Monday, February 7, 2011

When I was your age, I didn't even have an iPod! Get off my lawn!

Working at NCTV17, I sometimes do stories at area middle schools. The scary thing is the amount of kids that have cell phones. The scarier thing is that their allowed to play around with them while in the hallways.

I remember just a few years ago when I went to high school at Glenbard West-- we weren't even allowed to listen to our iPod's in the hallway. So kids are allowed to get away with more at an earlier age.

Kids have more distractions as each new year passes, and I think that's where parents get a little weirded out. And with more of these distractions, the harder it is to effectively parent a child.

A growing problem like cell phones for middle school-aged children has a couple of consequences. For one, it gives them unfiltered access to the Internet, a place where a lot of objectionable material lies. Secondly, it gives the child the appearance of more responsibility. Kids want to grow up so fast, and when a parent breaks down and gets their kid a cell phone, it possibly lets them think that they are more grown up than they actually are.

Still though, are either of these consequences that big of a deal? I think regardless of how early the current generation starts to get hooked on the easy access of technology, they will eventually get there. So why not start earlier? Why not give these middle schoolers more chances to become accustomed to the technology that will eventually dictate their lives?

I think it's normal to see the "moral panic" in the majority opinion. People are afraid of change, and this is no different. But I think this is change that could be beneficial.

2 comments:

  1. Crazy world we live in. My 7 year old daughter, already wants a cell phone. I haven't gotten her one yet, not because I think its a sign of "growing up too fast", but I'm afraid she'll lose it or break it. I think it is a good tool to keep track of your kid. Not all people that have cell phones are "responsible adults", you saw that chick a few weeks back fall into the mall fountain while texting.

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  2. Good point. I didn't even think about the costs associated with cell phones. Especially since most on the market now are touch-screen...

    This is valuable technology. I was always losing stuff when I was a kid and I probably would've lost a phone if I had one, haha.

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