48.33% of the world is known to be an owner of a smartphone and 67.07% own a mobile phone. We’re living in a world full of technology, it’s a necessity for people. Phones help with security for your child, making friends, etc. But, what about the dark places of your phone? Everything isn’t fun when it comes to the different aspects of your mobile device, and is your child ready for that? Kids 9 and under are still in brain development. Having a phone at that age can take a toll on their mentality and cause an obsession with it.

Addiction to Your Phone

Addiction to your phone may appear to be fun, but it’s not. Some people get so excited to hear a notification come from their phone and can’t go anywhere without it. People addicted to their phone are more stuck in the fake world of social media than in the real world. “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots”, is a quote from Albert Einstein, and it seems that we have reached that day. Now, not everyone in our generation is an idiot, but what he said would happen has come true. 

Phones have risen to become more popular than humans. You can’t talk in real life, you have to text or call, you can’t go to the park, you have to play a game. Yes it’s okay to have a phone, but when you’re forgetting about all the people around you and just focused on that tiny piece of technology that’s when it becomes wrong.

Cyberbullying

Even worse than addiction, phones can expose children to unpleasant things or activity like predators, scammers and bullies. Phones do have the ability to make someone consider suicide more importantly the people on the phone. Cyberbullying has a big impact on the media. This word is always thrown around when it comes to a phone, and it means a lot of things and there are different types. It’s not a joke or something that you would want to happen to you or your child. To raise awareness about this there have been many movies such as Cyberbully and A Girl Like Her.

Many middle school students are aware of this, but younger children may not know.  8th grade student Kiara Malone stated, “People don’t realize that you’re killing this person, you took away they’re life. I don’t know how you can’t be traumatized by that.”  It is important for people to have more empathy for each other, and having a piece of technology between humans, makes it more difficult.

Predators

Posting a picture online that everyone can see can sometimes attract them. You just have to learn how to ignore them or block them. When people that have been approached by a predator keep talking to them and it makes the situation worse and worse. Predators online are different from predators in real life. When a predator in real life is following you, you ,of course, call for help or the police. But, when you’re on social media predators can easily be ignored/blocked.

Scammers

Scammers are also very common on every platform. Scammers can take your money, your information, you name it! And that’s another reason why young kids need to be responsible when having a phone. Saying yes to everything, whether it’s in a game you’re playing or in an advertisement puts you at risk of being scammed. You have to learn when to say no and move on with your day. 

Scams happen with terms of service as well. You’ve probably seen that word when you’ve downloaded a game or an app like Twitter or iTunes. They usually have terms of service to tell you exactly what they’ll be doing. Like what information they hold. It’s sort of like a contract. The terms of service are very long and important. A kid who’s 9 or 8 years old, well at least most I’ve seen, does not want to read 5 paragraphs of rules and explanations about the app. Apps like Twitter have a term of service that says they can obtain the rights to everything, even if you deactivate your account. It’s very boring and time consuming to read terms of service, but it’s worth it. 

What are the benefits of a phone?

But, what about the benefits of a phone? This device is very intelligent. It can help with research, school, and even security. Your 9 year old could be walking home alone and without a phone  you don’t have access to them. You don’t know what’s happening or if they took a wrong turn. 

Rosalyn Manning, a parent in the WMS community, proves that parents can get worried if their child does not have a phone. “I feel like kids should get a phone once you start to walk to school on your own or ride the bus.” Another persuading reason to have a phone is when using big numbers in math or science most people don’t know how to calculate a sum in their head. This is what calculators are for. Calculators also help with bills and taxes Phones also help with direction, I use Google Maps to know the place I’m supposed to be going too. There are a lot of great things your phone can do that can change your way of life. Phones are angels but also can be devils at the same time. 

The majority of my sources suggest that 9 and under isn’t the most appropriate age to get a phone. For example, said, “Kids should get a phone at 10-11 because that’s when they become more independent in my opinion.”

If your child has a phone how can you deal with making sure they don’t see anything that can affect them negatively? Putting an app on their phone called Family link can track where your