Some young people can get highly hung-up on the extremes of continuous contact - the mobile phone offers either no contact or too much contact - possibly even unwanted contact. Stress can be caused by both sender's and recipient’s frustrations.
There is no doubting the benefits of the mobile phone. Ease of communication, the anywhere, anytime contact - with friends, relations, colleagues and in theory at least the efficiency brought to busy lives. The benefits have been sold to us worldwide by the mobile phone industry, and in the main we have made the judgment that, yes, the mobile phone is an exceptionally useful tool that advances personal communication beyond all our expectations of only a few years ago. And the future developments around the corner will equally amaze.
But every technological advance that provides such dramatic benefits has consequential costs and it is this area of mobile phone usage that we believe warrants more attention, especially their use by young people.
9 out of 10 children in the UK own a mobile phone. We believe as responsible parents that the benefits of immediate communication is a necessity - what happens if your child can’t get a lift home; it helps to manage the family’s busy schedule on the move; we feel safer knowing that our son can contact us if he’s in trouble; it’s cheaper giving him the responsibility of the cost of phone calls - he gets an allowance and it is up to him to manage his activities - our phone bill at home has been reduced significantly! All in all the mobile phone is hugely convenient.
These are some parent’s points of view, others are less positive:
A father of one 16 year told us ‘We give Emma, our daughter, £20 pocket money with extra for her school dinners. We learnt recently that all this money is being spent on text messaging her friends. She hasn’t had a meal in school for the past 3 months and worst of all considers no other activity or hobby worthy of her pocket money.’
When the mobile phone becomes not just an essential item for communication but instead something that takes control of a child’s life, parents have a right to be worried.
We have had parents ask for help - telling us that their teenager can do nothing else but sit by their mobile phone waiting for calls or text messages. They say ‘ my child will no longer communicate with the family, her phone has to be beside her day and night, we often hear her texting or talking in the early hours of the morning, her homework is suffering, her hobbies no longer take priority ….she is not the daughter we once had’
Childalert approached various experts who deal with addiction in children. They say addictive behaviour is too strong a word for mobile phone usage by children, but they recognise the worrying signs of dependency. The mobile phone is considered an accessory by many but could be more appropriately described as a ‘comfort blanket’. Getting a phone call or a text message implies an importance, ‘somebody wants me’. It boosts the receivers self esteem and self worth.
This is particularly true for teenagers who are struggling with their identity and social status. Phone usage does not only increase the opportunity to bond with friends and to organise a social life on the move and privately, it also provides a symbol for acceptance. This is important to a teenager’s individuality and confidence.
The youth of today are the first new generation to have an ‘anytime, anyplace, anywhere mobile communications culture’ and excessive and more proficient use of it can be viewed as part of defining generational differences - a form of rebellion.
This culture, however, is no comfort to parents who cannot understand the obsession. Only a few years ago we all managed to organise ourselves and keep in touch with each other perfectly well without the mobile. Now some children are so obsessed that they are unable to communicate uninterrupted, are constantly checking for messages and become irritable if they have to be away from their phone for any period of time. The family as a whole is finding the ‘mobile culture’ stressful causing rifts between members.
In some families the situation has become far worse; text messaging has become an obsession that needs to be fed by constant communication and that means constant funding.
‘I discovered our daughter had been using my credit card without my permission to buy more mobile airtime for her phone.’ Others perhaps, steal cash to feed the habit.
These are worrying developments - so to help parents who may feel they have a difficult situation on their hands regarding their child’s mobile phone usage, Childalert advise the following.
It is important that parents understand the concerns and what effects these can have for children and for the family.
Concerns about mobile phones
1. The mobile phone industry and their marketing techniques
Mobile phones have become popular and convenient making
บางคนหนุ่มสาวที่จะได้รับการแขวนสูงSome young people can get highly hung- -ขึ้นบนสุดขั้วของการติดต่ออย่างต่อเนื่องup on the extremes of continuous contact - - มีโทรศัพท์มือถือทั้งไม่มีการติดต่อหรือติดต่อมากเกินไปthe mobile phone offers either no contact or too much contact - - อาจได้ติดต่อที่ไม่พึงประสงค์ possibly even unwanted contact. Stress can be caused by both sender's and recipient’s frustrations.
There is no doubting the benefits of the mobile phone. Ease of communication, the anywhere, anytime contact - with friends, relations, colleagues and in theory at least the efficiency brought to busy lives. The benefits have been sold to us worldwide by the mobile phone industry, and in the main we have made the judgment that, yes, the mobile phone is an exceptionally useful tool that advances personal communication beyond all our expectations of only a few years ago. And the future developments around the corner will equally amaze.
But every technological advance that provides such dramatic benefits has consequential costs and it is this area of mobile phone usage that we believe warrants more attention, especially their use by young people.
9 out of 10 children in the UK own a mobile phone. We believe as responsible parents that the benefits of immediate communication is a necessity - what happens if your child can’t get a lift home; it helps to manage the family’s busy schedule on the move; we feel safer knowing that our son can contact us if he’s in trouble; it’s cheaper giving him the responsibility of the cost of phone calls - he gets an allowance and it is up to him to manage his activities - our phone bill at home has been reduced significantly! All in all the mobile phone is hugely convenient.
These are some parent’s points of view, others are less positive:
A father of one 16 year told us ‘We give Emma, our daughter, £20 pocket money with extra for her school dinners. We learnt recently that all this money is being spent on text messaging her friends. She hasn’t had a meal in school for the past 3 months and worst of all considers no other activity or hobby worthy of her pocket money.’
When the mobile phone becomes not just an essential item for communication but instead something that takes control of a child’s life, parents have a right to be worried.
We have had parents ask for help - telling us that their teenager can do nothing else but sit by their mobile phone waiting for calls or text messages. They say ‘ my child will no longer communicate with the family, her phone has to be beside her day and night, we often hear her texting or talking in the early hours of the morning, her homework is suffering, her hobbies no longer take priority ….she is not the daughter we once had’
Childalert approached various experts who deal with addiction in children. They say addictive behaviour is too strong a word for mobile phone usage by children, but they recognise the worrying signs of dependency. The mobile phone is considered an accessory by many but could be more appropriately described as a ‘comfort blanket’. Getting a phone call or a text message implies an importance, ‘somebody wants me’. It boosts the receivers self esteem and self worth.
This is particularly true for teenagers who are struggling with their identity and social status. Phone usage does not only increase the opportunity to bond with friends and to organise a social life on the move and privately, it also provides a symbol for acceptance. This is important to a teenager’s individuality and confidence.
The youth of today are the first new generation to have an ‘anytime, anyplace, anywhere mobile communications culture’ and excessive and more proficient use of it can be viewed as part of defining generational differences - a form of rebellion.
This culture, however, is no comfort to parents who cannot understand the obsession. Only a few years ago we all managed to organise ourselves and keep in touch with each other perfectly well without the mobile. Now some children are so obsessed that they are unable to communicate uninterrupted, are constantly checking for messages and become irritable if they have to be away from their phone for any period of time. The family as a whole is finding the ‘mobile culture’ stressful causing rifts between members.
In some families the situation has become far worse; text messaging has become an obsession that needs to be fed by constant communication and that means constant funding.
‘I discovered our daughter had been using my credit card without my permission to buy more mobile airtime for her phone.’ Others perhaps, steal cash to feed the habit.
These are worrying developments - so to help parents who may feel they have a difficult situation on their hands regarding their child’s mobile phone usage, Childalert advise the following.
It is important that parents understand the concerns and what effects these can have for children and for the family.
Concerns about mobile phones
1. The mobile phone industry and their marketing techniques
Mobile phones have become popular and convenient making
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