Does Your Kid Really Need a Cell Phone?
photo credit: derek olson
America’s children have always followed the trends — when my parents were young, they wanted record players in their room and when I was a little girl, a phone and CD player in my room were all I needed. Today, kids want cell phones, and not the cheap kind either, because cell phones are the tween and teen status symbol of the 21st century.
Of course, cell phone service is expensive, and it’s parents who foot the bill for this techie obsession. And in some cases, costs are out of control. Take Ellen, for example: in just two months, her teen daughter racked up $1,100 in cell phone charges, including text messaging, music and Internet access.
For some parents, these options are surprising and financially threatening. Most cell phone companies encourage line owners to open all options, hoping that their customers will inadvertently spend much more than they intended. If your kid’s got a phone, that business tactic is clearly working in the company’s favor. And even when you think you’re covered — lots of minutes and unlimited text messaging — you’re not. There are too many extras (cell phone horoscopes, anyone?) that cost dollars, adding up to unexpected phone bills.
In the end, parents need to draw the line at how cool they can afford their kids to be. Remember, you shouldn’t have to take a second job just to pay for your children’s right to text, so stand up for yourself, make rules, and require your kids to stick to them.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 4th, 2008 at 6:21 am and is filed under Kids and Family. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
