HOUSTON - Experts say twice as many kids have cell phones now than they did in 2004, and they’re not just going to teens.
The reasons for that can vary, including pressure on parents to give their kids a cell phone and more younger kids involved in activities away from home where parents want to be able to contact them.
“Twelve was the right time for us,” said mom of four Rachel Warren, of the age she let her oldest son have a cell phone. “He was much more independent. He was playing sports, so there were times when I needed to communicate with him because I had smaller children."
Her daughter, Katy Rix, got her cell phone a year ago, at age 11, and says compared to classmates, she was actually late to the game.
“Most of them got them at, like, 10, and I thought that was too little. We were all still in elementary school,” she said.
The Woodlands College Park High School student Niko Jennings, 15, got got his first cell phone at age 10, too.
“I used to be a spoiled kid,” said Jennings, who admits he begged a little to get his own phone.
“When you give a child a cell phone, you’re not really giving them a phone. You’re giving them a computer and an open door to an adult world,” said KHOU 11 mental health expert Bill Prasad.
Prasad recommends not giving a cell phone to a child younger than age 11. He advises parents always take into account an individual child’s stage of development and maturity. He also says limiting access to social media, especially with younger children, is critical, as well as continuous parental monitoring of what the child is really using the cell phone for.
“Is it to look at pornography, to traffic in sexually explicit images? Is it to cyberbully, to take pictures to embarrass others?” Prasad said.
Experts say parents should not hesitate to take the phone away if rules around cell phone use are broken, whether it’s at home or at school.
Students say cell phones are prevalent at schools and often get in the way of real interaction among peers.
“You walk through school, everyone has their head down, and you just realize there’s more to see. Look up,” Jennings said.
Ed Schaper, a father of three, thinks 8th grade is a good time to get a child his or her own cell phone.
“Twelve, 13. Younger? I don’t think so,” Schaper said.
There are studies showing cell phone use can disrupt sleep patterns. Kids sometimes stay up late to text, or the blue light from the phone signals to their brain to stay awake. Experts say parents might want to make sure cell phones aren’t in the room during homework time and bedtime.