Kids and Phones

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elizabethlear

elizabethlear

Member
#21
Dec 12, 2015
57
1
8
#21
I got my first phone when I was 15. Then when I was 16 I got my first smartphone. I'm now 20. In my experience, these things are very dangerous. I grew up with it being drilled into my mind that people on the internet are most likely scary and dangerous. So it's never really been an issue with me. I've never "over-trusted" someone on the internet. I've always been careful.

Anyways, You said something about their worth being tied up in cellphones. I can completely relate to that. Specifically when it comes to texting. "Why is it taking so long for him to text me back? Maybe he doesn't like me. Maybe he's ignoring me. etc etc"

In the last 4 or 5 years I've also spent way too much time on my phone, browsing facebook and just doing things that really don't enhance my life at all. At this point I have deleted most social media apps off of my phone to decrease the time I spend on them. I try to keep only useful things like the Bible App, fitness apps etc.

I have considered replacing my smart phone with a dumb phone but there are just some things that I'd rather not go with out such as GPS and having the luxury of googling a question the second I think of it. I try to use the internet more for learning than for entertainment.
 
G

Galatea

Guest
#22
#22
missy2014 said:
Yeh wowza makes me mad I think the game is minecraft idk... I don't keep up with things
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Minecraft is actually a fine game- it teaches spatial skills. I don't know if it has a social component or not- like if players can talk to each other from around the world. Which would be fine if they were all little kids, but it could be a grown person pretending to be a kid.

But even with Minecraft, moderation is key.
 
G

Galatea

Guest
#23
#23
missy2014 said:
Yup exactly and take the instance of the ability to call anyone if parents aren't or grand parents in my parents case aren't tech savy they won't know to block phone numbers shudders to think my nephew has the phone to call ppl re: predators thinks of dinosaurs lol real dangers Galatea too right my goodness!
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The telephone function is not actually scary. It is the internet part that is concerning.
 
G

Galatea

Guest
#24
#24
Demi777 said:
but still if you let a child grow up right, they wont feel so tempted to do crazy stuff with it.
i had my first phone in elementary school (when it was cool if you have a new ringtone)..my first phone with internet access was around..like.. 15 or 16 (you couldnt get any apps on that one and the internet was sooo slow) and just now after my brthday I got a phone where u can make and play vids and stuff..
people give too much too fast
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I have seen very young children with phones or tablets with internet access and it is very concerning as they do not have enough sense to know they should not talk to everyone online, or that another kid they are talking to may not really be another kid.

I know internet safety education is extremely important.
 
G

Galatea

Guest
#25
#25
elizabethlear said:
I got my first phone when I was 15. Then when I was 16 I got my first smartphone. I'm now 20. In my experience, these things are very dangerous. I grew up with it being drilled into my mind that people on the internet are most likely scary and dangerous. So it's never really been an issue with me. I've never "over-trusted" someone on the internet. I've always been careful.

Anyways, You said something about their worth being tied up in cellphones. I can completely relate to that. Specifically when it comes to texting. "Why is it taking so long for him to text me back? Maybe he doesn't like me. Maybe he's ignoring me. etc etc"

In the last 4 or 5 years I've also spent way too much time on my phone, browsing facebook and just doing things that really don't enhance my life at all. At this point I have deleted most social media apps off of my phone to decrease the time I spend on them. I try to keep only useful things like the Bible App, fitness apps etc.

I have considered replacing my smart phone with a dumb phone but there are just some things that I'd rather not go with out such as GPS and having the luxury of googling a question the second I think of it. I try to use the internet more for learning than for entertainment.
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It sounds like your parents did a good job if teaching you internet safety, and I think it is very wise of them to have waited until you were 15 and 16 to get a phone at all and then one with internet access.

Don't get me wrong, smartphones are great tools, but I think young kids are not mature enough to handle such a powerful tool. It is like giving an eight year old an electric saw and thinking the kid will be alright using it alone.

I think you have a healthy attitude about smart phones. Kudos to your parents for doing a great job.
 
elizabethlear

elizabethlear

Member
#26
Dec 12, 2015
57
1
8
#26
Galatea said:
It sounds like your parents did a good job if teaching you internet safety, and I think it is very wise of them to have waited until you were 15 and 16 to get a phone at all and then one with internet access.

Don't get me wrong, smartphones are great tools, but I think young kids are not mature enough to handle such a powerful tool. It is like giving an eight year old an electric saw and thinking the kid will be alright using it alone.

I think you have a healthy attitude about smart phones. Kudos to your parents for doing a great job.
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Thank you :) I think a big part of the reason I got a phone at such a "late" age was the time in which I grew up. Yes when I was 10 I had classmates that had cellphones and I still got a cellphone later than most of my peers, but it's becoming more and more the norm to have a cell phone at a younger and younger age. My twin brother and sister who are three years younger than me got their first cell phones (which were smart phones) at 13 or 14.

When it comes to technology, times change really fast. I think I read somewhere that the development of technology is not linear, it's exponential. The more technology we come up with the faster it grows. It was kind of eye opening.
 
G

Galatea

Guest
#27
#27
elizabethlear said:
Thank you :) I think a big part of the reason I got a phone at such a "late" age was the time in which I grew up. Yes when I was 10 I had classmates that had cellphones and I still got a cellphone later than most of my peers, but it's becoming more and more the norm to have a cell phone at a younger and younger age. My twin brother and sister who are three years younger than me got their first cell phones (which were smart phones) at 13 or 14.

When it comes to technology, times change really fast. I think I read somewhere that the development of technology is not linear, it's exponential. The more technology we come up with the faster it grows. It was kind of eye opening.
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Yes, I think whenever we get a new device it is pretty much already outmoded by the time we open the box! I am interested in how it has changed us socially and how it has changed our brains. I think children's attention spans are much more shortened than they used to be, because they are used to being entertained all the time and can not bear to be bored.

Make sure you talk to your little brother and sister about internet safety (although I am sure your parents have told them already).
 
T

tlc1994

Guest
#28
#28
My kids did not have cell phones until they could drive. Just our rules and I do not for one minute regret it. It wasn't easy and we were the mean ones, but their maturity level and safety was of utmost importance. I think a combination of not giving them to them too soon, restrictions and educating them is key along with lots of prayer. Bathe them in prayer daily! Thank the Lord you are in a position to help these kids who need guidance and direction when it comes to these situations. Praying God uses you mightily to reach these kids!
 
M

mar09

Senior Member
#29
Sep 17, 2014
4,927
1,259
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#29
missy2014 said:
And let's not assume all 30 something parents are tech savy yup like me late 20s they grew with computers in school but not all of them know what a filter is or more so how to use one. It would surprise how many people ie in their 30s aren't tech savy
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When the children were young, we'd simply take away a cable, then the keyboard or mouse, but in time they quickly learned how to connect what where... Abt the celphone... we know how much harm t is doing to our children, but not exactly how to stop it. One thing husband had to do was get child's phone from our youngest. Guess what, a day after, child was talking with me after dinner and probably telling all the stories that would have been told friends on social media=). And not just a day later, but until now. Also managed to ask me to play scrabble not a few times, when this was ignored on a shelf for a long, long time. Of course child would take time to use the pc when it is bakante or not in use, but it isnt the same as with the mobile phone, coz they can be up esp on school break, any time they want to stay up at night, while they have to quit the pc when we tell them to.
 
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M

mar09

Senior Member
#30
Sep 17, 2014
4,927
1,259
113
#30
Galatea said:
Yes, I think whenever we get a new device it is pretty much already outmoded by the time we open the box! I am interested in how it has changed us socially and how it has changed our brains. I think children's attention spans are much more shortened than they used to be, because they are used to being entertained all the time and can not bear to be bored.

Make sure you talk to your little brother and sister about internet safety (although I am sure your parents have told them already).
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I discovered ur thread just the other night... Now u said it, it is true how they 'need' to be entertained so=(... Even when travelling, kids and many adults now too, cannot stand not listening to or playing on their gadgets. When we were small, i remember singing on the car when we traveled esp along the expressway. I could sing out loud, and none cared or stopped me, coz it was also windy and the wind carried the voice far, far away!
 
G

Galatea

Guest
#31
#31
tlc1994 said:
My kids did not have cell phones until they could drive. Just our rules and I do not for one minute regret it. It wasn't easy and we were the mean ones, but their maturity level and safety was of utmost importance. I think a combination of not giving them to them too soon, restrictions and educating them is key along with lots of prayer. Bathe them in prayer daily! Thank the Lord you are in a position to help these kids who need guidance and direction when it comes to these situations. Praying God uses you mightily to reach these kids!
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I think waiting until kids are driving is the most prudent course. I would like to encourage parents to talk to their kids about pornography, both online and self generated varieties, talking to strangers online, and moderation. I know some of these things are hard to talk about to kids, but they are really important.

Thank you, I feel like I don't do enough. I need to educate myself about the apps and filters parents can use to keep tabs on what their kids are doing online and publish those.

God bless and thanks for being good parents. I know it must be hard to deny a child something they want.
 
G

Galatea

Guest
#32
#32
mar09 said:
I discovered ur thread just the other night... Now u said it, it is true how they 'need' to be entertained so=(... Even when travelling, kids and many adults now too, cannot stand not listening to or playing on their gadgets. When we were small, i remember singing on the car when we traveled esp along the expressway. I could sing out loud, and none cared or stopped me, coz it was also windy and the wind carried the voice far, far away!
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Yes, I remember playing car games too. We would spot license tags, sing, play tic tac toe, I spy, and a silly game we made ip when we were preteens- the next man on a billboard is your husband. That was funny for us.

We would also play a game about where we thought people were going by looking at the occupants and tag- make up stories. These things exercise imagination, plus we were looking outside and not at a device.

I am curious as to how constant media exposure is changing brains and emotions of children and what it will all mean in the next generations.
 
J

joefizz

Guest
#33
#33
yep galatea you are right to have concerns on not just phone but computers too,I saw one girl in school right next to me actually by pass our school computer lock on stuff like google in just a few seconds,by changing the html overhead from google,which normally rejects you with a statement of no access, to a different name that led to google without a statement I could hardly believe it,scary stuff,because not only are there inappropriate things online,but also predators as well as viruses that can virtually make a computer useless or even steal data like passwords,user names or even personal identification information, keep up the work for the kids,they may not know it yet but they may just owe you thanks later for keeping them from what they see as "life",when they actually find a "life"beyond media stuff dependency!
 
O

oldethennew

Banned
#34
Feb 28, 2016
11,311
2,976
113
#34
Jesus' communication skills were established long, long, ago...

that's where our hearts want to remain as much as possible -
we are definitely not influenced by this 'fallen-world'...
 
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