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Holiday Feature
5 Things To Think About Before Buying Your Child A Cell Phone For Christmas
Once parents realize the magnitude of the decision and how it is the “purchase of a huge life-changing experi- ence,” they need to decide whether the time is right for their children.
To help parents, tech- savvy expert, Lori Cun- ningham, founder of the blog, The Well Connected Mom, offered five tips on what to think about before buying a phone for kids.
1. Are they ready?
It’s simple enough: Are your kids ready for a smartphone? First, are they responsible enough to take care of one?
Even if you think your daughter (or son) is pretty responsible, they’re going to leave the phone behind. They’re not used to having something so
Parents spend as much time on screens as teens.
Wise.org, which offer a range of lessons on dig- ital safety and online citizenship, said Graber.
“A parent can learn about all the things that a kid encounters online, and then if the parent understands what it is, it’s very easy to have that conversation with the child,” she said.
brace the technology avail- able to them to help them monitor the technology they’re giving their kids.
There are multiple apps for parents: Some allow par- ents to track everything their kids are doing on their phones, and some give parental alerts if certain high-risk words are used in texts or social media.
5. Don’t punish by tak- ing the phone away
If your kids break the fam- ily rules related to their phone or do something else using their phone that is cause for concern, don’t pun- ish them by taking the phone away, because that might make your kids less likely to open up about a problem they are encountering online.
That sends their behavior underground, and that’s the last thing you want: Parents should instead try to keep that dialogue. There are just too many things that can go wrong, and we need to have their backs in that world.
Ultimately, you may feel like your child will never be ready for a phone, or you wish you could avoid ever giving them one. But we need to let them have them even- tually.
viable with them all the time, other than a backpack, maybe keys to the house.
Once you decide your teen or tween is responsible, you need to think about whether they can handle a device that automatically connects them to the world.
2. ‘Cyber Civics’ 101
If a parent decides their child is ready, the next step, experts say, would be to give them some “cyber civics” training, teaching them about things such as bullying, the permanence of what they post and stranger danger on- line.
If a “cyber civics” or digital literacy class is offered in your school or community, sign the kids up. If not, par- ents can check out learning tools on sites such as Cyber-
3. Sign on the dot- ted line
Create a family contract surrounding the use of the phone.
A contract can include how the phone ultimately belongs to the parents, how the par- ent will have access to all passwords related to the phone and apps on the phone, the hours the phone can be on and off, how it will be charged overnight in a centralized charging area that is not in the child’s bed- room, and what happens if the family’s phone rules are not followed.
The contract can really help parents figure out what their plan is surrounding the phone, which is crucial.
4. Parental control apps
Parents should also em-
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