Children and Smartphones—Part 1: I Wonder I Must Buy Smartphone for My Child?

This time, plenty children get smartphone.a And plenty of them can use their phone to go on the Internet when they in their room. What the danger in letting your child get smartphone? What the benefits? How much time they must spend on it?

• What you need to know

• Questions to think about

• Ask yourself whether you ready?

What you need to know

The Benefits

• Your children will be save, and you will get peace of mind. Bethany who get two children say, “The world we living in too wicked. It important for children to get phone so they can be able to talk with their parents.”

  One mother name Catherine say, “They get some apps you can use to connect to your child phone to know the place he can be. If he driving, you can even see whether he running or taking his own time.”

• It can help children to do their schoolwork. One mother name Marie say, “Teachers can send homework to student through e-mail or text message, and the student can send it back to the teacher the same way.”

What the dangers

• Spending plenty time on it. Young people like spending plenty time playing with their cell phone. Even parents can spend plenty time on their phone than talking with their children. One big book man say, “some family can be looking like group of strangers sitting together and playing with their cell phone.”b

• Naked man and naked woman picture or video. One study show that, plenty young people can look at naked man and naked woman picture or video every month. This one must not surprise us because it can be easy to see this kind na thing them when you using smartphone. One man they call William who get two children say that, “By letting their child to get smartphone, parents will be making it easy for their child to look at naked man and naked woman picture or video anywhere they go.

• It can control them. Plenty people really use to their phone to the extent that they can’t do anything without it. When it lost, they can be worrying, feeling some kind na way, and even get sick. Some parents say that when their children be on their phone, they can’t get time for anybody. For example, Carmen say, “Sometimes when I want talk with my son, he can just cut his eye on me and cheek me up because he not like for anybody to distract him when he on his phone.”

• More dangers. Using smartphone can open the way for people to tell you bad-bad jokes or make you scary. They can even send you rude-rude text messages of naked man and naked woman picture or video. Using smartphone can also lead to some health problems because of the way the person use it. It can even make the person to not sleep well. Some young people can use some apps like calculator—to hide things they not want their parents to see.

  One father name Daniel who get one daughter say that: “Using smartphone can open the way to everything that people can see on the Internet—whether good or bad.”

Questions to think about

• ‘My child really need smartphone?’

  The Bible say: “The shrewd one ponders each step.” (Proverbs 14:15) While you thinking on this one, ask yourself:

  ‘That because I want my child to be save or because of other reasons I allow him to get smartphone? I na look at the benefits and the dangers? My child can use any other thing beside smartphone?’

  “One father name Todd say that they get some other phones that your child can still use to call you or send you text message. You will also save plenty money.”

• ‘My child ready to handle this responsibility?’

The Bible say: “The heart of the wise one leads him in the right way.” (Ecclesiastes 10:2) Keeping this one in mind, ask yourself:

‘Wetin convince me that I can trust my child? Me and my child can lecture all the time? My child can lie to me, even hiding his friends from me? He already know how to control his self when using other things, like TV, tablet, or laptop?’ One mother name Serena say, “Smartphone good but it can be dangerous. Think about the responsibility you will be giving your child when they young.”

• ‘I ready for the responsibility?’

  The Bible say: “Train a child in the way he should go.” (Proverbs 22:6, footnote) Keeping this one in mind, ask yourself:

  ‘I know plenty things about phone to help my child understand and avoid any problem that will come? I know how to set the parental controls? How I will help my child to use the phone the right way?’ One father name Daniel who we talk about before say, “I na see plenty parents gave their child smartphone and can’t check how they using it.”.

Main point to remember: You need to train your children how to use smartphone the right way. The book Indistractable say, “It can be easy for children to spend plenty time on their electronic device especially when their parents not around to guide them.”