As the holiday season approaches, kids begin to make their Christmas letters and wish lists for their presents. As we can imagine, most kids today are very interested in electronics and online entertainment, which leads to them identifying Christmas as an opportunity to renew their “storage” of new entertainment for the year. This comes from the idea that “Santa” will give them whatever they want, or at least, that is what they think will happen. However, with most parents being the ones in charge of putting their kids' gifts under the Christmas tree, it’s up to them to decide whether to follow their kids' requests, especially when it comes to electronics, most specifically, cellphones.
When debating this topic, we need to take into consideration what point of their life these kids are in. This is important because we need to measure the readiness and the need of these kids to have a cellphone. For some kids, the influence comes from their friends having one, considering it as an status symbol. I believe that parents should take into consideration the needs of their child and their own needs, such as communication when outside the house, research (google/safari usage), communication with friends, and the usage of specific apps for personal or school reasons.
Another important point to consider is the age and maturity of the child. If they are too young, which in my opinion is children under ten years old, they might not be able to use their cellphones responsibly, for several reasons. These are:
Inappropriate use of apps:
Children this young can install social media on their cellphones, using it irresponsibly and being exposed to content that is not age-appropriate. Parents can prevent their kids' cell phones from having these tools by installing blocking apps and programs, and content monitors. But still, even the most innocent-looking apps, some that can be used for basic communication, like WhatsApp, can have dangers such as stranger approaches and scams, causing danger to the children.
Distraction from responsibilities:
As cellphones grow to be a “mini portable computer”, they have constant upgrades introducing more functions that can be useful, but also, some just for entertainment, which can distract kids from daily basis activities and responsibilities. The infinite scrolling on TikTok, or Instagram Reels can deeply affect kids this young, as it can even affect teenagers and adults. Mesmerized by screens, people waste precious time of their days absorbing information that they won't remember in the next few minutes. It can also expose kids to things their parents might not want them to be exposed to. Still, it is important to highlight that even if there are a lot of negative aspects and bad sides towards the distraction of kids being distracted by these apps, there are also beneficial apps and sources that can help kids, such as long and informative YouTube videos, and even good content on other social media forms. So, in my opinion, parents should evaluate the rate of the amount of distraction the kid will have with the rate of good things done in that time period so that they conclude whether or not it would be beneficial for their kids to have access to these resources.
Cyberbullying and privacy:
Not all people using the internet have good intentions, especially those on the most common social media today. The problem is, that most kids don't know that, so if they have access to these platforms without prior guidance or warning from their parents, they can easily fall for these traps, facing consequences such as cyberbullying and lack of privacy about their personal information. It is extremely important that when given the opportunity of accessing social media, kids are warned by their parents about its dangers.
Overall, my opinion on giving cellphones to kids as a holiday present varies depending on the child. I believe that kids under the age of ten don't have the maturity to handle cellphones in their hands. My solution for these ages is to give them simpler cell phones, with only basic functions, such as cameras, and basic communication with family members. For kids age 11-14, I believe that nowadays it is really hard to postpone the giving of cell phones for teenagers since they “depend” on them for many things. So, if I was the parent, I would evaluate the maturity of my child, and probably block out apps I don't think they are available to handle yet. I believe that 15-17 year olds should have their cellphones, but be aware of dangers, and parents should always encourage their conscience about what they are doing. Everything depends on the child since everyone is different, but parents have to be aware to be able to make wise decisions, prioritizing open communication with their child. Boundaries are always a good idea to keep your little ones safe.
Happy Holidays!
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