Slashdot has an ineresting discussion titled “Kids with Cell Phones, How Young is Too Young?“.
CNet is reporting that the average age of a child receiving their first cell phone is continuing to drop. A report carried out last year showed that the average age of a child’s first cell phone was just eight years old and is expected to drop closer to 5 years of age this year.
For me personally, this not a huge question by any matter. I love technology and connectivity. Maxim already, it has age of one and a half, loves technology. Mobiles are getting cheaper every day. And I’ll buy him one as soon as he’ll learn how to use one.
And my reasons don’t include “I want to know where he is at any moment in time”. Of course, I want to know. But that’s not a good reason. Not for me, at least. Instead, I want him to grow up with technology. I want him to learn how to use it properly. And I want him to learn how to utilize it properly.
Mobiles can be used for voice calls. They can do SMS. Most of them can access email and web already. There are organizers, mp3 players, and (crappy) digital cameras embedded in practically every mobile phone these days. Mobiles can store large address books. They can beep reminders. They can provide gaming entertainment. And that’s just for starters. And I have no idea of what is coming in the next few years.
I surely don’t want my son to miss all that. Quite the opposite…
P.S.: Here is a related single image comic from Moderately Confused.