While there is much to be gained by arming your child with a mobile phone, there are also some potential dangers to look out for.
There's no denying the benefits of a mobile phone. Ease of communication, the anywhere, any time contact - with friends, relations, kids, and colleagues
- and the efficiency they can bring to busy, modern lives.
For Ade Kusumawardhani, 38, a single mother and educator for Family Planning WA, mobiles are a must. Each of her three children - Quincy, 13, Yitzhak, 10, and Javier, age eight - has a mobile, although the youngest two only use theirs for games and alarms as Ade has chosen not to put credit on their phones just yet.
"If your child has a mobile phone it's easier for parents to reach their children, and they know where they are - that's especially important for working parents like me," says Ade, who lives in Ardross.
"Quincy has a mobile phone because my office hours are different from my kids' school hours. They have to walk to the library from school each day - which is 300 metres away - and wait for me there to pick them up. I need to be assured that they have arrived there safely."
But every technological advance that provides such dramatic benefits has consequential costs, and some experts believe the increased use of mobile phones warrants more attention - especially when it comes to children.
Along with computer games and surfing the net, mobile phones are a ‘must have' for trendconscious kids.
In 2005, a study commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Authority and NetAlert (Australia's Internet safety advisory body), found that around one quarter of eight-to-13-year-old Australian children use mobiles.
From a parent's viewpoint there's much to be gained by arming a child with a mobile, the primary benefit being access for both parties at all times.
"Yes, there are pros," says Rod Nockles, NetAlert's Corporate Affairs Officer.
"For example, with older teenagers going outat night, I am sure many parents feel better about the fact that their child has a mobile phone," he says. "If they can't get a taxi or a ride they can call home, and parents like to feel they are able to call their children to check on them."
This rings true for HBF member Carol Williams. Carol, 40, a project officer, and her husband, Peter, 44, a Royal Automobile Club (RAC) patrolman live in Queens Park. They have three children - Jayme, 18, Ellen, 11 and Benjamin, 9. Jayme bought her own mobile phone, and Ellen was given hers for her birthday.
"Mobiles are a great way to keep in contact with our kids. For our youngest two, it is great if I am running late to pick them up from school, which does happen as I work every day." Carol adds that she was somewhat sceptical about giving a mobile phone to an eleven-year-old, "but many of her friends already had one and it is a little ‘peace of mind' for us knowing that we can contact her at any time. We think that this technology is wonderful."
The drawbacks, however, are that handsets can be expensive, easily lost, misplaced or stolen, kids can run up high phone bills, and the phones can be a distraction at school. But there are also more serious concerns.
Global trends
Steve Roche, an Internet and mobile phone safety expert based in the United Kingdom, and author of the handbook Protect Your Children From Internet and Mobile Phone Dangers, says that mobile phones have become the new weapon of choice for bullies.
"The anonymity and weakness of laws provides bullies with the perfect means of taunting their target with little fear of being caught," says Mr Roche. "Many pay-as-you-go mobile phones (in the UK) can be bought over the counter and do not require proof of identity, nor is any record kept of the owner."
Another global trend is in commercial exploitation and scams. "A new wave of mobile phones for children is being manufactured in the United States and Europe, aimed at children as young as six," says Mr Roche.
"Mobile phone operators across the world consider ‘tweens' as a key segment and they are planning to target them. Mobile phone scams are also not uncommon, and they take many forms, usually ending up in the caller paying for premium rate call charges."
Most modern mobile phones are WAP (Wireless Access Protocol) or Internet capable, which, according to Rod Nockles, presents parents with a whole new set of challenges. "Children with these types of phones can access the Internet remotely, and are able to download material," he explains.
"One of the things we encourage parents to do is to supervise their children's Internet experience. Obviously, when a child has a mobile phone that's Internet enabled, it makes the supervision and involvement roles more challenging - sometimes even impossible. There is no way of filtering and supervising the material they can download."
This hi-tech Internet capability also has the potential to bring the chat room phenomenon - and its dangers - to mobile communications.
"We know that predators and paedophilia networks use chat rooms to develop relationships with young people in the online environment, which they exploit in the offline environment," says Mr Nockles.
"If young people have a mobile phone, there is nothing to stop people using that as a medium for making contact. We haven't seen a great deal of evidence that it's crossed into mobile technology yet, but it's only a matter of time," says Mr Nockles, adding that parents should consider if an Internet-enabled phone is necessary. "I would suggest they give serious thought to doing that at too young an age," he says.
Recognising the dangers, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) published guidelines for chat providers earlier this year, which requires them to provide safety measures preventing illegal contact between children and adults.
Vince Humphries, the ACMA's Manager of Education and Telephone Content, says it all comes back to education. "It's not just about parents informing their kids of the issues, but also about parents being better aware of the issues themselves. It's about putting in some safeguards that will protect people who are vulnerable, such as children," he says.
"I am aware of the dangers surrounding mobile phones, and am concerned about bullying through texting, although we've never had that problem," says Ade Kusumawardhani, who monitors her son's phone usage. "I've put Quincy's phone on a plan so I can check every call he makes, and I've also explained to him the reasons he has a mobile and his responsibilities with it."
Other strategies parents can use to safeguard their children include programming only essential or known numbers into their child's phone, limiting premium services, instructing their child not to accept communications from unknown callers, and discussing the potential dangers.
To avoid high mobile phone bills, the best strategy is to choose a pre-paid service option. Prepaid cards are available for around $30, $60 or $100 for one, three and six months, allowing parents to set a limit on their child's mobile phone use. Be sure to check that the mobile phone stops working when the prepaid card has reached its set limit, as some phone companies allow customers to continue making calls.
How young is too young?
Rod Nockles says it's difficult to determine how young is too young when it comes to giving a child a mobile phone. "I think it's one of those situations where people have to make an individual judgment," he says.
HBF members Amanda Ford Spora and Peter Spora, agree. Their son, Jameson, turns four in August and while they consider him too young to have a mobile, Amanda believes that the decision depends on the individual.
"What it should be about is when the child can show the suitable responsibility both to use the phone, and also when they start going to places independently from their parents," she says.
Amanda, 37, a teacher/corporate trainer, and Peter, 36, a geologist, live in Yokine. Peter's work in the mining industry means that he is often away, which is why the Internet, landline and mobile phone are vital parts of the family's communication.
"To be honest, we hadn't even thought about bullying or communication with strangers, but it is a real possibility," Amanda says.
"But then so is bullying in person, and contact with strangers when our child is away from us. So, that's a larger part of children's education, to be aware of these things and not be afraid to ask for help."
Rod Nockles agrees that education is the key. "Parents should make their children aware of the Internet safety dangers associated with a mobile phone, encourage responsibility and try to encourage a degree of caution," he says.
"It all boils down to education, and being aware of what these phones are capable of. This will take parents a long way in terms of keeping their children safe."
For more information
- Australian Communications and Media Authority
acma.gov.au
- NetAlert Limited
netalert.net.au,or call 1800 880 176
- Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association
amta.org.au
- Protect Your Children From Internet And Mobile Phone Dangers - An Easy To Understand Handbook For Worried Parents by Steve Roche (Sparkwave Publishing, rrp: $34.95) can be purchased from Angus & Robertson, or online at internet dangers.com
Written by Joanna Hall for the HBF member magazine Everyday.
To find more interesting articles such as this, check out AskTed.com.au.
(November 2006) (
