Cell Phones and Technology—Good or Bad? Ever stop to think of technology and how rapidly it is changing? When I was a teenager, we had a land time telephone. It was a “party” line and was shared by about 8 families who lived on our road. If you were very quiet and slowly lifted the receiver, you could “listen” in on your neighbor’s conversations. If you were expecting an important call or needed to make a call, you would just pick up the phone, interrupt the conversation and ask them to get off the phone. Everyone understood this was a “party” line shared by others. If you were “wealthy”, you might have black and white television. And, if you were lucky, you had an antenna and could pick up one or two local stations. Of course, you had to go outside and turn the antenna in just the right direction in order to pick up that “fuzzy” program. There was no cable, sports, or movie channels. The TV stations signed on in the mornings and signed off at midnight. Can you imagine life without the 24 hour a day weather and news channels? Technology was very limited and in it’s infancy. We had no cell phones or computers. Smart phones, I-pads, lap top computers, and having real time video and pictures sent out across all news channels would have been unimaginable. If you had asked most people about what the future of technology would bring, they would have no idea what you were even talking about. That is not the case with today’s youth. In the last few years, we have seen dramatic changes in the development and use of technology. The first car phone was introduced in the 1960’s. The first generation (1G) Cell Phone was in introduced in the 1980’s. In the nineties, the second generation (2G) cell phones came on the market. In 1997, the second generation (2G) digital transmission-TEXT MESSAGE SERVICE- became the desired way to communicate. It wasn’t until 2010 that the Kindle table, the third generation (3G), became available. Today, we have I-phone 5 and the I-phone 6. The technology is changing every day as the cell phones have more compact and smarter. Along with smaller and smarter cell phones, the users have become younger, but not necessarily SMARTER. Twenty years ago, only busy executives had cell phones because they were expensive and bulky. Today, it is not unusual to see children as young as 5 and 6 with a smart phone---and it is their very own. If you just look around, you will see people of all ages holding a cell phone in their hand, have one attached to their belt or have one in their purse. We can talk, play music, record video, take photos, get directions, check e-mail, make reservations, send text messages and the list goes on. We are a society that is constantly bombarded with information---good and bad--ALL THE TIME. There are benefits and dangers to using cell phones. Here are a few tips for parents to consider: 1) Talk to your kids about cell phone dangers; 2) Remind them that messages or pictures they send are NOT truly private; 3) Know who your children are communicating with; 4) Learn who your kids are spending time with online and on their cell phones; 5) Check messages and photos sent and received on your child’s phone; 6) Contact your cell phone provider about blocks or monitors; 7) Be aware of the number of text and photos your child sends and receives; and 8) Talk to your child, set rules about the use of any technology and make sure they know the consequences if the rules are broken. Don’t let technology and a smart phone, outsmart you as a parent! Remember, it is your responsibility to ensure your child is safe, especially in the cyber world. Having safety measures in place before the cell phone is placed in your child’s hand, could save you and your child a lot of heartbreak! Visit southeastcac.org or our Facebook page to learn more about the CAC.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 14:33:29 +0000
Trending Topics
© 2015