxygen, your cell phone/smart phone will probably not work within 6-12 hours once the UPS's at the cell towers deplete their batteries. But yet, the child can still live!

Remember the jokes years ago where men wore the pants in the family when their wives allowed them to?  I think we are seeing a shift where the kids are calling the shots because parental units would prefer to be friends and equals to their kids and not mentors and leaders.

If a 10 year old kid wants a cell phone, get them a SIN number and tell them to get a job to support it, otherwise the answer is NO!

 

[Spanky]

Remember the jokes years ago where men wore the pants in the family when their wives allowed them to?  I think we are seeing a shift where the kids are calling the shots because parental units would prefer to be friends and equals to their kids and not mentors and leaders.

Therein lies the problem!  That is a factor in so many more situations than cell phones.

 

[the 48th regulator]

Why does this thread remind me of this Piece;

http://youtu.be/9N2E93VzQSA

dileas

tess

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Jesus H, we're not talking about being left outside a zombie free zone, post apocalypse or being lost in the wilds of BC with two missing toes from an errant axe blow. Who the fuck cares about cell coverage in the woods.

We're talking about little ten year old Suzy getting stalked on the way home from her urban school. That emergency 911 cell phone could make the difference between her getting home or a new lifetime job in Belarus.

Try stay on track here.

 

[cphansen]

Well having worked in a wireless provider's call center for five years, I can tell you the majority of the calls are to dispute the service charges junior ran up using text or downloading songs or games.

A 10 year old does not need a cell phone, they may want it but they don't need it. As for 10 year old Suzie going home from school, she will also have coverage problems. Big cities have major bad coverage are and you can't depend on having good coverage in case of an emergency. If little Suzie is being stalked what chance does she have of getting off a call, and continuing to maintain a link.

A cell phone may be comforting to a parent but is pretty useless (IMO) to stop a kidnapping or assault. It would make more sense to have a device with UPS and a siren and flashing lights to warn people around there's a problem. The device could also send a radio signal saying here I am.

And as for people lost in the woods, I have received many more messages complaining of coverage in the woods then for missing children and people.

 

[Navalsnpr]

We're talking about little ten year old Suzy getting stalked on the way home from her urban school. That emergency 911 cell phone could make the difference between her getting home or a new lifetime job in Belarus.

So you get a child a cell phone that is GPS enabled and has pre-programmed numbers put in by the parent as well as 9-1-1. No text, no internet, no email.