{"id":1282,"date":"2010-08-18T21:43:49","date_gmt":"2010-08-19T04:43:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/?p=1282"},"modified":"2011-04-28T03:28:14","modified_gmt":"2011-04-27T20:28:14","slug":"teens-cellphones-a-primer-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/teens-cellphones-a-primer-part-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Teens &#038; Cellphones: A Primer Part I"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #888888;\">by Lori Cunningham<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wellconnectedmom.thewellconnectedhome.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Girl-on-cellphone-640x427.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1324\" title=\"Young Teen Girl Talking On Cellphone 10\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/atahualpa342\/images\/articles\/2010\/08\/Girl-on-cellphone-640x427-300x200.jpg?resize=300%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Did you set guidelines for your teen's use of his\/her cell?\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/p-content\/themes\/atahualpa342\/images\/articles\/2010\/08\/Girl-on-cellphone-640x427.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/p-content\/themes\/atahualpa342\/images\/articles\/2010\/08\/Girl-on-cellphone-640x427.jpg?resize=640%2C427&amp;ssl=1 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<address><em><a href=\"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/2010\/08\/12\/is-your-computer-ready-for-back-to-school\/#respond\"><\/a><strong>GIVEAWAY<\/strong>:\u00a0\u00a0<a title=\"Scroll down to end of revivew to enter and win!\" href=\"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/2010\/08\/12\/is-your-computer-ready-for-back-to-school\/#respond\" target=\"_blank\">See \u201cIs Your Computer Ready for Back-to-School\u201d\u00a0to win 1 of 3 copies of System Mechanic<\/a>! <\/em><em>Hurry, the giveaway ends Sept. 2nd!!<\/em>!<\/address>\n<address><\/address>\n<p><strong>Cellphones<\/strong> can be a powerful\u00a0and an effective tool in communicating to others.\u00a0 Teens know this better than anyone else.\u00a0 For many teens, cellphones are their &#8220;lifeline&#8221; to their social life.\u00a0\u00a0In fact, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.harrisinteractive.com\/news\/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1334\">according to<\/a> a national survey from <a href=\"http:\/\/ctia.org\/\">CTIA<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.harrisinteractive.com\">Harris Interactive<\/a>,<\/p>\n<address><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Nearly half (47%) of US teens say their social life would end or be worsened without their cell phone, and nearly six in 10 (57%) credit their mobile device with improving their life. <\/span><\/address>\n<p>The study goes on to reveal that according to teens, cellphones are the most telling thing about their social status or popularity behind clothing &#8211; even more so than watches, jewelry, or shoes!<\/p>\n<p>Teens surveyed stated that they spend as much time texting as they do talking each month.\u00a0\u00a0This is especially true for girls.\u00a0Teens prefer texting over talking because:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>it&#8217;s faster<\/li>\n<li>they can multitask<\/li>\n<li>avoid verbal conversation<\/li>\n<li>it&#8217;s fun<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Parents appreciate cellphones too because they can be their &#8220;lifeline&#8221; to their kids since texting or calling is a great way to get a hold of them.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0LG conducted\u00a0a national &#8220;LG Text Ed Survey&#8221; on teens 13-17 and their parents \u00a0and found that 75% of these parents\u00a0 considered themselves &#8220;texters&#8221; and 86% of\u00a0them have used texting to communicate with their teen.\u00a0 As a result of texting, parents feel closer to their teen.<\/p>\n<p>Like most parents, you are likely to be concerned about your teen&#8217;s use of their cellphone.\u00a0 Or perhaps your children are younger and you believe that cellphone usage is not a concern&#8230;just yet.\u00a0 I used to think that way too.\u00a0 My oldest child is 7 years old.\u00a0 Why do I <span style=\"color: #000000;\">need to think about her use of cellphones at this age? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">According to Dr. Charles Sophy, our children are learning acceptable cellphone behaviors long before they get their first phone.\u00a0 I had the unique opportunity to interview\u00a0Dr. Chalres Sophy for his perspective on a teens&#8217; use of\u00a0 cellphones.\u00a0 Dr. Sophy is a psychiatrist specializing in Adult, Child &amp; Adolescent Psychiatry and Family Practice and the\u00a0Medical Director for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). <\/span> The DCFS provides quality child welfare services and support so children grow up safe, healthy, educated and with permanent families.\u00a0 The Los Angeles program\u00a0is the\u00a0largest DCFS\u00a0\u00a0in the country.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">In my interview below, I asked Dr. Sophy to answer the following questions:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Explain the benefits and problems associated with children having their own cellphones.<\/li>\n<li>How can a parent decide if a child is ready for a cellphone?<\/li>\n<li>Is there an age that is too young for a child to have a cellphone?<\/li>\n<li>What kinds of limits work best for a teen with a celllphone?<\/li>\n<li>Is turning off texting an option?<\/li>\n<li>What are some of the statistics related to parents and teens texting and sexting?<\/li>\n<li>Some of the states, like California, have outlawed driving and texting.\u00a0 Has this really decreased the number of people texting while driving?<\/li>\n<li>Late night talking and texting can be a problem.\u00a0 Do you have suggestions on how parents can curb this?<\/li>\n<li>How much if any privacy should you grant a teen with a cellphone?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><object id=\"flashObj\" classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" width=\"322\" height=\"276\" codebase=\"http:\/\/download.macromedia.com\/pub\/shockwave\/cabs\/flash\/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"bgcolor\" value=\"#FFFFFF\" \/><param name=\"flashVars\" value=\"@videoPlayer=507093315001&amp;playerID=48302082001&amp;domain=embed&amp;dynamicStreaming=true\" \/><param name=\"base\" value=\"http:\/\/admin.brightcove.com\" \/><param name=\"seamlesstabbing\" value=\"false\" \/><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" \/><param name=\"swLiveConnect\" value=\"true\" \/><param name=\"allowScriptAccess\" value=\"always\" \/><param name=\"src\" value=\"http:\/\/c.brightcove.com\/services\/viewer\/federated_f9\/48302082001?isVid=1\" \/><param name=\"name\" value=\"flashObj\" \/><param name=\"flashvars\" value=\"@videoPlayer=507093315001&amp;playerID=48302082001&amp;domain=embed&amp;dynamicStreaming=true\" \/><param name=\"allowfullscreen\" value=\"true\" \/><\/object><\/p>\n<address><span style=\"color: #888888;\">Lori Cunningham&#8217;s Interview with Dr. Charles Sophy, psychiatrist specializing in Adult, Child &amp; Adolescent Psychiatry and Family Practice and the\u00a0Medical Director for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS).<\/span> <\/address>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #800080;\">A Mom&#8217;s Perspective <\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Dr. Sophy hit the nail on the head when he stated that &#8220;parenting begins with you the parent.&#8221;\u00a0 In determing whether your child is ready for a cellphone, first assess your child&#8217;s\u00a0 maturity.\u00a0 Ensure s\/he is capable of taking care of\u00a0 the phone and using it wisely.<\/p>\n<p>There is so much more to learn about having a cellphone than just its &#8220;cool&#8221; features.\u00a0 Once you&#8217;re ready to give your teen a cellphone, take the time to educate your child first on how to use their cellphone.\u00a0\u00a0It&#8217;s up to you, the parent, to teach them about &#8220;etiquette, appropriateness, and safety,&#8221; according to Dr. Sophy.<\/p>\n<p>In my preparation for the interview, I conducted a lot of research online.\u00a0 There is so much information out there on teens, cellphones, and driving, it&#8217;s overwhelming.\u00a0 As a mom, I&#8217;m interested in knowing as much as possible how to protect my children, but there&#8217;s just too much to take in.<\/p>\n<p>To make it easier on you, I decided to write a series of articles to further\u00a0alert you\u00a0about teens and cellphones.\u00a0 Over the course of three further posts, I will educate you about Teens &amp; Cellphones: Manners, Safety, &amp; Sexting.<\/p>\n<p>I highly encourage your comments and suggestions during this article series.\u00a0 Besides driving a car, the cellphone is potentially one of the next most dangerous common technologies a teen can use.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the next article in this series, <a title=\"Learn tips to teach your teen on cellphone manners\" href=\"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/2010\/08\/26\/teens-cellphones-manners-a-primer-part-ii\/\" target=\"_blank\">Teens and Cellphones: Manners &#8211; A Primer Part II<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div><span style=\"color: #888888;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong> <\/strong><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;\"> <\/span> <span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #888888;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When is your child ready for a cellphone? What kinds of cellphone limits work best for teens?  How much privacy, if any, should you grant a teen?  Find out now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,13,14,16],"tags":[53,80,2781,144,155,178,179,260,261,262,264,265,266,267,268,269],"class_list":["post-1282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-iphone","category-kids","category-moms","category-phones","tag-cellphones","tag-dr-charles-sophy","tag-interview","tag-kids-and-cellphones","tag-lg","tag-mom-tech","tag-mom-technology","tag-teen","tag-teen-driving","tag-teen-guidelines","tag-teen-parenting","tag-teen-safety","tag-teens","tag-teens-and-cellphones","tag-teens-and-cells","tag-teens-and-phones","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1282\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}