A Comment on a News Article
Let me summarize this: Parents let their kids use their cell phones, and are charged over a grand.
Not only is that a summary, it should make my next statement obvious: do not give children smart phones.
I am aware that in today's world, cell phones are necessary and not having one is about as absurd as meat, I mean a marine without a dogtag, but children under 18 only need a basic phone that will let them talk. Until last summer, I have been using a Razr V3 which does not have internet goodies or a qwerty keyboard. It has a 1.3mp camera (not very good), a calculator, a datebook/alarm clock, and it seems to me that a teen or younger just does not need or should even want features of a smart phone like GPS and computer like applications.
Don't get me wrong, I know you don't have to be an adult to lust after the do everything gadget, but it seems to me that for younger persons, who don't need all that tech in one device, a computer at home, an MP3 player in one pocket, and basic cellphone in the other should be technologically satisifed.
Then again, the real problem in the above mentioned article is that parents aren't instructing their children well if at all. Until I was 16 or so, my parents would warn me about when I was not allowed to spend their money, preempting the BS that happened in the article. Even for that "computer money" scenario, my parents would take the time spell out how things like that worked so I would not make that mistake. It seems to me that the biggest problem in situations like these are the parents' failure to be parents.
Not only is that a summary, it should make my next statement obvious: do not give children smart phones.
I am aware that in today's world, cell phones are necessary and not having one is about as absurd as meat, I mean a marine without a dogtag, but children under 18 only need a basic phone that will let them talk. Until last summer, I have been using a Razr V3 which does not have internet goodies or a qwerty keyboard. It has a 1.3mp camera (not very good), a calculator, a datebook/alarm clock, and it seems to me that a teen or younger just does not need or should even want features of a smart phone like GPS and computer like applications.
Don't get me wrong, I know you don't have to be an adult to lust after the do everything gadget, but it seems to me that for younger persons, who don't need all that tech in one device, a computer at home, an MP3 player in one pocket, and basic cellphone in the other should be technologically satisifed.
Then again, the real problem in the above mentioned article is that parents aren't instructing their children well if at all. Until I was 16 or so, my parents would warn me about when I was not allowed to spend their money, preempting the BS that happened in the article. Even for that "computer money" scenario, my parents would take the time spell out how things like that worked so I would not make that mistake. It seems to me that the biggest problem in situations like these are the parents' failure to be parents.