The Cell Phone Conundrum

The timing for being invited to participate in the Kajeet Blog Tour for Mom Central couldn’t have been better. My kids had been bugging me for a cell phone for months—nay, over a year—and I’d steadfastly put my foot down, but was beginning to waver. In fact, I was in the midst of writing my latest column about how I’d decided to give in and get them a phone this fall, when I found out about the tour. Here’s an excerpt from the column (as always you can read the whole column here)

On one point I remained firm: MY kids were NOT getting a cell phone. "So let's just drop it," I told Isaac.

Always one to value persistence over obedience, Isaac didn't drop it. Not that day. Not the next day. Not the following week or in subsequent months. He worked cell phones into conversations about everything from homework to his behavior: ("If I had a cell phone," he reasoned, "my behavior would be better because I would just talk on the phone all day instead of getting into trouble." Wrong angle, son.)

Media has this insidious way of sidling up to you and squeezing into the cracks in your life. When my kids were small, I swore they'd never have video games and never watch TV. Then I realized that an episode of "SpongeBob" here and there could be a life saver for a tired mom.

Daddy decided that it would be fun to play Xbox with the boys. I got hooked on "Big Love" and decided I had to have HBO. Now, we own pretty much every video game ever invented, as well as several computers and On Demand.

Still, cell phones felt different. They're meant to be taken out of the house, which makes supervision difficult. They make a very expensive toy that is likely to be lost. And unlike video games, they're a product of the adult world. To my mind, seeing a little kid walking around talking on a cell phone is like seeing a little kid order a latte at Starbucks: just plain wrong.

As my big boys get older and more independent, however, I'm starting to see the value of keeping a connection with them while they're out in the world. There are a lot of what-if situations - walking to and from school, staying over at a friend's house - that I suddenly started considering in which a cell phone could come in handy in case of emergency.

So I caved.

Despite my mobile misgivings, both my kids and I were very excited when the sleek blue Kajeet arrived last week. For them, it represented an answer to a wish they’d held on to fervently for months. For me, it was an opportunity to look like a good guy rather than the cranky “when I was a kid, we had to walk uphill through snow two miles in each direction just to USE the phone!” sort. And their dad got to play around with a brand-new techie toy.

We've been using the phone for a week now, and here's my thoughts on the good and the not-so-good:

The fantastic:

o      The Kajeet phone looks and acts just like a regular cell phone. It has games, a selection of ringtones, a camera, and all those other features that seem to make a cell phone desirable to the tween-and-teen set (while also coming with cute little decals to decorate the phone to a younger child’s liking).

o      It puts control in the parent’s hands. This was important to me, since I don’t quite trust my kids not to call 900 numbers or maybe place some prank orders for pizza delivery if they get bored (Hey, I did both those things once or twice at their age, and I was using an old-fashioned phone connected TO THE WALL in our foyer!). Anyway, parents can decide how and when the phones can be used. For instance, you can set the phone not to ring during school hours, or you—or your child—can block certain numbers (handy, I suppose, if your kid was receiving harassing phone calls from a classmate).

o      It helps kids take responsibility, too. By logging in to their online “wallet”, kids can see how much money they’ve got left to spend on fee-per-use features like sending photos and texts. That way they can make decisions about how to spend—or save—the money in their accounts.

o      The phone itself is affordable. There are several options from about $50 to about $100, depending on features and style.

o      No commitment. Having been burned by never-ending contracts with companies whose crappy customer service makes me wring my hands every month, I really appreciate the pay-as-you-go, no-contract, no-hassle aspect of these phones.

The not-so-fantastic:

·       Nickel and diming. If you want a phone that your teen can yakkedy-yak on all day (so as to free up your landline in case there’s a power outage or a fire or something almost as important), this might not be the best choice. There are a lot of little fees—25 cents to send a photo, 5 cents to send or receive a text message, and 35 cents a day just to keep service (though you can suspend service if you’re going on vacation or won’t be using the phone for a while)--that can add up quickly. But if you’re using the phone like we are—as a backup plan in case your kids need to get in touch with you—these fees shouldn’t get out of hand.

·       It’s still a cell phone. And frankly, I’m still not sold on whether it’s a good idea for kids to have them at all. $50-$100 may be inexpensive for a cell phone, but it’s still plenty pricey when you consider that kids seem to view it as a toy, not an important communication device. And do our kids really NEED to have access to constant electronic media? Sigh. Try as I might, however, I realize that I can’t keep stuff like this away from my kids forever, and the Kajeet phone really does make a great compromise between what a kid wants…and what a mom needs.

Comments

[Max Lee]

I completely agree upon the point made in the post. Contracts with network opeartors really create trouble most of the times. There is another concept of having enteratinment on your cell pohne. It comes through purchasing applications and games as most of the cell phones are enough capable to support. many websites like Youpark.com, nclubsoft.com and dogandbonegames.com are offereing good collection of mobile games and applications.

[Jack21]

I didn't have my first cell until I was 16. I think it is necessary for a high school age child to have just for communication purposes.