For a child, mobile phone is a must have gadget. Many become fixated with the device when they are babies, often being given a toy phone to play with so as to not feel left out.
It’s not surprising then, that many children begin making demands for a phone at an early age and most parents are only too happy to oblige.
New research shows the extent of the fascination that children have, with over half of three to 15 year olds using a mobile phone regularly. The research carried out also showed that some parents remain unconcerned when it comes to monitoring how their children make use of their phones.
Children are becoming technologically savvy at an increasingly earlier age.
The majority of parents keep a restriction on their children’s spending habits with over three-quarters only allowing their children to use pay as you go mobile phones.
Many mobiles have the ability to access the internet. Accessing the web can be costly on a mobile phone, especially if a connection to the internet is left on unintentionally. Also, it’s worthwhile checking to see if filters can be placed on the device in-order to bar access to sites that are not suitable for children.
Mobile phones have been designed that are specifically designed for children. Some have useful functions such as tracking. An example feature of one is the ability to send emails at regular intervals that inform the parent of the childs whereabouts.
Call restrictions can be set up on the phone so only a limited amount of numbers can be dialled.
With an increasing amount of children now regularly using mobiles, we should expect to see a surge in the amount of child friendly phones being made available.
By: Nick Cox
Posts Tagged ‘Parents’
Mobile Phones And Kids – How To Keep Them Safe
March 20th, 2010Mobile Phones – Tracking Systems
February 7th, 2010
We keep joking about ‘Big Brother’ watching us, it seems that wherever we go we are either caught on camera or have someone knowing every little detail about us.
Indeed, now it is parents who have now have access to GPS-style technology that allows them to check where their children are, without having to phone up and ask them.
With children now having access to cheap mobile phones from an early age, many are now using the popularity of mobile phones on the playground in order to ensure that their children are there in the first place.
By making use of their mobile phones and paying a small monthly fee to one of many different services available, it’s now possible to identify the last known position of their phones, and indeed the child.
There are many companies out there offering such services, both for contract and pay as you go mobile phones. And such services can be useful for parents who want that little extra piece of mind when it comes to knowing where their children are.
Upon request of the registered account holder, usually through a unique ID on the website itself, it is possible to track mobile phones using a credit system in order find out the last known location of the handset.
If there is a mobile phone mast in close proximity, the position of the handset is calculated through receivers on the mast, then shown on an Ordnance Survey-style map on your computer screen, showing where the handset was last located.
For some this can be a welcome alternative, as for some (especially teenagers) there’s nothing worse than having your parents call to check on you when you’re out with your mates – even if they mean well.
By: David Collins
